A little over a year ago, a few of our staff at the Pastoral Center came together to talk about how we could be more intentional with prayer as a building. We have attempted different gatherings of prayer, book, and bible studies to varying degrees of success and we felt there should be something more consistent.
Every morning, those of us that are able gather in the lobby and recite the following prayer together: Morning Offering God our Father, we offer you our day, our prayers, thoughts and words, our actions, joys and sufferings in union with the Christ your Son, for the salvation of the world.
May the Holy Spirit, who guided Jesus, be our guide and our strength today, so that we may witness to your love. With Mary, the mother of our Lord and the Church, and her Immaculate Heart, St. Joseph, and all your Saints. We pray for our families and friends, for the sick and the suffering, those at home and those who are traveling and all the souls in Purgatory.
All our personal intentions (Moment of Silence). For vocations, and all the clergy and religious especially our Holy Father Pope Francis and Bishop Louis Kihneman both of whose intentions we commend to your goodness.
Lord, may everything we do begin with your inspiration and continue with your saving help. Let our work always find its origin in you and by you, reach completion. We ask this through Christ our Lord and his Sacred Heart. Amen
Glory be to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. May the divine assistance + remain always with us. Amen And may the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen. We continually give thanks for this time together as even in the midst of COVID-19 we were able to socially distance ourselves while masked and join in prayer.
What are some ways you start your day in prayer? For me, I’ve found great value in Fr. Mike Schmitz’ Bible in Year Podcast. I put it on and listen on my drive to work. It gives me time with scripture in the morning that I find myself reflecting on during the rest of the day.
If you are looking for more ideas, you can always refer back to our Prayer Forms Workshops for guidance on Intercessory Prayer, Lectio Divina, Visio Divina, and St. Ignatius Imaginary Prayer. Also included are links to Hallow, the #1 Catholic prayer app, and more information on Fr. Mike Schmitz’s Bible in a Year Podcast.
Please let us know how you prefer to pray each day in the comments below (on Facebook)!