Prayers of the Faithful for a Catholic funeral

Priest:  My brothers and sisters, Christ is risen from the dead and is seated at the right hand of the Father, when he intercedes for us.  In confidence, we now join our prayers to his prayers as we pray for our sister Celia. The response to each prayer will be: Lord hear our prayer.  

Lector: 

1. In baptism, our sister Celia was given the pledge of eternal life. May she now be admitted to the company of saints. We pray to the Lord.  

2. For our sister who received the body of Christ, the bread of life, that she may be raised up on the last day. We pray to the Lord. 

3. For all gathered here today, that they be sustained by their faith and by the knowledge that they will be reunited with their sister one day in God’s heavenly Kingdom. We pray to the Lord. 

4.  Many friends and members of our families have gone before us and await the Kingdom. Grant them an everlasting home with your Son. We pray to the Lord. 

5. For the family and friends of our sister, that they may be consoled in their grief by the Lord, who wept at the death of his friend Lazarus. We pray to the Lord.

6. Many people die by violence, war, and famine each day.  Show your mercy to those who suffer unjustly these sins against your love. Gather them to the eternal kingdom of peace. We pray to the Lord. 

7. For the prayers that we hold in the silence of our hearts today. We pray to the Lord. 

Priest: Lord God, giver of peace and healer of souls, hear the prayers of our Redeemer and the voices of your people.  Grant all those who sleep in Christ a place in your kingdom. We ask this through Christ our Lord.  AMEN.  

16 August 2026 - prayers of the faithful for the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time CYCLE A - PRISON MINISTRY

Priest or Deacon - Penitential Rite: 

Lord Jesus - you proclaim the Gospel of God’s kingdom - Lord have mercy. 

Christ Jesus - you cured the sick and the afflicted - Christ have mercy. 

Lord Jesus - you will come in the end times to gather the world - Lord have mercy. 

Prayers of the faithful: 

Priest: Jesus tells the woman of great faith in the Gospel today: “Let it be done for you as you wish.” As we come to God in faith today, let us offer up in prayer our needs, the needs of the Church, and the needs of world: 

1. That we in the Church may reach out to those who have been slighted, alienated, or rejected. May they feel the love and compassion of our Catholic faith. We pray to the Lord. 

2. For peace amongst the nations and in our community. May we embrace peace, reconciliation, and non-violence. We pray especially for peace here at CMCF. We pray to the Lord. 

3. For visitors to the Catholic faith and for the stranger in our midst. That they may find welcome and acceptance. We pray to the Lord. 

4. That we may value human life at every stage and in every condition. We pray to the Lord.  

5. For healing for the sick and the afflicted. For all who are struggling with addictions, depression, or mental illness. For the men in the infirmary and in the BMU here at CMCF. We pray to the Lord. 

6. For the repose of the souls of the faithful departed. For their entry into eternal life. For the souls in purgatory. We pray to the Lord. 

7. That all of us may be missionary in spirit and help evangelize the Gospel message here in our corner of the world. We pray to the Lord.  

8. For the prayers we hold in the silence of our hearts. For our intentions spoken and unspoken. We pray to the Lord.

Priest: Loving God, you offer your love and mercy to all your children.  As we grow in our faith, may we realize your universal call to love and mercy.  We make our prayers through Jesus Christ, our risen Lord forever and ever.  AMEN.  

16 August 2026 - prayers of the faithful for the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time CYCLE A

Introduction for Saturday Vigil Mass: In today’s first reading, God tells Isaiah that God’s house will be called a house of prayer for all people. We are gathered at Mass today in a house of prayer as we welcome everyone who has come here today to join together to pray to God in praise, petition, and thanksgiving. Let us lift up our voices in prayer to God.  

Introduction for Sunday 10:30 am Mass: We welcome Bishop Kopacz and all our parishioners and guests to Mass this morning at Holy Savior as we celebrate our 60th anniversary here in the city of Clinton. We come to the Lord in Mass today to give thanks for the many blessings God has given our parish community throughout our history. We give thanks for the grace of God and the presence of the Holy Spirit that had led us throughout the years. May God’s word and the presence of the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist open our hearts to God’s presence with us this morning. 

