Open my eyes that I may see the deepest needs of men, women and children
\nMove my hands that they may feed the hungry;
\nTouch my heart that it may bring warmth to the despairing;
\nTeach me the generosity that welcomes strangers;
\nLet me share my possessions with people in need;
\nGive me the care that strengthens the sick;
\nHelp me share in the quest to set prisoners free;
\nIn sharing our anxieties and our love,
\nOur poverty and our prosperity;
\nWe partake of your divine presence. Amen.<\/p>\n
O God you are a God of justice,
\nmercy and compassion support us
\nyour servants of the poor,
\nas we endeavour to bring your love and compassion
\nto people who are homeless and in need of your love.
\nWe pray that we will see you, our all-loving God in each homeless
\nperson we encounter and in our service for those in need.
\nMay we do all in our power to support each person reach
\ntheir potential, so they experience the fullness of life.
\nWe ask this prayer through Jesus Christ Our Lord Amen<\/p>\n
We ask you lord to journey with us this day in love.
\nWe thank you for the many joys and blessings in our lives especially
\nour families and friends.
\nHelp us to be kind and considerate to all we meet and may we be
\nhelpful and kind to all who enter this Centre.
\nWe pray for those in need of your love today. Amen<\/p>\n
May there be peace within.
\nMay you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be,
\nMay you not forget the great possibilities born of faith,
\nespecially the vocation of being a member of the St. Vincent de Paul Society.
\nMay you use those gifts that you have received, and passion on the
\nlove that has been given to you\u2026.
\nWe ask this prayer in the name of Jesus.<\/p>\n
Lord, where two or three are gathered in your name you are in our midst.
\nWalk with us now as we journey into home of x\u2026..
\nBe our support as we are your hands feet and heart.
\nWe ask this prayer in the name of Jesus.<\/p>\n
Let us go in simplicity where merciful Providence leads us,
\ncontent to see the stone on which we should step without
\nwanting to discover all at once and completely the winding road.
\n(Dirvin, trans and ed.., letters P.93)<\/i><\/p>\nPrayer of Micah (6:8)<\/b><\/h2>\n
Loving God I pray this day that I will always do what you require of
\nme, to do justice and to walk humbly with you my all loving God.<\/p>\n
Lord help me to imitate your way of loving and acting: you said that
\nyou had come upon earth to serve not to be served.
\nTeach me to show great gentleness towards all,
\nTo imitate your goodness in welcoming them.
\nLike you, I want to love tenderly to be respectful to all those I meet,
\nTo be affable and gentle to those in the greatest need.
\nLord, teach me to maintain always great esteem for my neighbour, y
\nour life on earth, your death and resurrection bear witness to
\nyour love for all.
\n(Prayer of St. Louise de Marillac. Based on Spiritual Writings P.785)<\/i><\/p>\nSaint Paul’s prayer (1)<\/b><\/h2>\n
I pray that the God of Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,
\nmay give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him,
\nso that with the eyes of your heart enlightened,
\nyou may know what is the hope to which he has called you,
\nwhat are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and
\nwhat is immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe,
\naccording to the working of his great power.
\n(Ephesians 1:15-19)<\/i><\/p>\nSaint Paul’s prayer (2)<\/b><\/h2>\n
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with
\nPower through the spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell
\nin your hearts through faith.
\nAnd I pray that you, rooted and established in love, may have the
\npower, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and
\nhigh and deep is the love of Christ and to know this love that
\nsurpasses knowledge \u2013 that you may be filled to the measure of
\nall the fullness of God.
\n(Ephesians 3:19)<\/i><\/p>\nPsalm 63<\/b><\/h2>\n
O God, you are my God for you I long!
\nFor you my body yearns; for you my soul thirsts,
\nlike a dry weary land without water.
\nSo I look to you In the sanctuary to see your power and glory.
\nFor your love is better than life; my lips offer you worship!
\nI will bless you as long as I live; I will life up my hands,
\ncalling on your name.<\/p>\n
My soul shall savour the rich banquet of praise;
\nwith joyous lips my mouth shall honour you!
