In
Memoriam Pope John Paul II
Following the death of Pope John Paul II, St Faith's hosted a Requiem Mass to which local people were invited. The lesson was read by local M.P. Claire Curtis-Thomas, and the prayers by Methodist Minister Martyn Newman. The order of service is reproduced below; follow this link for the address given at the Requiem Mass by Fr Neil Kelley.
The Parish Church of Saint Faith, Great Crosby
SOLEMN MASS OF REQUIEM
for His Holiness, Pope John Paul II
with prayers for the Unity of all Christians
Thursday 14th April, 2005 at 7.30pm
Jesus prayed for his disciples, and then he said. "I ask not only on
behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through
their word, that they may all be one.
As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us,
so that the world may believe that you have sent me. John 17:20-26
ENTRANCE HYMN
O thou who at thy Eucharist didst pray
That all thy Church might be for ever one,
Grant us at ev’ry Eucharist to say,
With longing heart and soul. ‘Thy will be done.’
O may we all one bread, one body be,
Through this blest sacrament of unity.
For all thy Church, O Lord, we intercede;
Make thou our sad divisions soon to cease;
Draw us the nearer, each to each, we plead,
By drawing all to thee, O Prince of Peace:
Thus may we all one bread, one body be,
Through this blest sacrament of unity.
We pray thee too for wand’rers from thy fold;
O bring them back, good Shepherd of the sheep,
Back to the faith which saints believed of old,
Back to the Church which still that faith doth keep:
Soon may we all one bread, one body be,
Through this blest sacrament of unity.
So, Lord, at length when sacraments shall cease,
May we be one with all thy Church above,
One with thy saints in one unbroken peace,
One with thy saints in one unbounded love:
More blessed still, in peace and love to be
One with the Trinity in unity.
THE PREPARATION
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The grace and peace of God our Father,
who raised Jesus from the dead, be always with you.
And also with you.
The Priest introduces the celebration and invites the people to call to mind their sins.
PRAYERS OF PENITENCE
You raise the dead to life in the Spirit:
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
You bring pardon and peace to the broken in heart:
Christ, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
You make one by your Spirit the torn and divided:
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Almighty God, who forgives all who truly repent, have mercy upon you, pardon and deliver you from all your sins, confirm and strengthen you in all goodness, and keep you in life eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
COLLECT (remain standing)
Let us pray
God our Father, You reward all who believe in you. May your servant POPE JOHN PAUL, chief shepherd of your Church, who faithfully administered the mysteries of your forgiveness and love on earth, rejoice with you for ever in heaven. We ask this through Jesus Christ, our Risen Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
A reading from the book of Wisdom 3:1-9
But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no torment will ever touch them. In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died, and their departure was thought to be an affliction, and their going from us to be their destruction; but they are at peace. For though in the sight of men they were punished, their hope is full of immortality. Having been disciplined a little, they will receive great good, because God tested them and found them worthy of himself; like gold in the furnace he tried them, and like a sacrificial burnt offering he accepted them. In the time of their visitation they will shine forth, and will run like sparks through the stubble. They will govern nations and rule over peoples, and the Lord will reign over them for ever. Those who trust in him will understand truth, and the faithful will abide with him in love, because grace and mercy are upon his elect, and he watches over his holy ones.
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
RESPONSORIAL CANTICLE: “The Easter Anthems”
Response:
CHRIST IS RISEN, ALLELUIA.
ALLELUIA! ALLELUIA!
Christ our Passover has been sacrificed for us:
therefore let us keep the feast,
not with the old leaven of malice and evil:
but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. R.
Christ being raised from the dead will never die again:
death no longer has dominion over him.
The death that he died, de died to sin once for all:
but the life that he lives he lives to God. R.
So also consider yourselves dead to sin:
and alive to God in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Christ has been raised from the dead:
the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep. R.
For as by a man came death: by a man has come also the resurrection
of the dead; for as in Adam all die:
even so in Christ shall all be made alive. R.
