Prayer Service for CHAI Member Institutions

CHAI Anthem or an appropriate Hymn

Introduction:

Today we are celebrating the International Women’s Day. The United Nations began celebrating International Women’s Day (IWD) on 8 March 1975. International Women’s Day is a time to reflect on the progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played extraordinary roles in the history of our communities, country and in the world.

This day, Let us celebrate Women: a reflection of the Glory of God!

Let us honor:

Women of courage, Women of hope

Women suffering, Women mourning

Women living fully, Women experiencing joy

Women delighting in life,

Women knowing the interconnectedness of the human family,

Women honoring the sacredness of the relational, the affective

Women quietly tending the garden of human flourishing,

Women boldly leading the transformation of unjust global structures

Women seeking Wisdom, Women sharing Wisdom

Women receiving Love, Women giving Love

Women: giving life and Women: the image of God.

(By: Education for Justice)

Let us pay tribute to the women of all times and all places! May the Blessed Virgin Mary, the model for all women be with us always!

Opening Prayer:

Dear God, Creator of women in your own image, born of a woman, bless us with the awareness of your presence as we gather together in this place to celebrate International Women’s Day! Lord, we pray that you may strengthen us with power and revelation,

so that Jesus Christ may live in our hearts through faith. Grant us humility firmly, and discernment passionately, so that we may fight, not to conquer, but to liberate. Enable us to liberate women from inequality, violence, abuse, unjust and discriminatory cultural or religious practices. This we ask, in the name of Jesus Christ who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit now and forever. Amen!

Reading from the Bible

Luke 1: 46- 55: Mary’s Song of Praise

And Mary said,

“My soul magnifies the Lord,

and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.

For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

for he who is mighty has done great things for me,

and holy is his name.

And his mercy is for those who fear him

from generation to generation.

He has shown strength with his arm;

he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;

he has brought down the mighty from their thrones

and exalted those of humble estate;

he has filled the hungry with good things,

and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has helped his servant Israel,

in remembrance of his mercy,

as he spoke to our fathers,

to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

Message from the head of the Institution

Prayer of the Faithful

Loving God our Father, be with us as we gather together on this International Women’s Day. Bless women everywhere. We pray especially for all those mothers, grandmothers and sisters who work to care for family members and others in need while forging their own paths in life. We pray:

Lord, hear our prayer!

For all world leaders, that they may be inspired and work selflessly for peace and justice by ratifying the United Nations Convention, to eliminate all forms of Discrimination against Women, and carry out its terms, we pray:

Lord, hear our prayer!

For all women who have been humiliated, harassed, tortured, and stigmatized. Shower your mercies upon them that they may be comforted and consoled. We pray:

Lord, hear our prayer!

For all women who give birth in dangerous conditions, women who are in anguish because they do not have the resources to care for their family and children adequately.  We pray,

Lord, hear our prayer!

For all women who have been violated by rape and degradation, women who are bought and sold as commodities, and women whose cultures reflect them as inferior and less valuable than men. We pray,

Lord, hear our prayer!

For all the women members of our staff and member institutions: may they work diligently to bring healing to all those suffering and ill, we pray:

Lord, hear our prayer

Invite others to pray spontaneously…

Leader:

Loving God, open our eyes to see the immensity of Your love for us and the wonder of what You have done for us. Give us the courage to be Your hands and heart for those who are in pain. Give us the wisdom to speak out for justice and righteousness. We ask this prayer through Christ our Lord.  AMEN!

Let us make a Pledge for Parity:

Please repeat after

I solemnly promise/

to help women and girls/ to achieve their ambitions,/

to strive for gender-balanced leadership/ to  respect and value differences/

to strive  for/ more inclusive and flexible cultures/

to root out bias at workplaces/

and to commit/ to take pragmatic action/ to accelerate gender parity.

Novena Prayer to Sr Dr Mary Glowrey

Servant of God

Merciful and loving Father, you sent your only son, Jesus Christ to heal and save the world.  In your loving compassion you chose Sr Dr Mary Glowrey, founder of the Catholic Health Association of India,  to follow in your son’s healing ministry.  As a model of benevolent care to the millions of sick, destitute, and impoverished in India, she spread Your message of love and healing.  May we, the beneficiaries of her service, continue to spread the same love and healing to the people we now serve.

Lord, we pray for all health care workers and care givers to tirelessly follow in the footsteps of the Divine Healer and alleviate suffering and glory to Your name. May we have the courage to walk the unbeaten path of Sr Dr Mary Glowrey as we continue Your Healing Ministry. May the member of CHAI grow in unity,  through our founder’s example of selfless love, hard and concern for the poor.

Through the intercession of the Servant of God, Sr Dr Mary Glowrey, we ardently ask you to grant favours to those in need of Christ’s physical, mental, social and spiritual healing. We pray with confidence that Sr Dr Mary Glowrey, may soon be raised to sainthood and become the patron saint of CHAI. This prayer, we make through Christ our Lord. Amen

Say  3 Hail Mary and 1 Glory be

Closing Prayer

Loving God, you inspire us with love for all creation. Give us today the strength and courage to transform the compassion of our hearts into acts of peace, mercy and justice towards women whom we celebrate today. Empower us to shape a world marked by ways of life that lead to justice and peace. Fashion in us a people who are more ready to grow in understanding than eager to judge those who are different from us. Form us, a people determined to heal wounds rather than inflict them. We ask all of this in the name of Jesus who lived among us to show us the way.

The Catholic Health Association of India, 157/6, Staff Road, Gunrock Enclave, Secunderabad, 500009 India