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Your Prayer Ministry

There are many ways to minister to others in your church or community, to give our time and service to others following the example of our Lord (Jn 13:15). Prayer is a ministry we all can undertake, both as a daily spiritual exercise and as a deep expression of love.

No need to sign up, or register: pray for those in need of our prayers, for the recently deceased and their families; for the Church, the world and your family and neighbours; and especially offer a prayer of praise and thanksgiving to our God, who is Love.

Through our baptism and the grace of the Holy Spirit we are members of the Mystical Body of Christ. Christ is our Head and Mediator. In this Community of Prayer we pray for each other, and we pray to the saints. The saints in turn pray for us. Thank God for the abundant blessing that so many are prayed for, and so many pray for you.

We are blessed with a host of special devotions to follow in our prayer life: to the Blessed Trinity, to Our Lord, to Our Lady, to a favourite saint, maybe a special Novena, maybe a deep devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. As we pray we can include all those in need, and “all the faithful departed”.

As you set aside time for prayer, remember to pray for yourself, and especially to give thanks for all the blessing in your life. Your devotion to the Lord brings profound goodness to you, and will also enrich those you meet and pray for each day. Pray for the Lord’s presence and peace.

November: Month of Remembrance and the Holy Souls

November is the month we remember and pray for our deceased family, friends and loved ones, and particularly those who have lost their lives in conflict and war.
This is a holy act of love and devotion – to keep in our minds and hearts, and remember and honour those who have left this life. We recognise that death is part of life. So in this last month of the Christian year we take time to reflect on this, on the end of times, and on our longing for the promised life of heaven. Many pray for the dead during the Month of the Holy Souls, and call up on God’s mercy that they will be brought to the joy and glory of Heaven.
We began this remembrance and prayer on Wednesday 1st November, ALL SAINTS DAY. We honour the saints whose names we do not know, who have attained the glory of Heaven. This is their feast day:

“After that I saw a huge number, impossible to count, of people from every nation, race, tribe and language.” (Revelation 7:9)

“We want you to be quite certain about those who have died, … God will bring them with him.” (1 Thessalonians 1:13-14)

Eternal rest given unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen.

The Rosary

October is the month of the Holy Rosary.
Pray The Rosary, and maybe discover this is a special devotion in your prayer life.

The Rosary is a meditation on the life and works of Jesus, aided by repeating sets of prayers, while holding Rosary beads and using these to count the prayers one by one. It is a prayerful way to help us keep the Lord before our minds, and recall how our salvation was brought. The spirituality of the Rosary is profound and is a deep expression of love and devotion to the Lord. The Rosary is a way also to pray with Jesus’ mother, Mary. We honour Mary and join our prayers with her prayers.

LENT 2023

In Lent we prepare for Easter when we will celebrate the great feast of the Lord passion, death and Resurrection.
It is a time to reflect and make a pereonal and communal spiritual journey by prayer, fasting and almsgiving.
May this be a blessed time for you, in your own prayerful and spiritual journey.

As part of your prayer in Lent you may wish to follow the Stations of the Cross – prayfully follow the way of the cross when Jesus gave himself for us.