Liturgy to Celebrate the Life of Helen Duffy March 9, 2019 at Holy Wisdom Monastery Middleton, Wisconsin, Presider Bridget Mary Meehan ARCWP

Bridget Mary Meehan ARCWP presider at Liturgy to Celebrate Helen Duffy's Life

Prelude: Day by Day, soloists

Opening Song:  You are Mine, cantors & assembly

Greeting

      In the name of the Holy One,
Source of all being,
Jesus, the wisdom of God
and the Holy Spirit within and around us

     

       R/  Amen.

Grace and peace to you
in the presence of God, our father and mother,
Jesus, our brother, the Holy Spirit and 
all the angels and saints who surround us this day. 

       R/  And also with you.

Introduction &; Welcome

Gathering Prayer:

Loving God,

we gather to remember Helen Duffy,

wife, mother and beloved friend

who has passed into the fullness

of your loving embrace. 

We give thanks for the many blessings

that Helen brought to each of us,

and offer comfort to one another

as we share your love, O Holy One,

and remember our dear Helen

who brought so much joy to our world.

May your loving presence bring comfort to her family

and friends,

       as we celebrate her joyful presence

with the angels and saints

and all her beloved family in the Communion of Saints. 

We pray through Jesus the Christ.

R/ Amen.

Liturgy of the Word

First reading: Jeremiah 29:11-15 New International Version (NIV)      M. Bridget Duffy

A reading from the prophet Jeremiah

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Holy One,

“plans to prosper you and not to harm you,

plans to give you hope and a future.

Then you will call on me and come and pray to me,

and I will listen to you. 

 You will seek me and find me

when you seek me with all your heart. 

I will be found by you,” declares the Holy One,

“and will bring you back from captivity.

I will gather you from all the nations

and places where I have banished you,” declares the Holy One,

“and will bring you back to the place

from which I carried you into exile.”

¹⁵ You may say, “The Holy One has raised up prophets for us in

       Babylon.”

The word of salvation

Psalm 90 is sung, “In Every Age”, cantors and assembly

Second reading: Philippians 4:4-9 New International Version (NIV)         Patrick Duffy

A reading from the letter of Paul to the Philippians

Rejoice in God always.

I will say it again: Rejoice! 

Let your gentleness be evident to all.

The Holy One is near. 

Do not be anxious about anything, 

but in every situation,

by prayer and petition,

with thanksgiving,

present your requests to God. 

And the peace of God, 

which transcends all understanding, 

will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers and sisters,

whatever is true,

whatever is noble,

whatever is right,

whatever is pure,

whatever is lovely,

whatever is admirable

—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—

think about such things.           

Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me,

or seen in me—

put it into practice. 

And the God of peace will be with you.

The word of salvation

Lenten Gospel Acclamation is sung, Cantor & assembly

Gospel: John 14:1-3:  Rev. Bridget Mary Meehan

A reading from the holy gospel according to John

Don't let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God;

In God's house there are many dwelling places;

Otherwise, how could I have told you that I was going to prepare a place for you?

I am indeed going to prepare a place for you

And then I will come back to take you, that where I am, there you may be as well.

The holy gospel

Homily: Rev. Bridget Mary

Homily: In Gratitude for Helen Duffy, a Woman of deep faith, love for family and joyful service

Today we gather in community to speak words of gratitude for Helen who has now joined with all those who have gone before us, but are still with us in spirit. In the Gospel Jesus comforts us :“Don't let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; In God's house there are many dwelling places.”

We rejoice that Helen has crossed over and joined the Communion of Saints who are watching over us as our spirit guides.

So, believing that Helen’s luminous spirit is with us now in this sacred place, standing right next to us, we pray a prayer of gratitude for her deep love of family and community, her deep faith in God's compassionate presence and her generous service to others.

Helen Duffy, daughter of God, you are now at peace in the Holy One’s loving embrace.  

We are grateful for your presence in our lives and for the many ways your life touched ours. 

We give thanks for the generosity of your loving care. We give thanks for your laughter and sense of humor and delight in life. 

We give thanks for the many ways you nurtured, encouraged, and supported us as a proud mother, grandmother, great grandmother, loving wife and good friend. 

Continue to walk with us, Helen, and inspire us to live generous, joyful faith-filled lives dedicated to others. Amen.

In my prayerful reflection, Helen inspired me to share a message with you:

My Dear Ones,

Thank you for the many ways each of you you have blessed my life, the many ways you have loved and cared for me. 

I will hold you in my heart forever.

I will always be with you, my Dear Ones, especially you my dear Jack and my children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. I am always there when you need me, just call on me and I will be with you. I love you. All Shall Be Well!

General Intercessions:    

                        Response:  GOD IN LOVE, HEAR OUR PRAYER.

Sign of Peace  

Let us return to our seats and turn our attention to the center as the gifts are brought forward.

