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| 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
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.
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;
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