\nWhen I think of you upon my bed,
\nthrough the night watches I will recall that you indeed are my help, and
\nin the shadow of your wings I shout for joy.<\/p>\n
My soul clings fast to you: your right hand upholds me.
\nBut those who seek my life will come to ruin;
\nthey shall go down to the depths of the earth!
\nThey shall be handed over to the sword and become the prey of jackals!
\nBut the King shall rejoice in God; all who swear by the Lord shall exult, for the
\nmouths of liars will be shut!<\/p>\n
O Lord, you search me and you know me.
\nYou know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.
\nYou discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.
\nBefore a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord.
\nSearch me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
\nSee if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.<\/p>\n
Lord make me an instrument of your peace; where there is hatred,
\nlet me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt,
\nfaith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light;
\nand where there is sadness, joy.
\nO Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled,
\nas to console; to be understood, as to understand; to be loved, as to
\nlove. For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are
\npardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.\u00a0 Amen.
\nSt. Francis of Assisi<\/i><\/p>\nFor deceased members of the Vincentian Family, De Profundis<\/b><\/h2>\n
Out of the depths I have cried to you, O Lord: Lord hear my voice.
\nO Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication.
\nIf you, O Lord, shall observe iniquities, Lord, who shall endure it?
\nFor with you there is merciful forgiveness; and by reason of your law
\nI have waited for you, O Lord.
\nMy soul has relied on his word; my soul has hoped in the Lord.
\nFrom the morning watch even unto night.
\nLet Israel hope in the Lord.
\nBecause with the Lord there is mercy, and with him plentiful
\nredemption.
\nAnd he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.
\nEternal rest give unto them, O Lord.
\nResponse<\/b>: Let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.<\/p>\nAct of Consecration of Conferences and Councils to the Sacred Heart of Jesus<\/b><\/h2>\n
(To be recited at the first meeting in June each year)<\/p>\n
Lord Jesus, wishing all people to show love rather than indifference to each other, you have revealed your Sacred Heart as a symbol of your divine love.<\/p>\n
We bow down before you, members of a world-wide family united
\nunder the standard of St. Vincent de Paul in the apostolate of charity.<\/p>\n
We dedicate and consecrate to your Divine Person and to your
\nSacred Heart this our conference (council) with all its members,
\nauxiliaries and benefactors, those we visit or assist and all the works
\nwe have undertaken for your glory.<\/p>\n
We humbly ask you to receive this offering and to fill us with the love
\nyou wish to see growing daily in the hearts of all people. With this
\nhelp we may learn to have a right attitude to this world, to love our
\nmembers, to help our neighbour by word and example and, despite
\ndifficulties, to fix our hearts on the riches and happiness that will never end. Amen.<\/p>\n
May the Lord bless us in our searching and our questions
\nThey are the gateway to wisdom, enlightenment and peace,
\nthe way to our hearts.
\nResponse: May the blessing of enlightenment and peace be upon us.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
May the Lord bless us in our gifts; these are God\u2019s providence to the world.
\nTo enrich it, to enable it, to bring it love.
\nResponse: May we acknowledge and use the gifts God gives to us.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
May the Lord bless us in the yearnings of our hearts. No matter how subtle,
\nThey are energy urging us forward in our quest for God and others.
\nResponse: May our heart\u2019s yearnings teach us empathy.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
May the Lord bless our vision. No matter the climb it is a mountain
\npeak calling us to experience God.
\nResponse: Lord, may the blessing of vision be with us as we reach out with trust in you.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
May the Lord bless us in our decisions. No matter the mistakes,
\nthey are our \u201cyes\u201d in life, our assent to the field where God is found.
\nResponse: May the blessing of discernment be upon us.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
May the Lord bless us in our reflections and ideas. No matter the doubts. They are seeds seeking nourishment, sunshine, life-giving water.
\nResponse: May we imitate Saint Vincent, Saint Louise, Blessed Frederic Ozanam and Blessed Rosalie Rendu.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
All: May our all loving Lord bless us in all our journey through the joys, our work, our struggles and the heart of the day.
\nAmen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"