An Intercession for the Church

From Wednesday at the Sixth Hour

I believe in one holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church ;
And the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Let us pray :

For the Church Catholic.

For the holy Catholic Church from one end of the world to the other, let us beseech the Lord ;

Lord, have mercy.

That she may be established in peace, immovable and unshakable upon the rock of her faith ;

Lord, have mercy.

For particular churches that are persecuted and suffereing ;

Lord, have mercy.

For them that are rich or poor or weak or tempted ;

Lord, have mercy.

For our own church ;

Lord, have mercy.

That she may offer herself a pure sacrifice of prayer and lowly service ;

Lord, have mercy.

That she may be truly catholic in faith and love ;

Lord, have mercy.

That she may use her freedom for the ministry of Truth ;

Lord, have mercy.

That she may be at peace within her borders ;

Lord, have mercy.

For all who love Christ and pray with us, yet are in separation ;

Lord, have mercy.

The Lord be with you ;
And with thy spirit.

Let us pray.

GRACIOUS Father, we humbly beseech thee for thy holy Catholic Church. Fill it with all truth ; in all truth with all peace. Where it is corrupt, purge it ; and where it is in error, direct it ; where it is superstitious, rectify it ; where anything is amiss, reform it ; where it is right, strengthen and confirm it ; where it is in want, furnish it ; where it is divided and rent asunder, make up the breaches of it ; O thou Holy One of Israel. Amen.


Let us pray :

For the Church Apostolic.

That we may continue steadfast in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and in the prayers, we humbly pray :

Lord, hear us.

For our fathers the bishops and rulers of the Christian Church ;

Lord, hear us.

That they may be blameless, vigilant, and holy ;

Lord, hear us.

For the priests and shepherds of Christ's flock ;

Lord, hear us.

That they may burn with the love of souls, and be mighty to convert;

Lord, hear us.

For the deacons and ministers of the household of God ;

Lord, hear us.

For those who have heard and answered the call to Holy Orders ;

Lord, hear us.

That their hearts may be kindled, and their minds enlightened in the days of making ready ;

Lord, hear us.

The Lord be with you ;
And with thy spirit.

Let us pray.

O GOD, who dost ever hallow and protect thy Church : Raise up therein, through thy Spirit, good and faithful stewards of the mysteries of Christ ; that, by their ministry and example, the Christian people may abide under thy protection, and be guided in the way of truth ; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, ever, world without end. Amen.

Let us pray :

For the Holiness of the Church.

That everywhere and at all times, in the power of faith and the ministry of love, she may show forth Christ, by inward spirit and outward deed;

We beseech thee, O Lord.

For the faithful in every land;

We beseech thee, O Lord.

That they may be strengthened and confirmed in sacrament and prayer, and in every good work ;

We beseech thee, O Lord.

For those pledge to the perfection of Jesus, under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience;

We beseech thee, O Lord.

For all guilds and confraternities devoted to the building up of Christian life;

We beseech thee, O Lord.

The Lord be with you;
And with thy spirit.

Let us pray.

VOUCHSAFE, we beseech thee, O Lord, to strengthen and confirm all thy faithful, and to lift them up more and more continually to heavenly desires ; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

Let us pray :

For the Unity of the Church.

That the bitter grief of a sundered Church may pass away ;

Lord, hear us.

That the Holy Spirit may bind us in new fellowship to seek peace and ensue it ;

Lord, hear us.

For a new and living faith in the communion of saints ;

Lord, hear us.

That the unity and clear vision of those at rest may help our blindness ;

Lord, hear us.

That our broken fellowship on earth may not mar our share in the perfect fellowship above;

Lord, hear us.

The Lord be with you ;
And with thy spirit.

Let us pray.

O LORD Jesu Christ, who didst say to thine Apostles, Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: Regard not our sins, but the faith of thy Church, and grant her that peace and unity which is agreeable to thy will ; who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

Lord, have mercy.

Christ, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy.

Our Father . . .