        

LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST

PREPARATION OF THE GIFTS

The gifts of bread and wine are brought up by Helen’s children: John Duffy, Bridget Duffy, Matt Duffy, Kathleen Brown, Patrick Duffy, Tom Duffy and Brian Duffy

Music during this time: Won’t You Let Me Be Your Servant

Prayer over the gifts

EVER-LIVING GOD,

YOUR BELOVED ONE, JESUS,

OFFERED HIMSELF TO BE OUR BREAD OF LIFE

AND OUR CUP OF SALVATION.

EMBRACE OUR SISTER, HELEN,

AND LET THE EUCHARIST WE OFFER

BE FOR HER, THE PLEDGE OF HEAVEN.

WE ASK THIS THROUGH JESUS, Our WISDOM 

R/  Amen.

Eucharistic Prayer

.

MAY GOD BE WITH YOU.

R/  And also with you.  

Lift up your hearts.

R/  We lift them up to our God.

LET US GIVE THANKS TO THE GOD OF ALL.

R/  It is right to give God thanks and praise. 

Life-giving Love,

You have called us to be radiant reflections

of your holy presence on earth.

United with You,

we are one with all beings in the community of creation.

We join the angels and saints as we sing:

Gracious God,

you set the banquet table

and invite all to the feast that celebrates

your boundless love in the universe. 

As midwives of grace we are Your hands,

lifting up those who suffer,

the vulnerable and excluded in our world today.

We especially thank you, Holy One,

for Jesus, the Compassion of God,

who came to show us a new vision of community

where every person is loved

and all relate with mutual respect.

We welcome all God’s family

into the Circle of Life at the Banquet of Love.

Jesus we remember our beloved sister, Helen,

who is now in your eternal embrace in heaven. 

We give thanks for her joyful witness to the Gospel during her life. 

May we be blessed by her wisdom

and inspired by her kindness

as we celebrate our oneness with her

in the communion of the saints.

Let your Spirit come upon us, 

and upon these gifts as we pray.

On the night before he died,

Jesus took bread into his hands, blessed it and said:

This is my body.

Take and eat.

Do this in in memory of me.

At the end of the meal Jesus took a cup of wine,

raised it in thanksgiving to you, and said:

Take and drink of the covenant of my love

poured out for you.

Do this in memory of me.

Let us proclaim the mystery of faith

Sung: Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again. 

We honor the holy women and men

who have revealed your compassion

and justice in our world. 

We thank you for people in our lives

who show us how to love tenderly

and have revealed the heart of our God,

especially our dear Helen.

Liberating God,

we hold our religious ministers and political leaders

in the light of Christ Sophia, Holy Wisdom. 

We pray for Pope Francis, for our bishops,

for the young and the elders,

and for all God’s holy people.

We remember those who are sick and suffering

and those who grieve,

especially Helen’s family and friends.

May they be healed and comforted. 

We remember Mary, mother of Jesus,

Benedict and Scholastica,

and all the angels and saints

who surround us with loving prayer each day. 

We remember our dearly beloved Helen,

and all our loved ones who have died.

May they experience the fullness of life

in the embrace of our compassionate God, forever.

Through Christ, with Christ, in Christ,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit

all glory and honor is yours Almighty God,

forever and ever.

COMMUNION RITE

The Lord’s Prayer  

In the fullness of the resurrection in Christ, we join to pray:

        

Our Father  and Mother, 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 the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours,

                  now and forever. Amen.

All are welcome to receive Communion.

We will have two lines in the center aisle, for all who wish to

       receive the bread. 

Two cup ministers will be on each side to share the wine.

As an alternative to wine, grape juice is offered in the glass

       cup, for any who prefer.

BREAKING OF THE BREAD

       The bread which we break,

       is it not communion in the body of Christ?  

            The cup of blessing which we share,

       is it not communion in the blood of Christ?

Assembly:

         R/      So all of us are one body,

                  all who share the one bread

                  and drink from the cup.  

Communion song: Take and eat, cantors and assembly

Prayer after Communion

LET US PRAY

HOLY GOD,

BY YOUR WONDROUS POWER YOU GAVE US LIFE,

AND IN YOUR LOVE

YOU HAVE GIVEN US NEW LIFE IN JESUS.

RECEIVE HELEN INTO THE ARMS OF YOUR LOVE

AND EVERLASTING PEACE.

GIVE COMFORT TO HER HUSBAND JACK,

TO HER CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN,

AND ALL HER FAMILY AND FRIENDS.

YOU ARE THE HOLY ONE,

         YOU ARE LOVE ITSELF,

OUR LIGHT AND PEACE,

FOREVER AND EVER.

R/  Amen.

Eulogy  John F. Duffy, son

Meditation song  ‘O Danny Boy’, soloist

Final Blessing

May God bless us as we go forth.

May the angels lead you into paradise, Helen.

May the martyrs come to welcome you

and take you to the holy city,

the new and eternal Jerusalem.

May choirs of angels welcome you

and lead you into the heart of God.

R/        Eternal rest, grant unto her O God,

and let perpetual light shine upon her.

May her soul and all the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace.

Amen.

Closing song  When Irish Eyes are Smiling, cantors & assembly