Welcome

God is here. Make yourselves at home. We come together this evening for pray for and with our loved ones. This simple holy communion mass draws us closer to those in heaven and helps us share our burdens between us. Please share in this as fully as you feel able, especially as we come to share the life-giving gifts of Jesus. Everything you need can be found in this booklet. We say together the lines in Bold Type

The Preparation

Lord of all hopefulness, Lord of all joy,

Whose trust, ever child-like, no care could destroy,

Be there at our waking, and give us, we pray,

Your bliss in our hearts, Lord, at the break of the day.

Lord of all eagerness, Lord of all faith,

Whose strong hands were skilled at the plane and the lathe,

Be there at our labours, and give us, we pray,

Your strength in our hearts, Lord, at the noon of the day

Lord of all kindliness, Lord of all grace,

Your hands swift to welcome, your arms to embrace,

Be there at our homing, and give us, we pray,

Your love in our hearts, Lord, at the eve of the day.

Lord of all gentleness, Lord of all calm,

Whose voice is contentment, whose presence is balm,

Be there at our sleeping, and give us, we pray,

Your peace in our hearts, Lord, at the end of the day.

Jan Struther (1901-1953)

We may make the Sign of the Cross as the priest welcomes and greets the people.

In the name of the Father, X and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Lord be with you.  And also with you.

We say together these words of comfort from Holy Scripture

Just as Jesus died and rose again, so will the Father bring with him those who have died in Jesus. Just as in Adam all men die, so in Christ all will be made alive. (I Thessalonians 4:14; I Corinthians 15:22)

Penitential Rite

The priest invites us to confess our sins. We confess them to God using these words

I confess to Almighty God, and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have sinned through my own fault, in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do; and I ask blessed Mary, ever-Virgin, all the Angels and Saints and you my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God.

Lord have mercy                     Lord have mercy

Christ have mercy                   Christ have mercy

Lord have mercy                     Lord have mercy

The priest gives us God’s absolution and we may make the Sign of the Cross to remind ourselves that it is through this that we are freed from our sin

The priest says the Collect  or Opening Prayer, after which we may sit.

Merciful Father,
hear our prayers and console us.
As we renew our faith in your Son,
whom you raised from the dead,
strengthen our hope that all our departed brothers and sisters
will share in his resurrection,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Liturgy of the Word

A reading from the book of Wisdom

The souls of the faithful are in the hands of God, and no torment can touch them. To the unenlightened, they appeared to die, their departure was regarded as disaster, their leaving us like annihilation; but they are at peace.

If, as it seemed to us, they suffered punishment, their hope was rich with immortality; slight was their correction, great will their blessings be. God was putting them to the test and has proved them worthy to be with him; he has tested them like gold in a furnace, and accepted them as a perfect burnt offering.

At their time of visitation, they will shine out; as sparks run through the stubble, so will they. They will judge nations, rule over peoples, and the Lord will be their king for ever. Those who trust in him will understand the truth, those who are faithful will live with him in love; for grace and mercy await his holy ones, and he intervenes on behalf of his chosen.

This is the word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Psalm 23

The Lord’s my Shepherd I’ll not want,

He makes me down to lie

In pastures green He leadeth me

The quiet waters by.

My soul He doth restore again,

And me to walk doth make;

Within the paths of righteousness,

E’en for His own name’s sake.

Yea, tho’ I walk in death’s dark vale,

Yet will I fear no ill

For Thou art with me and Thy rod

And staff me comfort still.

My table Thou hast furnished

In presence of my foes;

My head Thou dost with oil anoint,

And my cup overflows.

Goodness and mercy all my life

Shall surely follow me,

And in God’s house for evermore

My dwelling place shall be.

We stand  in preparation for the Gospel. We may make the Sign of the Cross as the Gospel is announced

Alleluia! Alleluia!

I am the way, the truth and the life, says the Lord

No-one comes to the Father, except through me

Alleluia!

The Lord be with you  And also with you.

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John

Glory to you, O Lord.

Jesus said to his disciples: `Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me.

In my Father’s house there are many dwelling-places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going.’

Thomas said to him, `Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?’

Jesus said to him, `I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.

Homily

Intercessions

We pray for those we have loved and see no more. As the names of the departed are read (in alphabetical order), you are invited to come forward and light a tealight in their memory.

The prayer for the departed is used to conclude these prayers:

+ Rest eternal grant unto them O Lord

And let light perpetual shine upon them

May they rest in peace

And rise in glory

We join our prayers will all the company of heaven as we salute the Mother of Our Lord:

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

Peace

The priest introduces the Peace

The peace of the Lord be always with you.

And also with you.

Let us offer one another a sign of peace.

We greet each other in the name of Jesus, with a handshake and a word of peace.

Offertory Hymn

Faithful Shepherd, feed me

In the pastures green;

Faithful Shepherd, lead me

Where thy steps are seen.

Hold me fast, and guide me

In the narrow way;

So, with thee beside me,

I shall never stray.

Daily bring me nearer

To the heavenly shore;

Make my faith grow clearer,

May I love thee more.

