Prayer for the Closure of the Chapter

Margaret, Bernadette and the three Councillors enter the hall –

music

Margaret - the pole

Bernadette - globe and ribbon
Councillors - Chapter decree and Vicariate recommendations
- incense
- candle

Pause : (music)

Opening prayer:

“ Do not be afraid, I pray for you, and I walk with you”.

God our loving Father, at the
beginning of this Chapter we
entered this hall as journeying
through an arid desert. Right
through our Chapter we heard
you affirming presence. Once
again we hear your voice
through the Prophet Isaiah.
“Courage! Do not be afraid,
your God is coming and He
will save you”.
“Then the rocks of the desert
will open to let sources of
living water gush forth and
streams of refreshing water
will flow in the Solitude. The
scorched land will become a
lake and parched land springs
of water”. ( Preface Is.35)
Pause

Let us get in touch with the transforming spirit, the energy, the
new life, and lights received for the mission.

Hymn: New life. P N. No.112

Leader: We have gone through an experience of a Paschal

journey leading us to fix our eyes on the Risen Lord.
Let us hear Him urging us to open our hearts to
welcome the rain of grace, falling to make greenness
spring up out of dry and thirsty ground.

In this new stage

He invites us:

 to open our minds and hearts

 To put aside our fixed ideas
 Turn away from our winter worries, let go of our
oppressive fears
 To be willing to be insecure for a while and allow
surprise to take hold of our hearts so that the seeds of
His grace may fall there.

With the new Vision, let us go forward just as we are, and

become what He desires us to be

Response: God who sings through us, we thank you.

o For the talents and the abundance of gifts that are ours
o For the faith that stirs and grows in our hearts
o For the many people who have been your instruments
of goodness in our lives
 o For the moments when we have known the song of your
presence in a special way
o For the times when your goodness has made music
through us

Response: God of goodness, help us to trust in you.

o When our fears rise up in us and we do not believe in

our ability to be your instrument
o When we doubt your presence in the difficult aspects of
our days
o When we lose sight of the truth that we are called to be
instruments of goodness
o When emptiness, loneliness, and other struggles keep
us from hearing your melody of love

Response: God of love, sing your song through us.

o As we grow in believing in our goodness

o As we allow more and more of who we are to be
influenced by your presence
o As the song of your love grows in us and the call to be
your instrument becomes clearer to us
o As we struggle to know how and when to share our
gifts and goodness with others
o As we go forth from here with the desire to be your
instruments of love
Final Prayer

God who dwells within, God who is with us in good times and
in bad, we turn our hearts again to you and we proclaim:
nothing can come between us and your love for us, even if we
are troubled or worried or being persecuted, or lacking food or
clothes, or being threatened or even attacked.

We can grow through difficult times because of this power of

your love at work in our lives. For we are certain of this:
neither death nor life, no angel, no prince, nothing that exists,
nothing still to come, not any power, no height or depth, nor
any created thing, can come between us and your love which
has been made visible in Jesus. We lean upon you and we
offer you our thanks. Amen.

Hymn: Magnificat