SECOND READING 1:
10 – 13. 17
A reading from the first letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians
I appeal to you, brothers, for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ, to make up the differences between you, and instead of disagreeing among yourselves, to be united again in your belief and practice. From what Chloe's people have been telling me, my dear brothers, it is clear that there are serious differences among you. What I mean are all these slogans that you have, like: 'I am for Paul', 'I am for Apollos', 'I am for Cephas', 'I am for Christ'. Has Christ been parcelled out? Was it Paul that was crucified for you? Were you baptised in the name of Paul? For Christ did not send me to baptise, but to preach the Good News, and not to preach that in the terms of philosophy in which the crucifixion of Christ cannot be expressed.
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
THE GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (stand)
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Jesus, our truth and our life, Help us who follow the Way.
In your mercy, Lord, Grant refreshment to your saints
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
THE HOLY GOSPEL.
The Lord be with you
And also with you.
A reading from the Holy Gospel according to JOHN
Glory to you, O Lord.
10:11-17
Jesus said: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his
life for the sheep. He who is a hireling and not a shepherd, whose
own the sheep are not, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees;
and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a
hireling and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd;
I know my own and my own know me, as the Father knows me and I know the
Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep, that
are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will heed my voice.
So there shall be one flock, and one shepherd.
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ
HOMILY: Fr. Neil Kelley (follow this link for the text of this address)
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
led by the Reverend Martyn Newman
THE LITURGY OF THE SACRAMENT
THE PEACE (all stand)
Alleluia! Christ is risen.
He is risen indeed. Alleluia!
The peace of the Lord be always with you
and also with you.
We share a sign of peace with those around us
OFFERTORY HYMN
Thy hand, O God, has guided
thy flock, from age to age;
the wondrous tale is written,
full clear, on every page;
Our fathers owned thy goodness,
and we their deeds record;
and both of this bear witness:
one Church, one faith, one Lord.
Thy heralds brought glad tidings
to greatest, as to least;
they bade men rise, and hasten
to share the great King's feast;
and this was all their teaching,
in every deed and word,
to all alike proclaiming
one Church, one faith, one Lord.
When shadows thick were falling,
and all seemed sunk in night,
thou, Lord, didst send thy servants,
thy chosen sons of light.
On them and on thy people
thy plenteous grace was poured,
and this was still their message
one Church, one faith, one Lord.
Through many a day of darkness,
through many a scene of strife,
the faithful few fought bravely,
to guard the nation's life.
Their gospel of redemption,
sin pardoned, man restored,
was all in this enfolded:
one Church, one faith, one Lord.
And we, shall we be faithless?
Shall hearts fail, hands hang down?
Shall we evade the conflict,
and cast away our crown?
Not so: in God's deep counsels
some better thing is stored;
we will maintain, unflinching,
one Church, one faith, one Lord.
Thy mercy will not fail us,
nor leave thy work undone;
with thy right hand to help us,
the victory shall be won;
and then, by men and angels,
thy name shall be adored,
and this shall be their anthem:
one Church, one faith, one Lord.
OFFERTORY PRAYERS
Pray, brothers and sisters, that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable
to God, the almighty Father.
May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands, for the praise and
glory of his name, for our good and the good of all his Church.
Gracious and righteous Lord, we are united in the love of Jesus Christ. Accept all we offer you this day, and bring us, with Pope John Paul II and all your faithful people who have gone before us, into his eternal glory; who is Lord, now and for ever. Amen.
THE EUCHARISTIC PRAYER
The Lord be with you
and also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God
It is right to give him thanks and praise.
Father, all-powerful and ever-living God, we do well always and everywhere
to give you thanks through Jesus Christ our Lord.
In him, who rose from the dead, our hope of resurrection dawned.
The sadness of death gives way to the bright promise of immortality. Lord,
for your faithful people life is changed, not ended. When the body of our
earthly dwelling lies in death we gain an everlasting dwelling place in
heaven. And so, with all the choirs of angels in heaven we proclaim your
glory and join in their unending hymn of praise:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and God of might, heaven and earth, heaven and earth are full of your glory, your power and might. Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest heavens, Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest heavens.
Blessed, blessed is he who comes, Blessed, blessed is he who comes, Blessed is he, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest heavens. Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest heavens.
Lord, you are holy indeed, the source of all holiness; grant that by the power of your Holy Spirit, and according to your holy will, these gifts of bread and wine may be to us the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ; who, in the same night that he was betrayed, took bread and gave you thanks; he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me. In the same way, after supper he took the cup and gave you thanks; he gave it to them, saying: Drink this, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.
