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Whoever you are,
Wherever you are,
Just as you are,
You are welcome at this table.
Theme: Women of Influence, Prophets of Hope
Dotty: Opening Prayer: An International Women’s Day Prayer
Holy One
Today we honor the women of all times and places,
Women of courage,
Women of hope,
Women of suffering,
Women of mourning,
Women living fully,
Women experiencing joy,
Women delighting in life,
Women knowing the interconnectedness of the human family,
Women promoting human flourishing,
Women boldly leading the transformation of unjust global structures,
Women seeking and sharing wisdom and love,
Holy One, we celebrate your faithfulness and love,
On this day we celebrate the promotion of the full humanity of all women everywhere,
We know that whatever denies or distorts the full humanity is not of God,
Help us to be faithful to your call to love all of humanity equally,
In your holy name we pray, Amen .
Opening Song Women of Faith Elai Mist
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPLXoggGoYU
Suzanne: Transformation Rite
Let us pause now to pray with one another for forgiveness for the times we failed to trust Your Spirit speaking within us and through others in our world.
Raise hands in gesture of mutual forgiveness and sing this chant:
Ubi Caritas: Linda Lee Miller
https://youtu.be/yOPqSw86DrE
Ubi Caritas, et amor, ubi caritas, deus ibi est.
(Sing 3 times refrain from-Taize played by Linda Lee Miller)
Jim Brandi: First Reading A summary of reflection written by Sr Ginny Scally SND de Namur a Women of Influence, a Prophet of Hope.
As I reflect on my faith development, I am reminded of the women who have influenced it the most. My mother was the first Woman of Influence in my faith life. She introduced me to a God of Blessing and taught me how to offer my day to God.
In my parish Catholic schools, I encountered more women of influence who were Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. Their lives were a witness to their relationship with Christ and their mentoring introduced me to the “spiritual exercises” and supported my discernment for my vocation as a Sister of Notre Dame. Their humanity and holiness helped in creating in me a new woman of influence for the future.
In the mid-70s, I joined a team of 6 co-pastors in an experimental parish on the south side of Chicago. We were a true Vatican II parish where all members were empowered to be People of Influence. We rotated weekend preaching and liturgical ministers would meet to reflect on the scriptures with the homilist.
During the 80s, I joined the pastoral team at St. Anne University Parish in Boston. The women on the team could only preach at Evening Prayer, but my most satisfying ministry was supporting the journeys of students as they explored issues of identity, gender, and faith. My journey gave ne a grounded spiritual experience that I could use to help those who confided in me. But I was ready for more, and the “more” came from the diocese of Saginaw in Michigan. Bishop Ken Untener was appointing women as Pastoral Administrators (read “pastoring persons”) in priest-less parishes, and I was one of them. We were directly accountable to the bishop, just like our ordained counterparts, and our responsibilities included the spiritual, educational, and financial operations of the parish. In this role, for over 20 years, I had the best opportunity to influence the lives of others.
As I turned 70 and concluded my ministry in Saginaw, I sent a letter to Pope Francis. This letter detailed my experiences, and the conviction that many people of God would accept women in ordained ministry if the Spirit of God has called them to that role. I don’t know if the Pope ever received that letter and only time will tell if the Catholic Church recognizes the God-given gifts of its many women of influence and answers their call to be prophets of hope through ordained ministry.
Through all these experiences, I learned that women can and do make a significant impact in the Church. Women of Influence have shaped my faith life from my mother’s early teachings to the spiritual and mentoring guidance of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur.
Andrea Seabaugh: Second Reading a reflection “Whenever Women Gather” inspired by Jay Murnane
Whenever women of thought gather
Thoughtful women horizons are stretched wider.
Whenever women of heart gather
Compassionate women
Tender-strong eyes open to injustices,
Making connections.
Whenever women of soul gather
Generous women
There is solidarity, and a wide embrace,
A fulcrum of possibility
Which can fell walls,
Set voices free,
Illuminate alternatives.
Heal shattered hopes.
Whenever women of wisdom gather
Free women,
daring women,
ingenious women
there is a drumming.
in cadence with the song
at the center of all:
a co-creativity
a rumbling
a crumbling
of business-as-usual
and powers that be.
Whenever women of spirit gather
Feisty women
Laboring women
There is a birthing.
There is life, Sisters!
Gospel: Matthew 15:21-28 as spoken by Jesus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0D_mizGXHUc&t=15s
SHARED HOMILY
What did you hear today?
Suzanne: Statement of Faith
We believe in the Holy One, a divine mystery
beyond all definition and rational understanding,
the heart of all that has ever existed,
that exists now, or that ever will exist.
We believe in Jesus, messenger of the Divine Word,
bringer of healing, heart of Divine compassion,
bright star in the firmament of the Holy One's
prophets, mystics, and saints.
We believe that we are called to follow Jesus
as a vehicle of divine love,
a source of wisdom and truth,
and an instrument of peace in the world.
We believe in the Spirit of the Holy One,
the life that is our innermost life,
the breath moving in our being,
the depth living in each of us.
We believe that the Divine kin-dom is here and now, stretched out all around us for those with eyes to see it, hearts to receive it,
and hands to make it happen.
