Prayer

Loving God,

You are so gracious in blessing us with a myriad of gifts, talents, and skills, all of which can be put to the service of reflecting your love and goodness. Help us to do so today. No matter what our role or function or tasks we’ve been given to do, help us feel delight in our efforts, doing it all to the best of our ability. May we encourage especially those who might feel downcast in their work today, lifting their spirits and reminding them of the greater purpose that unites us all. Amen.

Prayer

Holy God,

You call each of us to share your love and compassion in the ways that we can, with the gifts you have given, for the people you send us. Inspired by the great saints of Ireland, help us respond to your shared call to holiness by recommitting each day, to extend good help with charity, mercy, and cheerfulness. May all your saints pray for us as we carry the same mission forward, especially for the sake of the poor, dying, and underserved. Amen.

Prayer

God of truth,

Our culture is filled with half-meant words and empty promises. Let it be different among us. May we embody your gospel in such a way that all those we encounter, and especially all those we serve, will know beyond doubt that we are people of integrity, who mean what we say and are doing our best to improve our shared well-being, as one human family. We’re not perfect and we often fall short but may the record of our actions speak for itself. For the life of the world, we pray. Amen.

Prayer

Love in action,

Today, as we renew our commitment to make your love visible for people in need, we ask for your spirit of peace to quell the many forces that would otherwise distract us from staying the course and pursuing our mission with faithfulness. Deliver each of us from a spirit of fear and anxiety so we can feel energized by the good work we pursue, embodying hope with courage and compassion. For the good of our patients and families and wider communities, we pray. Amen.

Prayer

Renewing Spirit,

In the changing of the seasons, we witness your transforming love at work in creation. As creatures ourselves and made in your image, we invite you today to fill us with more of your goodness and love. Help us trust you to guide us through every new phase of the calling you’ve given for us. As people of conscience and as a healing community, may we be refreshed and renewed by your transforming love always at work among us. Amen.

Prayer

God of eternal love,

We come before you in gratitude for the lives of those we remember today, those whose deaths we mourn yet live on in our hearts and memories. We recall with joy the contribution they made to our lives and the lives of all those they touched. Their purpose-filled lives remind us of the importance of our own calling, and the opportunity to influence the lives of others. Hold them close to you and guide us as we strive to carry their legacy forward in the spirit of your compassion. May we live as they lived—rooted in love, committed to service, and ever mindful of your purpose for us. Through your enduring grace, we pray. Amen.

Prayer

Loving God,

On the Feast of All Saints, we celebrate the lives of all those holy women and men who allowed their fullest potential to be realized among us, in accord with your plan and for the life of the world. Thank you that we can look to them, not in order to live their lives over again but so we might imitate their desire for holiness and purity of heart in our own ways, sharing the call to make your love visible each in the ways we can. Empower us through their intercession, as we pray for them, Amen.