Let us proclaim the mystery of faith!
Dying you destroyed our death, rising you restored our life; Lord
Jesus come, Lord Jesus come, Lord Jesus come in glory. Hosanna, hosanna,
hosanna in the highest heavens Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest
heavens.
And so, Father, calling to mind his death on the cross, his perfect sacrifice made once for the sins of the whole world; rejoicing in his mighty resurrection and glorious ascension, and looking for his coming in glory, we celebrate this memorial of our redemption. As we offer you this our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, we bring before you this bread and this cup and we thank you for counting us worthy to stand in your presence and serve you.
Send the Holy Spirit on your people and gather into one in your kingdom all who share this one bread and one cup, so that we, with POPE JOHN PAUL II, and all the faithful departed, and in the company of Mary, the Virgin Mother of God, the apostles, the martyrs, Saint Faith and all the saints, may praise and glorify you for ever, through Jesus Christ our Lord; by whom, and with whom, and in whom, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all honour and glory be yours, almighty Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
All kneel and silence may be kept.
THE COMMUNION
As our Saviour taught us, so we pray,
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world:
grant him rest.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world:
grant him rest.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world:
grant him rest everlasting.
This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
Happy are those who are called to his supper.
Lord, I am not worthy to receive you,
but only say the word, and I shall be healed.
All are invited to come and receive Holy Communion.
If you do not receive Holy Communion you are welcome to come to
the altar for a blessing.
Motet During Communion: Russian Contakion of the Departed
COMMUNION HYMN
May the choirs of angels come to greet you.
May they speed you to paradise
May the Lord enfold you in his mercy.
May you find eternal life.
May the choirs of angels come to greet you.
May they speed you to paradise
May the Lord enfold you in his mercy.
May you find eternal life.
The Lord is my light and my help;
Its is he who protects me from harm.
The Lord is the strength of my days
Before whom should I tremble with fear?
May the choirs...
There is one thing I ask of the Lord;
That he grant me my heartfelt desire.
To dwell in the courts of our God
Ev’ry day of my life in his presence.
May the choirs...
I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness;
I shall dwell in the land of the living.
Hope in God, stand firm and take heart,
And place all your trust in the Lord.
May the choirs...
A period of silence is kept
PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
Let us pray (all stand)
God of love, may the death and resurrection of Christ, which we celebrate in this eucharist, bring us, with Pope John Paul and all the faithful departed, into the peace of your eternal home. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, our hope and our salvation. Amen.
FINAL HYMN
Thine be the glory, risen, conquering Son,
endless is the victory thou o'er death hast won;
angels in bright raiment rolled the stone away,
kept the folded grave-clothes where thy body lay.
Thine be the glory, risen, conquering Son,
endless is the victory thou o'er death hast won.
Lo, Jesus meets us, risen from the tomb;
lovingly he greets us, scatters fear and gloom;
let the church with gladness hymns of triumph sing,
for her Lord now liveth, death hath lost its sting:
Thine be the glory…….
No more we doubt thee, glorious prince of life;
life is nought without thee: aid us in our strife;
make us more than conquerors through thy deathless love;
bring us safe through Jordan to thy home above:
Thine be the glory…….
THE CONCLUDING RITE
The Lord be with you
And also with you.
God, who through the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ has given us the victory, give you joy and peace in your faith; and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, X the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen.
The mass is ended. Go in the peace of Christ. Alleluia, alleluia!
THANKS BE TO GOD. ALLEUIA, ALLELUIA!
Words of Pope John Paul II to
Queen Elizabeth II
when she visited the Vatican
(May 2000)
|
"Your Majesty's visit," the Holy Father remarked in his speech, "immediately brings to mind the rich heritage of British Christianity and all that Great Britain has contributed to the building of Christian Europe. ... Through that long history, relations between the United Kingdom and the Holy See have not always been untroubled; long years of common inheritance were followed by the sad years of division." He pointed to the "cordiality" which has now emerged in relations, and said "there can be no turning back from the ecumenical goal we have set ourselves in obedience to the Lord's command."
We are the body of Christ.
In the one Spirit
we were all baptized into one body.
Let us then pursue
all that makes for peace
and builds up our common life.