So be it!
Mary Al: Let us now share Prayers we hold in our hearts.
We bring to the table the hope and blessing of peace to all borders especially Ukraine’s.
We bring to the table all those suffering from the devastating fires in Maui.
We bring to the table all women who are and will risk their lives by speaking truth to power.
We bring to the table prayers for the end of world hunger, the end of Worldwide sickness and disease, and the end of Worldwide conquest through war.
We bring to the table all vulnerable women and men being trafficked into slavery—for purposes of sex, marriage and /or work.
MMOJ’s Book of prayer request – Joan M
Please voice your intentions beginning with the words, “I bring to the table.”
Let it be so!
Joan P.: Holy One, blessed are we as we gather around our tables to celebrate the memory of Jesus. He lived among us teaching us to dream of a world healed and made whole, to believe in the power of Divine Presence within us and to prepare for the birthing of the Christ within.With this bread and wine, we pledge ourselves to the teachings of Jesus as revealed in the Gospels. We accept our call to be present to all people in our world. We are committed to the teachings and the ministry of Jesus.
The Holy One is praised forever.
Jerry: Holy One, you are always with us. In the blessed abundance of creation, we gather to celebrate Your nourishing gift of life. May our hearts be open to You as You invite us to participate in the wise and wonderful work of co-creation.
We honor and give thanks for the Canaanite woman and all women and men who challenge unjust structures.
May we be ever aware of Your Spirit within and among us as our world unfolds amid pain and beauty into the fullness of life.
We are grateful for Your Spirit whose breath inspired the primal waters, calling into being the variety and abundance we see around us. Your Spirit sustains us and gives us hope in our every endeavor, inviting us to act in wisdom and in truth.
In gratitude and joy, we lift our voices to proclaim a song of praise:
Here in This Place by Christopher Grundy
https://youtu.be/sgkWXOSGmOQ
Joan P:As your people, we gather in the power of your Spirit. As followers of Jesus, we seek to live as wise and holy Spirit-filled people: courageous, prophetic, ever hopeful, and hope-filled as we answer your call to serve one another.
We invoke Your Spirit upon these gifts of this Eucharistic table, bread of the grain and wine of the grape, that they may become gifts of wisdom, light and truth which remind us of our call to be the body of Christ to the world.
(Please extend your hands over your bread and wine)
Dotty: On the night before Jesus faced his own death, He sat at supper with his companions and friends. He reminded them of all that he taught them, and to fix that memory clearly, he bent down and washed their feet.
When he returned to his place, Jesus took bread, gave thanks, and offered it to them saying: Take and eat; this is my very self.
Jesus then raised a cup of blessing, spoke the grace, and offered the wine saying: Take and drink of the covenant made new again through my life in you. Whenever you remember me like this, I am among you.
Jerry: This is the bread of life and cup of blessing. May our eating and drinking strengthen our commitment as “one who serves.”
What we have heard with our ears, we will live with our lives; as we share communion, we will become communion, both Love’s nourishment and Love’s challenge.
Receive the bread and cup before you with the words “You are the face of God.”
Communion Meditation/Song: Thomas Rhett - Be a Light
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oqiw54l_x-8
Mary Al: Holy One, You call us to speak truth to power. We will do so.
Holy One, You call us to live the Gospel of peace and justice. We will do so.
Holy One You call us to be Your presence in the world. We will do so.
Sacred Spirit, we honor all women and men in history who have spoken truth to power with courage and conviction. We rejoice that the Universal Christ remains always and ever present within and around us strengthening our commitment to use our influence to effect change in our country and our world.
(Pause to remember individuals you loved and admired who have inspired you and speak their names)
And we respond together: LET IT BE SO
Suzanne: Let us pray the prayer of Jesus:
O Holy One, who is within, around and among us,
We celebrate your many names.
Your Wisdom come.
Your will be done, unfolding from the depths within us,
Each day you give us all we need.
You remind us of our limits, and we let go.
You support us in our power, and we act with courage.
For you are the dwelling place within us, the empowerment around us,
and the celebration among us, now and forever. Amen
(Miriam Therese Winter)
Holy One, your transforming energy is ever present, moving within and working through us. With joyful hope, may our lives glorify you at this time and in all ways. Amen.
Introductions -Thanksgivings - Announcements
Joan P: Blessing
Let us extend our hands in blessing one another.
May the Holy One bless us as we dream of infinite possibilities.
May we be inspired by the words we have prayed together that we will stand for truth and live the ministry of Jesus in the ways that we can.
May we recognize the women of wisdom in our lives and embrace all the words they have spoken and all the stands they have taken as they continue to be inspirations for us.
CLOSING SONG: Listen to Her Call for Justice – Jan Aldredge-Clantonn
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5TkeayoRAY
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If you would like to add your intercession to our MMOJ Community Prayers book, Please send an email to jmeehan515@aol.com
If you would like to invite another person to attend our liturgy please refer them to www.marymotherofJesus.net where the day’s liturgy is found. Zoom instructions are also included there.
Please support our community, send your check to: Mary Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community 5342 Clark Road #3079 Sarasota, FL 34233
