ARCWP women and men and our local inclusive Catholic Communities participated
in Women’s Marches around the country: Sarasota, Florida, Albany, New York, New
York City, Cleveland, Ohio and more.
The following pictures are of Members of the Upper Room Inclusive Catholic Community who attended the Women's March in Albany, NY.
The following pictures are from Elena Garcia, ARCWP who participate in the New York City Women's March.
The following pictures are Members of Mary Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community in Sarasota, Florida.
Left to right: Bridget Mary Meehan ARCWP and Joan Meehan , Co-Presiders at MMOJ Liturgy
Welcome and Greeting
Presider 1: Welcome to Mary Mother of Jesus, an inclusive Catholic Community where all are welcome to share Eucharist at the Banquet Table. We use inclusive language in our scripture readings and prayers. We invite sharing at the homily and prayers of intercession. Everyone pray the words of Consecration in the Eucharistic Prayer. All are invited to join us for supper after liturgy. We welcome our newcomers at announcement time after Communion.
Presider 2: Today we celebrate our baptismal call to live the good news of the Holy One’s love for all creation. Jesus’ ministry was inclusive of men and women who were disciples and companions in proclaiming the Gospel. Like Jesus and his disciples, we are called, consecrated, gifted with many talents, and blessed to live the Gospel of love today.
Opening Song: #628 We Are Called
Opening Prayer:
ALL: Loving God, You call each of us, by name to serve our sisters and brothers with our unique gifts. Anoint us this day to be your disciples, committed to reflecting your loving presence everywhere we go.
Rite of Communal Reconciliation:
Presider 1: Before we bring our gifts to share at the Banquet of Love,
we ask for forgiveness for our failures to love one another and care for God’s creation.
ALL: In your love, we open our hearts to personal growth and healing.
Presider 2: We give thanks for Divine Love that fills our souls and makes us one family.
General Absolution: Extend arms in mutual blessing
ALL: God, Father and Mother of Mercy, through his living, dying and rising, Jesus has revealed that nothing can separate us from your infinite love. Grant us your pardon and peace and move us to forgive each other our failures to care for one another and our earth. We ask this in the name of Jesus our brother and of Holy Spirit our Wisdom. Amen
ALL: Glory to God, glory, o praise God, alleluia, Glory to God, glory, o praise the name of our God (sung 3 times)
Liturgy of the Word
Sally Brochu proclaims first reading
First Reading: An Anointing Psalm by Miriam Therese Winter
From WomanWord, p. 69.)
Responsorial Psalm: Pslam 25: 4-5,6-7,8-9
MIndy Lou Simmons sings Responsoral Psalm
Response: Show me your ways, O God
Second Reading: 1 Letter to Corinthians 7:17-20, 36
Jack Duffy proclaims second reading
Eightfold Alleluia (Charismatic)
Joan Meehan proclaims Gospel
Gospel: Mark 1:14-20, Luke 8:2-3
Gospel of Luke 8:2-3
With Jesus went Twelve as well as some women he had healed of evil spirits and sicknesses: Mary of Magdala, from whom he had cast out seven demons, Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, and Suzanna and many others who were contributing to the support of Jesus and the Twelve with their own funds.
The Gospel according to Luke
Praise to you, Jesus the Christ.
Homily Starter: Bridget Mary Meehan
Mark’s Gospel recounts the call of Simon, Andrew, James
and John and Luke’s Gospel names a few of the many women disciples: Mary of
Magdala, Joanna and Susanna who supported Jesus’ ministry out of their
resources. Scholars conclude that the women disciples bankrolled Jesus’
ministry.
Jesus called both women and men to be his disciples and he
treated them as partners in ministry. So too, today, we are called to be
“fishers of people” to use our talents to spread the Good News of God’s love.
Pastor Dawn Hutchings sums up the deep meaning of Christ’s
call to each of us and to our inclusive communities.
“I for one can’t wait to spread
the Good News. There are so very many fish in the sea. All sorts of varieties
and ages so let us follow Jesus and cast our nets widely. Let’s play to our
strengths, for we are great fishers and we the most precious bait, the Good
News that at the very heart of all that is the Divine Reality that we call God
is LOVE.
For everything there is a
season, this is our season. Let’s embrace it. Let’s live fully. Love
extravagantly. And be all that we are created to be. Let’s do it together in
the midst of the One who is Our Lover, Beloved and Love Itself”
Meditation:
I invite you to take a few minutes to reflect on God’s
invitation to you to live your call as a contemporary disciple of Christ in the
modern world.
Take a few deep breaths, breathing in and out gently as
you relax your body and journey to the depths of your soul.
Be aware that you embraced by the Holy One in boundless
love Let that love fill you… Reflect on God’s dreams for you which is more than
you can ever imagine….
Reflect on your call to live the Gospel of love today….
Imagine Christ
walking up to you today and inviting you to following him by serving your
sisters and brothers with your unique talents…
What might you choose to leave behind in order o live the
Gospel more deeply as you answer the call….
Listen as God calls you by name to be fishers of people to
live extravagant love today.
Give thanks for each of the talents and gifts that you
will use to be the face of God in our world today….
Mindy Lou’s Song:
Sharing of Community
Statement of Faith
We believe in the Holy One, a divine mystery beyond all definition and rational understanding, in whose infinite love all creation exists and evolves.