Priest or Deacon - Penitential Rite 

Lord Jesus - you proclaim the Gospel of God’s kingdom - Lord have mercy. 

Christ Jesus - you cured the sick and the afflicted - Christ have mercy. 

Lord Jesus - you will come in the end times to gather the world - Lord have mercy. 

Priest: Jesus tells the woman of great faith in the Gospel today: “Let it be done for you as you wish.” As we come to God in faith today, let us offer up in prayer our needs, the needs of the Church, and the needs of world: 

1. That we in the Church may reach out to those who have been slighted, alienated, or rejected, so that all may feel welcome. We pray to the Lord. 

2. For peace amongst the nations and in our community. May we embrace peace, reconciliation, and non-violence. We pray to the Lord. 

3. For visitors to the Catholic faith and for the stranger in our midst. That they may find welcome and acceptance. We pray to the Lord. 

4. That we may value human life at every stage and in every condition. We pray to the Lord.  

5. For healing for the sick and the afflicted. For all who are struggling with addictions, depression, or mental illness. We pray to the Lord. 

6. For the repose of the souls of the faithful departed. For their entry into eternal life. For the souls in purgatory. 

7. That all of us may be missionary in spirit and help evangelize the Gospel message in the world. We pray to the Lord.  

8. For our parish of Holy Savior in Clinton as we celebrate our 60th anniversary this weekend. We give thanks for the history of our parish and for the many blessings we have had throughout the years. We pray to the Lord. 

8. For the prayers we hold in the silence of our hearts. For our intentions spoken and unspoken. We pray to the Lord.

Priest: Loving God, you offer your love and mercy to all your children.  As we grow in our faith, may we realize your universal call to love and mercy.  We make our prayers through Jesus Christ, our risen Lord forever and ever.  AMEN.  

16 August 2026 - Bulletin Reflection for the 20th Sunday of Ordinary Time Cycle A

This weekend, we welcome Bishop Kopacz and many visitors to our Mass as we celebrate 60 years of our parish of Holy Savior in the Clinton community. From humble beginnings in this mostly Baptist city, our parish of Holy Savior has a rich history and has become a very vibrant parish here in the Jackson metro area. We give thanks for the many contributions so many parishioners have made to our parish throughout the years, for the priests and parish leaders and parish staff who have contributed to our parish community. We give thanks for the many blessings we have had throughout the years and for the grace of God that has helped us meet our challenges. We are glad to have all of your here with us this weekend to celebrate. Blessings - Father Lincoln. 

15 August 2026 - Prayers of the faithful for the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary

Penitential rite - Priest: 

Lord Jesus - you are the Beloved Son of God the Father- Lord have mercy. 

Christ Jesus - you have done great things for us - Christ have mercy. 

Lord Jesus - you were born of the Virgin Mary - Lord have mercy. 

Prayers of the faithful: 

Priest: Mary intercedes for us at Christ’s right hand. Let us join our prayers with her prayers, as Mary provides us a great model of faith:

1. That Mary’s acceptance of God’s will be a model for us each day as we accept the challenges of living out our faith. We pray to the Lord. 

2. For our world leaders and our local governmental leaders, that through their leadership we may lift up the lowly, fill the hungry with good things, and extend mercy to those in need. We pray to the Lord.  

3. For mothers and expectant mothers, that they may look to Mary as an example of devotion and strength as they live out their vocation as mothers. We pray to the Lord. 

4. For doctors, nurses, and medical professional.  May they bring healing and wholeness to their patients. We pray to the Lord.  

5. That our parish community may be a living model of faith, bringing the Gospel message to others through our words and our actions. We pray to the Lord. 

6. For healing for the sick in body, mind, and spirit. We pray to the Lord. 

7. For peace in the world, especially in the Middle East and Ukraine. For an end to violence in our neighborhoods and cities. We pray to the Lord. 

