 |
Part II:
Prayers for Fraternity Meetings
Preface
-
Local
fraternity gatherings as well as meetings of regional,
national, and international councils are held in the
Secular Franciscan Order.
-
The goals of
these gatherings and meetings are indicated in the Rule,
namely, to promote charity among the members and to
foster their Franciscan and ecclesial life 4.
-
There are
different kinds of gatherings within a fraternity:
sometimes for prayer, other times for planning work or
accomplishing projects, and still other occasions for
fraternising and socialising.
-
The
following gatherings of the fraternity are required by
statutes:
-
a time
for getting to know one another as brothers and
sisters;
-
a time
for hearing the Word of God and sharing it 5 ;
-
a time
for study and work (when opportunities arise);
-
a time
for the liturgical celebration of the Eucharist and
The Liturgy of the Hours.
-
In all of
these, there is ample room for the creative initiative
of the council and members of the fraternities.
-
The prayers
given here are taken mainly from the writings of St.
Francis.
SFO RULE,art.22,24.
SFO RULE,art.5.
Chapter One
Opening and Closing Prayers for Fraternity Meetings
-
The prayers
suggested in the following number are given only as a
sample.
-
Opening
prayers
When the members have gathered together in a suitable
place, before any business is taken up, the one chairing
the meeting may begin the community prayer in a manner
similar to this:
Chairperson:
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit.
All: Amen.
Chairperson:
Most high, all powerful, good God, praise, glory and
honour and all blessing are yours.
All: Praise and bless my Lord, and give him thanks, and
serve him with great humility.
Chairperson:
Let us pray. All-powerful,most holy, most high and
supreme God, all good, supreme good, total good, you who
alone are good: we give you all praise, all glory, all
thanks, all honour, all blessing and every good. So be
it. So be it.
All: Amen.
or:
Let us pray.
Most high, glorious God, enlighten the darkness of our
hearts and give us right faith, firm hope and perfect
charity, with wisdom and insight, o Lord, that we may
accomplish your holy and true will.
All: Amen.
-
A short
reading may follow, from Sacred Scripture (Appendix I,
part 1).or from the writings of St. Francis (Appendix I,
part 2).
-
Closing
Prayers
If it is opportune, there may be a time for spontaneous
prayer or for intercessions for the general needs of the
Church and the particular needs of the fraternity. Then
the chairperson may use the prayer of St. Francis, as
follows, or another of his/her own choice.
Chairperson:
Let us pray. Almighty, eternal, just and merciful God:
grant us in our misery that we do for your sake alone
what we know you want us to do, and always want what
pleases you; so that, cleansed and enlightened
interiorly and fired with the flame of the Holy Spirit,
we may be able to follow in the footsteps of your Son,
our Lord Jesus Christ, and so make our way to you, Most
high, by your grace alone, you who live and rule in
perfect Trinity and simple Unity, and are glorified, God
all-powerful, forever and ever.
All: Amen.
or:
Let us pray. Most generous God, you are the giver of
peace and the lover of charity. Grant to us your people
true harmony with your will and help us to overcome all
temptations that could disturb our peace. We ask this
through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.
-
If a priest
is present, he may give St. Francis ’ Blessing to
Brother Leo (cf. Part One, n. 18).
Chapter Two
celebration of the Fraternity ’s Chapter of Elections
-
After the
invocation of the Holy Spirit and a short reading from
the Sacred Scriptures (Appendix I, part 1)or from the
writings of St. Francis (Appendix I, part 2),the one
presiding at the elections offers this prayer:
Almighty, most high and supreme God, Father, holy and
just, Lord, King of heaven and earth: we give you thanks
for yourself. Of your own will you created all things
spiritual and physical, and made us in your own image
and likeness, and gave us a place in paradise, through
your only Son, in the Holy Spirit. We trust in you and
we ask for your light so that we may choose those who
will properly serve our fraternity through their
leadership. Help us to select those who are able to
animate and guide us by their example, their virtues and
prudent decisions so that the gospel of Jesus in the
spirit of St. Francis may come alive in our community.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.
-
The
elections follow in accordance with the Constitutions.
When the election process is finished, those elected
give witness to their Franciscan vocation and to their
readiness to be of service.
-
After all
this is completed, the one presiding at the elections
says to those newly elected: May the God of hope bring
you such joy and peace in your faith that the power of
the Holy Spirit will remove all bounds to hope (Rom
15:13)
All: Blessed be God forever!
The one presiding continues:
Let us pray for those who have been elected. Through
their service of animating and guiding the fraternity,
may we all live our faith more deeply, witness to Christ
more bravely, and work to prepare the kingdom of God.
All join in this prayer:
Most generous Father, grant, through the dedicated
efforts of our new leaders who have been called to serve
our fraternity, that all of us may know you better, and
make you known to all. May we live more vigorously the
gospel way of life that you inspired through Francis of
Assisi. We ask this through Christ our Lord.Amen.
Chapter Three
The Establishment of a New Fraternity
-
The rite
described in this chapter is performed in a suitable
place.
-
The one who
has the faculty to establish a fraternity canonically
presides at the ceremony.
-
Introduction
After a word of welcome and a brief introduction from
the president (minister) of the fraternity, article 22
of the Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order is read: The
local fraternity is to be established canonically. It
becomes the basic unit of the whole Order
and a visible sign of the Church, the community of love.
This should be the privileged place for developing a
sense of Church and the Franciscan vocation and for
enlivening the apostolic life of its members.
-
The one
presiding at the establishment of the new fraternity
offers the following prayer:
Let us pray. O Lord our God, as we gather here in your
name, may our lives together in fraternity help us to
experience the presence of your Son our Lord Jesus
Christ, so that our joy in St. Francis may come to
fulfillment. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.
-
Scripture
Reading
Then there is a reading from the Bible; Rom 12:4-13 is
suggested. Reading and Signing of the Document of
Establishment
-
After the
scripture reading, the document of the establishment of
the new fraternity is now formally read and signed.
Also, the names of the members of the fraternity are
recorded, as well as the leaders who constitute the
council of the new fraternity.
-
When this is
finished, it is appropriate to read a short text from
St. Francis ’ “Letter to All the Faithful ”.
-
On this
occasion some appropriate words can be offered either by
the one presiding at the establishment or by a regional
or national leader present.
-
Prayer in
Common and Conclusion
A prayer can be offered in common after the style of
general intercessions, which is concluded with the
following prayer:
Our Father, almighty God, source of love and unity:
grant that this new fraternity of the Secular Franciscan
Order, united and animated by the Holy Spirit, may be
ready to hear your Word and keep it. May all its members
pray together with one mind and heart. May they find in
the community the strength and inspiration to bring
about a more fraternal world and to carry the message of
joy and peace to everyone. We ask this through Christ
our Lord.
All: Amen.
-
It is
appropriate to conclude with a hymn to Our Lady.
^TOP
|