O GOD of unchangeable power and eternal light, look favourably on thy whole Church, that wonderful and sacred mystery ; and by the tranquil operation of thy perpetual providence carry out the work of man's salvation ; and let the whole world feel and see that things which were cast down are being raised up ; that those which had grown old are being made new ; and that all things are returning to perfection, through him from whom they took their origin, even our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

E. Milner-White & B.T.D. Smith
Cambridge Offices and Orisons
1921

An Office for the Church's Missionary Work

From A New Prayer Book, Oxford: London

+

STANDING

Blessed be the Lord God for his tender mercy whereby the day-spring from on high hath visited us;

To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

JESUS said, They shall come from the east and west, and from the north and south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God.

Thanks be to thee, O Christ, for thy holy Gospel.

Other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also must I bring, and they shall hear my voice; and they shall become one flock, one shepherd.

Thanks be to thee, O Christ, for thy holy Promise.

Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you.

Thanks be to thee, O Christ, for thy holy Word.

Ye shall receive power, when the Holy Spirit is come upon you; and ye shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth.

Thanks be to thee, O Christ, for thy holy Gospel.

Let us pray,

KNEELING

Thanks be to thee, most glorious God, + Father Son, and Holy Spirit, for the revelation of thyself in this our world, and for thy commission to thy Church to proclaim the Gospel of Christ to every creature.

Thanks be to thee, O God.

For the early disciples who were sent forth by Christ to proclaim the coming of the kingdom;

We praise thee, O God.

For the apostles of the nations, who in obedience to his word carried the Gospel through the world;

We praise thee, O God.

For the missionaries, known and unknown, who first brought the Gospel to these shores;

We praise thee, O God.

For all the faithful who, in ages of darkness, kept their lamps burning and watched for the coming of the Lord;

We praise thee, O God.

For all who at any time have recalled the Church to her great task of evangelizing the world;

We praise thee, O God.

For those who have gone to the ends of the earth with the joyful news, and have sought out the dark places to bring light to them that dwell in the shadow of death;

We praise thee, O God.

For thy messengers who have joined the noble army of martyrs, and for all converts to the faith who have sealed their testimony with their blood;

We praise thee, O God.

For the innumerable company who now praise thy Name, out of every kindred and nation and tongue;

We praise thee, O God. Alleluia. Amen.

We humbly acknowledge, O Lord our unworthiness of thy mercies, and confess how little we have done to hand on in freedom and fulness the faith which was brought to us through so many perils, and purchased with such pain.

Our long neglect of this, our bounden duty,

O Lord,  forgive.

Our past unfaithfulness,

O Lord,  forgive.

Our neglected opportunities,

O Lord,  forgive.

Our deafness to thy calls,

O Lord,  forgive.

Our small sacrifice for so great a cause, 

O Lord,  forgive.

Our forgetfulness of those who have gone forth relying on our prayers,

O Lord,  forgive.

We beseech thee to hear us, O Lord, that thou wouldst stir up the hearts of thy faithful people to greater obedience, and unite thy Church to face the world's great need.

That thou wouldst send forth labourers into thy harvest;

Hear us, we beseech thee.

That those who have gone forth may be supported by thy presence, guided by thy counsel, and filled with thy power;

Hear us, we beseech thee.

Let us pray in silence for . . .

Finally, O Lord, we pray thee to give to all professing Christians living in foreign lands a sense of their responsibility, that they may adorn the doctrine of our Saviour by their good example, and so commend the faith to tohers; and we beseech thee to hasten the time when the Gospel shall be preached to all nations, and the whole world filled with the knowledge of thy love.  Amen.

O God of all the nations of the earth, help us to remember the multitudes who have been created in thine image, yet know not the fulness of thy truth; and, according to the love of thy Son Jesus Christ, grant that by the prayers and labours of thy Church they maybe delivered from superstition and unbelief, and brought to worship thee; through him whom thou hast sent to be our salvation, the resurrection and the life of all the faithful, they Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, shine in your hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, in the face of Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

Devotional Offices for General Use

John Wallace Suter, DD

The Century Co.: New York, 1928

+We beseech thee to hear us, Good Lord.