8. For the prayers we hold in the silence of our hearts.  For all our prayer intentions spoken and unspoken.  We pray to the Lord.  

Priest: God of love and mercy, Mary’s acceptance of your will allowed the promises you made to your people be fulfilled through your son. We present our prayers to you through your Son Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever.  AMEN.

15 August 2026 - homily for the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Luke 1:39-56

Pope Francis gave this description of the Assumption of the Blessed Mother, which was celebrate at Mass this morning: “At the conclusion of Her earthly life, the Mother of Christ was raised in soul and body to Heaven, that is, in the glory of eternal life, in the full communion with God.” In the Assumption of Mary, the Church celebrates one of the most important feasts dedicated to the Blessed Mother. The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes the Assumption this way: “The Immaculate Virgin, when the course of her earthly life was finished, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things, so that she might be more fully conformed to her Son, the Lord of lords and conqueror of death.”

As we reflect on the Assumption of Mary today, we can reflect on own reality as well as disciples of Christ. Just as Mary is now united with Jesus in heaven body and soul, we have the hope of our faith that one day we will enter eternal life with God as well. The Assumption of Mary into heaven does not mean that she is distant or removed from us. Just as Mary’s Assumption brings us the hope of the resurrection, we are also assured that as our Mother and the Mother of the Church, Mary is always there with us in her intercession and in her prayers. She accompanies us on our journey, she is with us in our joys and in our sufferings, and she shares the hope of our faith with us. 

Pope Pius XII proclaimed the Assumption of Mary a dogma of the Catholic Church in 1950. However, this was not a new belief he was declaring, but rather an ancient belief of the faithful that became officially doctrine in the church. According to Piux XII, the declaration of the dogma was to “make our belief in our own resurrection stronger and render it more effective.”

One of the ancient names for Mary that has been used by Church Father such as St Jerome, St Bernard of Clairvaux and St Isidore of Seville is Mary as the Star of the Sea, Stella Maris. Just as mariners and sailers used the stars to help them find directions, St Bernard described Mary as the Star of the Sea in this way: “When you find yourself tossed by the raging storms on this great sea of life, far from land, keep your eyes fixed on this Star to avoid disaster. When the winds of temptation or the rocks of tribulation threaten, look up to the Star, call upon Mary!” I love the ancient Hymn Ave Stella Maris which celebrates Mary under this title. The different names we have for Mary and the different attributes we ascribe to her show how much love and devotion we the faithful have for her. 

Our celebration of Mary today is a reflection of the love and devotion we have to our Blessed Mother. As Elizabeth was honored to be in the presence of the Mother of our Lord when Mary visited her, let us give honor to Mary as we are in her presence as well. Let us praise Mary today with a Hail Mary: Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

14 August 2026 - prayers of the faithful - Friday of the 19th week in Ordinary Time - St Maximilian Kolbe

Lord Jesus - you call us to forgiveness. 

Christ Jesus - you are the word of God. 

Lord Jesus - you call us to holiness. 

Priest: As we celebrate St Maximillian Kolbe today on his feast day, we present our prayers to our heavenly Father. 

1. That the Church may rededicate herself to living and proclaiming Christ's mercy in the world.  

2 That those living in confusion, ignorance or doubt. May they be filled with Christ’s truth and light. 

3 That we may encourage and support one another by devoting ourselves to God’s holy word and to our love for the Eucharist. 

4. Like Maximillian Kolbe, may we grow in our love and devotion to our Blessed Mother. 

6. That our parishes and our Diocese may be a fitting and revelatory sign of the presence of Christ in the world. 

6. For the grace to face the trials and difficulties of life with the confidence and certainty that comes from the resurrection. 

7. For all those who are sick and afflicted. For healing and wholeness. 

8. For the repose of the souls of the faithful departed. For their entry into eternal life. 

9. For the prayers we hold in our hearts today. 

Priest: We present these prayers thru your Son Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever.  AMEN.