TRIDUUM IN HONOR OF ST.

JOHN THE BAPTIST

DAY ONE

INTRODUCTION
Today is the first day of our triduum in honor of our beloved patron, St. John the
Baptist. In the reading of the Word of God, Zechariah wanted to have a son, but no longer
had hope for one, however, in the temple he prayed for the salvation that God would
grant his people and is, promised both salvation and son.

Leader: In the Name of the Father…

All: Amen.

Leader: Act of Contrition…

All: O, my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended You, and I detest all my sins
because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell. But most of all, because I
offended You, my God, who are so good and deserving of all my love, I firmly
resolve by the help of Your grace, to confess my sins, to do penance and to amend
my life. Amen.

PRAYER FOR EVERYDAY (ALL)

O God, who called us to a life of holiness, fill us with Your Spirit of love and truth.
As we gather to praise and thank you for the gift of St. John the Baptist as the forerunner
of Your Son, Jesus Christ, we ask you to bless us and make us one.
May his life and example inspire and give us courage to follow You faithfully.
Help us to be true witnesses of Your compassionate love in words and in deeds. We ask
this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

READING

Leader: A proclamation from the Holy Gospel according to St. Luke

All: Glory to You, O Lord.

Now while Zechariah and those with him were fulfilling their office, it fell to him
by lot, according to the custom of the priest, to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn
incense. All the people were praying outside. It was then, that an angel of the Lord
appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. On seeing the angel,
Zechariah, was deeply troubled and fear took hold of him, but the angel said to him:
“Don’t be afraid Zechariah, be assured that your prayer has been heard. Your wife
Elizabeth will bear you a son and you shall name him, John. He will bring joy to you and
many will rejoice at his birth.”

Leader: The Gospel of the Lord.

All: Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ.

Leader: Let us pause for a moment of silence.

PRAYER FOR THE DAY

Leader: Lord, accept the prayer and the gifts we present on this feast of St. John the
Baptist. Continue to love us as you nourish the faith of the Church by the
preaching of St. John. We ask this through Christ, our Lord.

All: Amen.

Leader: In silence, let us ask to the Father our own intentions through the intercession of
St. John the Baptist…

Glory to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

All: As it was in the beginning is now and will be forever. Amen.

CLOSING PRAYER FOR EVERYDAY

Leader: O God, in meditating on the suffering of Your Son and in serving Your Church,
St. John the Baptist was filled with the fervor of Your love. By his prayers, may
we share in the mystery of Christ’s death and rejoice in the revelation of His
glory, for He lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God forever and
ever.

All: Amen.

DAY TWO

INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the second day of our triduum in honor of St. John the Baptist. St.
Luke stresses that John the Baptist would be great before God, for John will move with
the spirit of Elijah to obtain reconciliation for all, through justice and faithfulness to God’s
law.

Leader: In the Name of the Father…

All: Amen.

Leader: Act of Contrition…

All: O, my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended You, and I detest all my sins
because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell. But most of all, because I
offended You, my God, who are so good and deserving of all my love, I firmly
resolve by the help of Your grace, to confess my sins, to do penance and to amend
my life. Amen.

PRAYER FOR EVERYDAY (ALL)

O God, who called us to a life of holiness, fill us with Your Spirit of love and truth.
As we gather to praise and thank you for the gift of St. John the Baptist as the forerunner
of Your Son, Jesus Christ, we ask you to bless us and make us one.
 May his life and example inspire and give us courage to follow You faithfully.
Help us to be true witnesses of Your compassionate love in words and in deeds. We ask
this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

READING

Leader: A proclamation from the Holy Gospel according to St. Luke

All: Glory to You, O Lord.

When the time came for Elizabeth, she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and
relatives heard that the merciful Lord has done wonderful things for her and they rejoiced
with her. When on the eight day, they came to attend to the circumcision of the chid, they
wanted to name him Zechariah after his father. But his mother said, “Not so, he shall be
called John.” Zechariah asked for a writing tablet and wrote on it saying, “His name is
John.” And they were very surprised that immediately, Zechariah could speak again and
his first words were in praise of God.

