Prayers of the faithful - 4th Sunday in the Easter Season - 11 May 2025 - prison ministry

Priest - Penitential Rite - 

Lord Jesus, your flock hears your voice— Lord, have mercy.


Lord Jesus, you are the the Good Shepherd— Christ, have mercy. 

Lord Jesus, you are the way to union with the Father: Lord, have mercy. 

PRIEST: As we meet the shepherd and guardian of our souls at Mass today, let us now pray for our needs and the needs of all.


1. For our Church leaders, both ordained leaders and lay leaders, as they strive to follow Christ the Good Shepherd and encourage us to do the same. We pray for Pope Leo XIV, our new pope. We pray to the Lord. 

2. For all governmental leaders in our country and in the world, that they might follow the example of the Good Shepherd in caring for the needs of those who are entrusted in their care. We pray for the leaders at MDOC and CMCF. We pray to the Lord.

3. For the men and women at CMCF who are sick and afflicted. For those in the hospice and infirmary here at CMCF. For healing and wholeness. We pray to the Lord.

4. For vocations to the priesthood, diaconate, consecrated religious life, and lay ministry. We pray for vocations in our Catholic community here at CMCF. We pray to the Lord. 


5. For the lost and wounded sheep of our flock, that they may know the love and care of the Good Shepherd through our efforts. We pray to the Lord. 

6. We pray for all of our mothers, grandmothers, and great grandmothers. We give thanks for them and wish them a blessed Mother’s Day. We pray to the Lord. 

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


8. For the prayers we hold in the silence of our hearts, we pray to the Lord. 

Priest: Merciful God, your care for us knows no bounds. Lead us with your love, and graciously hear these our prayers that we make through your son Jesus Christ, our Good Shepherd and Risen Lord for ever and ever. Amen.  

Prayers of the faithful - 3rd Sunday of Easter - 4 May 2025 - prison ministry

Priest: Penitential Rite: 

Lord Jesus, you are a fountain of God’s grace and mercy. 


Christ Jesus, you give us strength in the Eucharist. 

Lord Jesus: you are the way that leads us to new life. 

Prayers of the faithful:


PRIEST: We pray that all of us may be drawn more intimately into God’s love and mercy. We offer our prayers today for our needs, the needs of the world, and the needs of the Church.


1. For God’s holy Church, that we may hear the call to be witnesses to Christ’s resurrection in the world, we pray to the Lord.


2. For international cooperation in being good stewards of our environment and in sharing the earth’s resources. We pray to the Lord.


3. For those who are struggling in their lives, for those battling mental health issues, depression, or addictions. May they feel God’s encouragement on their journey. We we reach out to our brothers to provide support. We pray to the Lord.


4. For all who thirst for justice and an end to violence, hatred and prejudice in our neighborhoods, our cities, and throughout the world. We pray for peace here at CMCF. We pray to the Lord.

5. For the men who entered the Church on Easter weekend. May they feel the joy of receiving Christ in their lives through the Eucharist. We pray to the Lord. 


6. For healing for those who are sick or afflicted in body, mind, and spirit.  We pray to the Lord. 

7. For our loved ones and family members who have died. For their entry into eternal life. We pray to the Lord. 


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

PRIEST: We are the people you shepherd, O God, the flock you guide. Hear these our prayers and graciously grant them through your son Jesus Christ, our Lord for ever and ever.

Prayers of the faithful for first communion mass - prayers for the faithful for 3rd Sunday of Easter - 4 May 2025

Introduction: We continue our celebration of the Easter season on this third weekend of Easter. With great joy, we also celebrate first communion with our children this morning. As we hear about Jesus’ post-resurrection appearance today at the sea of Tiberias to the apostles, may we also gain understanding into the reality of the resurrection in our own lives. May the reality of the resurrection help us to bring the Gospel message to the world and evangelize others. 

Priest: Penitential Rite: 

Lord Jesus, you are a fountain of God’s grace and mercy: Lord have mercy.
Christ Jesus, you give us strength in the Eucharist: Christ, have mercy. Lord Jesus: you are the way that leads us to new life: Lord, have mercy 

Prayers of the faithful:
PRIEST: We pray that all of us may be drawn more intimately into God’s love and mercy. We offer our prayers today for our needs and the needs of the world around us.


1. For God’s Church, that we may hear the call to be witnesses to Christ’s resurrection in the world. We pray to the Lord.


2. That we may be good stewards of our environment and take good care of God’s creation. We pray to the Lord.


3. For those who are who are hungry, for the poor, and for those in need. We we reach out to the them in works of mercy. 


4. For our first responders and for the men and women in the military. For all who protect us. We pray to the Lord.

5. For our children receiving first holy communion this morning and for their families. May they feel the joy of receiving Christ through the Eucharist. We pray to the Lord. 