We believe in Jesus, messenger of the Divine Presence, bringer of healing, heart of Divine compassion, bright star in the firmament of the Holy One’s prophets, mystics, and saints.
We believe that we are called to follow Jesus as a reflection of divine compassion and healing a source of wisdom and truth, and an instrument of peace in the world.
We believe in the Spirit of the Holy One, the life that is our innermost life, the breath moving in our being, the depth living in each of us.
We believe that the Divine kin-dom is here and now, stretched out all around us for those with eyes to see it, hearts to receive it, and hands to make it happen.
General Intercessions:
Presider 1: As we prepare for the sacred meal, we pray for the needs of the people of God in our community and around the world.
Our response is: Holy One, you hear our prayers.
Please share your spontaneous prayers.
Presider 2: We give thanks for all whom we held in the circle of grace and will continue to pray for and use our talents to serve our sisters and brothers with joyful hearts in the coming weeks. Amen.
PREPARATION OF THE GIFTS
(Lifting up the Bread and Wine)
Presider1: Blessed are you, God of all life, through your goodness we have bread, wine, all creation, and our own lives to offer.
Presider 2 : Through this sacred meal may we become your new creation as we respond to your call to use our gifts in loving service to our sisters and brothers. ALL: Blessed be God forever. (All are welcome to join us around the table)
Liturgy of the Eucharist
Presider 1: God is with you.
ALL: And also with you.
Presider 2: Lift up your hearts.
ALL: We lift them up to God.
All: : O God of_____(say your name), we praise you with our names and rejoice that You call us to be your disciples in our world today. We give thanks for the rich diversity of talents we have in this community. We open this circle of grace to remember the angels and saints and all who have gone before us. Joined with all creation, we lift up our hearts and sing:
We are holy, holy, holy by Karen Drucker
Voice 1: We thank you for Jesus, our brother, who called women and men to be disciples and equals to proclaim the Good News of divine love for all creation. He lifted up the lowly, and revealed your abundant tenderness toward each of us especially those who are sick and suffering, lonely and grieving, lost and excluded.
Voice 2: We celebrate our call to use our talents to reflect the One Who Embraces All with love in our relationships and actions each day.
(raise hands toward bread and wine for Invocation of the Holy Spirit)
Extend Hands in Blessing:
All: Now, as we share the bread of life and lift the cup of joy, we pray come Holy Spirit deepen your Presence within us and in these gifts of bread and wine.
All: On the night before he died, Jesus gathered for the Seder supper with the people closest to him. Like the least of household servants, he washed their feet, so that they would re-member him.
Presider 1: (lifts bread as community prays the following:)
All: When he returned to his place at the table, he lifted the Passover bread, spoke the blessing, broke the bread and offered it to them saying:
Take and eat of the Bread of Life
Given to strengthen you
Whenever you remember me like this
I am among you. (pause)
Presider 2 (lifts the cup as community prays the following: )
All: Jesus then raised a cup of blessing, spoke the grace saying:
Take and drink of the covenant
Made new again through my life in you.
Whenever you remember me like this,
I am among you. (pause)
All: Let us share this bread and cup,
and welcome everyone to the Banquet as we live the gospel of justice and peace in our world.
Voice 3: We are called to do everything Jesus did, to be the living presence of a love that does justice, of a compassion that heals and liberates, of a joy that generates laughter, of a light that illumines right choices and confronts the darkness of every injustice and inequity.
All: So, we trust you to continue to share with us your own spirit, the Spirit that filled Jesus, for it is through his life and teaching, his loving and healing all honor and glory is yours, O Holy One, forever and ever. All sing: Amen.
Presider 1: Let us pray as Jesus taught us:
All: Sing -Prayer of Jesus:-Our Father and Mother
Sign of Peace: Let us hold hands sing “Peace is flowing like a River” as we pray for peace and justice to spread through our world.
Prayer for the Breaking of Bread
Presider 2: Please join in the prayer for the breaking of the bread:
(Presiders break the bread)
All: O God of Courage, You call us to live the Gospel of peace and justice. We will live justly.
O God of Compassion, You call us to be Your presence in the world. We will love tenderly. O God of Truth, You call us to speak truth to power. We will walk with integrity in your presence.
(Presiders hold up bread and wine)
Presider 1: “This is the bread of life and the cup of blessing. Through it we are nourished and we nourish each other. All are welcome to the Feast.
All: What we have heard with our ears, we will live with our lives; as we share communion, we will become communion, both Love’s nourishment and Love’s challenge.
Communion Song: You are The Face of God by Karen Drucker
“You are the face of God, I hold you in my heart. You are a part of me.
You are the face of God."
Prayers of Gratitude, Introductions and Announcements
Blessing
Presider 2: Let us raise our hands in blessing and pray together:
All: May we continue to be the face of God to each other. May we call each other to extravagant generosity by sharing our talents with all. May we walk with an awareness of our call as companions on the journey, knowing we are not alone. May we, like Jesus, be a shining light and a blessing in our time!
All: Amen.
Closing Song: We Are Marching in the Light of God ( Verses: Singing/Dancing/ Serving)
(This liturgy was written by Bridget Mary Meehan and Mary Theresa Streck))
