by: Joan Kernan
Dear Heavenly Father, we thank You and we praise You for this beautiful day and this bountiful feast. We thank You for this gathering of Your people. We know in our hearts that this community of believers gathers to do Your will in furthering the success of Your church here in the United States. We ask today, Dear Lord, that You bless us with wisdom in our table discussions and that you open our hardened hearts to truly hear the message of Your servant Dr. Edmund Pellegrino. We know that You have brought us here today, to this place, at this moment, as an integral part of Your plan for us and we pray for guidance on that path. In all of this, we pray in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
by: Randy Malick
Awesome God of the Universe,
You love us with such great love:
You form us in your very own image, stamping in us the divine imprint.
If that were not enough, you chose to come in our image, that we could clearly see and embrace you and the dignity of every human life.
May we in turn grow in your likeness, that we might be your face in our world so in need of the life you came to bring.
Let us hold in our hearts and protect with our hands the sacred gift of human life as revealed in the least of our brothers and sisters, both seen and unseen.
We pray this in the name of your Son, who is the image of the invisible God and firstborn of all creation. Amen.