6. For those who are sick in our parish community and in our families. For healing in body, mind, and spirit.  We pray to the Lord. 

7. For our family members and loved ones who have died. For their entry into eternal life. 


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

PRIEST: We are the people you shepherd, O God, the flock you guide. Hear these our prayers and graciously grant them through your son Jesus Christ, our Lord for ever and ever. 

Bulletin Reflection - 3rd Sunday of Easter - 4 May 2025

During the Sunday Masses of the joyful season of Easter, we here different accounts of the resurrected Christ interacting with his disciples before his Ascension into heaven. He helps them make sense of this new reality and he prepared them to continue his mission and ministry. In the midst of our celebration of the risen Lord, we celebrate with great joy the first holy communion of our children. We are very thankful for Dr Dena Kinsey and Shelby Lacey, who have taught our first communion children, and Tammy Threadgill, our director of religious education. They have done a wonderful job preparing our children for this holy sacrament. After the Masses on Sunday, I will be traveling to Spain where I will be leading a group of young adults from our Diocese on the pilgrimage route of St James. The first week I am in Spain, I will be hiking the Camino on my own; I will go to have to prayer time and reflective time on my own. I am very much looking forward to going back on the Camino. I am thankful to Father McGing, who will be celebrating the Masses while I am gone. Know that I will be keeping all of you in my prayers as I hike the pilgrimage route. Father Lincoln. 

On the Camino

I normally have a very hectic life as a priest. Vicar General. Pastor of two parishes. And chaplain at two prisons. Since Easter, it has been ever busier than usual. 

Thankfully I will be on the Camino of St James, flying out on Sunday afternoon after all my masses and weekend activities. I am very excited to be back on the Camino, the first time since 2017. 

After arriving in Madrid, I will take the train to Leon. I am planning to hike the Camino of San Salvdor from Leon to Oviedo on my own, then the Camino Ingles from Ferrol to Santiago de Compostela with a group from our diocese. I am looking forward to soaking up the Camino, letting the Camino speak to me. I am open to whatever this experience will be. 

Prayers for all of you. Please pray for me as well. 

Father Lincoln. 

Feast of St Philip and St James the Lesser - 3 May 2024 - Prayers of the faithful

Lord Jesus - you call all of us to be your disciples.

Christ Jesus - you draw us beyond our limitations.

Lord Jesus - you call us to be missionary spirit. 

Priest: As we celebrate the apostles Philip and James today on their feast day, let us bring our prayers to our heavenly Father:

1. For missionaries and evangelizers, that all of us may proclaim Christ’s Gospel to the world in our words and actions.

2. For our youth and our children, that the Lord will continue to accompany them and bless them and their families on their journey of faith. We pray for the children who will be receiving first communion tomorrow. 

3. For all who are graduating from college and from high school. May the Lord bless them in their continued studies and in their future endeavors.

4. For journalists, writers, and broadcasters, may the Lord bless them in their writings and the works they produce.

5. For our first responders, for our medical professionals, for the men and women in the military, for our veterans, for all who keep us safe in society. 

6. For the sick, the shut-in. For those in the hospitals, hospices, and nursing homes. For healing in body, mind, and spirit.

7. For the conclave that will meet in the Vatican this upcoming week. 

8. For those prayers we hold in our hearts today.

Priest: Generous God, you sent St James the Lesser and St Philip out into the world to bring your Gospel message. We present our prayers through your son Jesus Christ, our risen Lord forever and ever. AMEN.  

3 May 2025 – Saturday of 2nd week of Easter - St Philip and St James, Apostles – John 14:6-14

The community of saints accompanies us on our journey.  This week we have celebrated different saints on their feast days who represent different time periods of Church history.  Tuesday we celebrated St Catherine of Siena, a Dominican laywoman from Italy from the 14th century who is a Doctor of the Church. Wednesday was the feast of Pope Pius V. Thursday was the feast day of St Joseph the Worker, the spouse of Mary. Yesterday was the feast day of St Athanasius of Alexandria, Egypt, an Early Church Father from the 4th century who is also a Doctor of the Church. Today we celebrate Philip and James, two of the Apostles. This is not James the Greater, the son of Zebedee, but rather James the Lesser, the son of Alphaeus. 

In the Gospel today, Jesus is telling the disciples about his relationship with the Father. In response, Philip wants Jesus to show them the Father.  Jesus tells Philip that if one has seen Jesus, he has indeed seen the Father.  We might have a similar curiosity about our faith. We may want to see more. We may want truth or further explanation.  A curious mind and the questions we ask will help us in our search for God.

As we celebrate these wonderful saints this week, we look back to a diverse group of the faithful from Church history.  May we always see the saints as our friends who help us with their prayers and intercessions along our journey.