The Fire of Faith
The privilege of being able to celebrate Mass in the Chapel at St Augustine’s Priory is never taken for granted. We are fortunate to be able to have a school Mass every week on the premises and are very grateful to the priests who say Mass for us. Fr Thomas is always a welcome visitor and this week celebrated a joyful Mass for the Juniors on the feast day of the Northumbrian St Wilfrid.
Lower II Alpha prepared Mass this week with bidding prayers which were not only thoughtful but were an inspiration for those of us present:
‘We pray for the Church, for priests and teachers and all those who spread the Gospel. May they continue to nourish the faith of others.
We give thanks for the fruits of human work and the reverent use of creation.
We pray for justice and peace in the world and especially for those who suffer or who are imprisoned unjustly. We also pray for their families, that they may find hope and strength along the way.
We pray for journalists, that in carrying out their work, they may always be motivated by respect for truth and a strong sense of what is right and wrong
We pray for ‘outsiders’ everywhere. May they find a place of belonging and peace in their lives.
We pray for the sick, that they be treated with loving, tender care and recover soon. We also pray for those who have died recently.’
Their prayers were completed by asking Our Lady to intercede for us as we prayed the Memorare:
Hail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy,
hail, our life, our sweetness and our hope.
To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve:
to thee do we send up our sighs,
mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.
Turn then, most gracious Advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us,
and after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus,
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary!
Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Amen.
At Holy Communion the Junior Choir sang with great sensitivity ‘The Lord’s my Shepherd’ in a beautiful setting by Stuart Townend.
This Mass spoke of lighting fires within all of us; especially redolent in the Offertory hymn, ‘God of the Poor’ by Graham Kendrick, a hymn calling on God to light the fire in us for justice, mercy and compassion.