Leader: The Gospel of the Lord.

All: Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ.

Leader: Let us pause for a moment of silence.

PRAYER FOR THE DAY

Leader: Lord, give us the time to be silent and prayerful, conscious of Your presence,
moment by moment, sustaining us in our entire human life and relationship, yet
also summoning us to new dimensions for fidelity and generosity. Whenever
you call our name, we reply, “Speak Lord, for Your servant is listening.” We ask
this through Christ, our Lord.

All: Amen.

Leader: In silence, let us ask to the Father our own intentions through the intercession of
St. John the Baptist…

Glory to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

All: As it was in the beginning is now and will be forever. Amen.

CLOSING PRAYER FOR EVERYDAY

Leader: O God, in meditating on the suffering of Your Son and in serving Your Church,
St. John the Baptist was filled with the fervor of Your love. By his prayers, may
we share in the mystery of Christ’s death and rejoice in the revelation of His
glory, for He lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God forever and
ever.

All: Amen.
DAY THREE

INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the last day of our triduum in honor of St. John the Baptist. In today’s
reading, John awakens the expectation of a savior. It is easy for us to say that the savior
was Jesus and that God’s judgment would come, but for those who were hearing John, it
was difficult to imagine what this Savior might be.

Leader: In the Name of the Father…

All: Amen.

Leader: Act of Contrition…

All: O, my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended You, and I detest all my sins
because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell. But most of all, because I
offended You, my God, who are so good and deserving of all my love, I firmly
resolve by the help of Your grace, to confess my sins, to do penance and to amend
my life. Amen.

PRAYER FOR EVERYDAY (ALL)

O God, who called us to a life of holiness, fill us with Your Spirit of love and truth.
As we gather to praise and thank you for the gift of St. John the Baptist as the forerunner
of Your Son, Jesus Christ, we ask you to bless us and make us one.
May his life and example inspire and give us courage to follow You faithfully.
Help us to be true witnesses of Your compassionate love in words and in deeds. We ask
this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

READING

Leader: A proclamation from the Holy Gospel according to St. Luke

All: Glory to You, O Lord.

John proclaimed a baptism for repentant people to obtain forgiveness of sins and
he went through the whole country bordering the Jordan River. It was just as it is written
in the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, “Listen to his voice crying out in the desert, prepare the
way of the Lord, make His path straight. The valleys will be filled and the mountains and
hills will be made low. Everything crooked will be made straight and the rough paths,
smooth and every mortal will see the Salvation of God.”

Leader: The Gospel of the Lord.

All: Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ.

Leader: Let us pause for a moment of silence.

PRAYER FOR THE DAY

Leader: O, St. John the Baptist, who saw the reflection of God’s goodness in creation, help
us to be aware of God’s loving presence in this world. Pray for us that we may
become worthy stewards of this earth and bring us to believe in God’s healing
 and providential care. Help us to open our minds and hearts to the Holy Spirit
that we may learn to follow Christ, our Lord for He lives and reigns with You
and the Holy Spirit, One God forever and ever.

All: Amen.

Leader: In silence, let us ask to the Father our own intentions through the intercession of
St. John the Baptist…

Glory to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

All: As it was in the beginning is now and will be forever. Amen.

CLOSING PRAYER FOR EVERYDAY

Leader: O God, in meditating on the suffering of Your Son and in serving Your Church,
St. John the Baptist was filled with the fervor of Your love. By his prayers, may
we share in the mystery of Christ’s death and rejoice in the revelation of His
glory, for He lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God forever and
ever.

All: Amen.

Leader: Let us include in our prayers, the intentions of our Holy Father, Pope Francis …

Our Father…

Hail Mary…

Glory…

In the Name of the Father…