Hallow every pleasure,

Every gift and pain;

Be thyself my treasure,

Though none else I gain.

Day by day prepare me

As thou seest best,

Then let angels bear me

To thy promised rest.

Thomas B Pollock (1836-1896)

 

Pray, my brothers and sisters, that this our sacrifice may be acceptable to God the almighty Father.

May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands, for the praise and glory of his name, for our good and the good of all his Church.

The priest then says the Prayer over the Gifts

The Liturgy of the Eucharist

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts.

We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is right to give thanks and praise.

The priest  says the preface.

Father, all-powerful and ever-living God,
we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

In him the world is saved, man is reborn,
and the dead rise again to life.

Through Christ the angels of heaven
offer their prayer of adoration
as they rejoice in your presence for ever.
May our voices be one with theirs
in their triumphant hymn of praise:

We join in the words of the angels:

Holy, holy, holy, Lord, God of power and might,

Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. +Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.

The priest continues with the Eucharistic prayer.

Father, you are holy indeed, and all creation rightly gives you praise.  All life, all holiness comes from you through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, by the working of the Holy Spirit. From age to age you gather a people to yourself, so that from east to west a perfect offering may be made to the glory of your name.

And so, Father, we bring you these gifts. We ask you to make them holy by the power of your Spirit, that they may become the + body and blood of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, at whose command we celebrate this Eucharist.

On the night he was betrayed, he took bread and gave you thanks and praise. He broke the bread, gave it to his disciples, and said:

Take this, all of you, and eat it: this is my body which will be given up for you.

When supper was ended, he took the cup. Again he gave you thanks and praise, gave the cup to his disciples, and said:

Take this, all of you, and drink from it: this is the cup of my blood, the blood of the new and everlasting covenant. It will be shed for you and for all so that sins may be forgiven. Do this in memory of me.

Let us proclaim the mystery of faith:

Christ has died: Christ is risen:

Christ will come again.

Father, calling to mind the death your Son endured for our salvation, his glorious resurrection and ascension into heaven, and ready to greet him when he comes again, we offer you in thanksgiving this holy and living sacrifice.

Look with favour on your Church’s offering, and see the Victim whose death has reconciled us to yourself. Grant that we, who are nourished by his body and blood, may be filled with his Holy Spirit, and become one body, one spirit in Christ.

May he make us an everlasting gift to you and enable us to share in the inheritance of your saints, with Mary, the virgin Mother of God; with the apostles, the martyrs, Saint Thomas the Apostle, our Patron and all your saints, on whose constant intercession we rely for help.

Lord, may this sacrifice, which has made our peace with you, advance the peace and salvation of all the world. Strengthen in faith and love your pilgrim Church on earth;  Ian, our commissary bishop…, with the clergy and the entire people your Son has gained for you.

Father, hear the prayers of the family you have gathered here before you. In mercy and love unite all your children wherever they may be.

Remember all the faithful departed we commemorate this day, In Baptism they died with Christ: may they also share his resurrection, when Christ will raise our mortal bodies and make them like his own in glory. There we hope to share in your glory when every tear will be wiped away.

On that day we shall see you, our God, as you are. We shall become like you and praise you for ever through Christ our Lord, from whom all good things come.

Through him, with him, in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honour is yours, almighty Father forever and ever.

Amen!

The Communion Rite

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our trespasses

as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory,

for ever and ever. Amen.

We break this bread to share in the body of Christ

Though we are many, we are one body, because we all share the one bread

As the bread is broken, all say together:

Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world:

have mercy on us.

Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world:

have mercy on us.

Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world:

grant us peace.

The priest invites us to receive communion:

This is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those who are called to his supper.

Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word, and I shall be healed.

Communion is distributed. PLEASE come forward to receive the Sacrament. If you would prefer to receive a blessing, please bring this sheet with you to signal this to the Priest.

Hymn

Abide with me; fast falls the eventide:

the darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide:

when other helpers fail, and comforts flee,

help of the helpless, O abide with me.

Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day;

earth’s joys grow dim, its glories pass away;

change and decay in all around I see:

O thou who changest not, abide with me.

I fear no foe with thee at hand to bless;

ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness.

Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, thy victory?

I triumph still, if thou abide with me.

Hold thou thy cross before my closing eyes;

shine through the gloom, and point me to the skies;

heaven’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee;

in life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.

The Dismissal

The priest leads us in a prayer of thanksgiving, then a blessing is said and the Mass ends.

Lord God,
may the death and resurrection of Christ
which we celebrate in this eucharist
bring the departed faithful to the peace of your eternal home.
We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord. Amen.

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Blessing

In his great love,
the God of all consolation gave man the gift of life.
May he bless you with faith
in the resurrection of his Son,
and with the hope of rising to new life. Amen.

To us who are alive
may he grant forgiveness,
and to all who have died
a place of light and peace. Amen.

As you believe that Jesus rose from the dead,
so may you live with him for ever in joy. Amen.

and may almighty God bless you.

The +Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

The Mass is ended, go in peace.

Thanks be to God.

You are invited to join us for a cup of coffee in the Narthex