Honoring our Earth
Women Led Prayer
June 16, 2007
Sponsored by
Justice for Women in the Catholic Church
Catholic Action Network
I thank the earth
For holding our feet
And mending our hearts
So that we may all heal whole.
Deborah Tallarico
Song and words by Miriam Therese Winters
At each invocation, all face east, then south, then west, than north and lastly center.
O Great Spirit send protection
for the earth, and the sky and the sea
be within me and all around me.
Reading: Mother Earth from Womanprayer, Womansong by Miriam Therese Winters
Please sing refrain from Mother Earth at cantors invitation.
The earth was formless
and empty.
There was darkness
Over the deep.
God paused,
Reflected.
Her brooding spirit
hovered
restless
over the face of the waters,
savoring the stillness,
embracing the mystical moment,
contemplating the indissoluble cord
binding Her to the earth.
All sing : Mother earth, sister sea, giving birth, energy,
Reaching out, touching me lovingly.
God loved
the fruit of Her womb
with all its potential for good.
Intuitively,
She broke the silence,
Signing:
Let there be light!
Her sunlight chased the vast shadows.
She danced with the moon and the stars.
She sang all life into being:
seeds, trees
fruits and flowers,
birds that took to the heavens
and creatures that keep to the earth.
She taught the earth all about motherhood,
about nurture,
about birth.
All sing: Mother earth, sister sea, giving birth, energy,
Reaching out, touching me lovingly.
God sang:
Let there be life
fashioned in my image.
she created humankind
in Her image,
female and male
She created them.
From humus of the earth,’
from mud, from muck,
she fashioned in Her image
woman and man
breathed into them
Her Spirit
the very breath of life.
from the beginning,
humankind
is the love child of our god
in the womb of mother earth.
All sing: Mother earth, sister sea, giving birth, energy,
Reaching out, touching me lovingly.
translation from ICEL
Reader: Bless God, beyond the stars.
Response: Give praise and glory.
Reader: Bless God, heaven and earth.
Response: Give praise and glory, forever.
Reader: Bless God, angels of God.
Response: Give praise and glory.
Reader: Bless God, highest heaven.
Response: Give praise and glory.
Reader: Bless God, waters above.
Response: Give praise and glory.
Reader: Bless God, spirits of God.
Response: Give praise and glory.
Reader: Bless God, stars of heaven.
Response: Give praise and glory, forever.
Reader: Bless God, rainstorm and dew.
Response: Give praise and glory.
Reader: Bless God, gales and wind.
Response: Give praise and glory.
Reader: Bless God, fire and heat.
Response: Give praise and glory.
Reader: Bless God, frost and cold.
Response: Give praise and glory.
Reader: Bless God, dew and snow.
Response: Give praise and glory.
Reader: Bless God, ice and cold.
Response: Give praise and glory.
Reader: Bless God, frost and sleet.
Response: Give praise and glory.
Reader: Bless God, night and day.
Response: Give praise and glory.
Reader: Bless God, light and darkness.
Response: Give praise and glory.
Reader: Bless God, lighting and cloud.
Response: Give praise and glory, forever.
Reader: Bless God, earth and sea.
Response: Give praise and glory.
Reader: Bless God, mountains and hills.
Response: Give praise and glory.
Reader: Bless God, trees and plants.
Response: Give praise and glory.
Reader: Bless God, fountains and springs.
Response: Give praise and glory.
Reader: Bless God, rivers and seas.
Response: Give praise and glory.
Reader: Bless God, fishes and whales.
Response: Give praise and glory.
Reader: Bless God, birds of the air.
Response: Give praise and glory.
Reader: Bless God, beast of the earth.
Response: Give praise and glory, forever.
Reader: Bless God, children of the earth.
Response: Give praise and glory.
Reader: Bless God, Israel.
Response: Give praise and glory.
Reader: Bless God, priests of God.
Response: Give praise and glory.
Reader: Bless God, servants of God.
Response: Give praise and glory.
Reader: Bless God, just and faithful souls.
Response: Give praise and glory.
Reader: Bless God, holy and humble hearts.
Response: Give praise and glory.
Reader: Bless God, Hananiah, Azariah, Mishael.
Response: Give praise and glory, forever.
Reader: Bless God, beyond the stars.
Response: Give praise and glory.
Reader: Bless God, heaven and earth.
Response: Give praise and glory, forever.
Response: Bless the Creator, the Redeemer and the Sanctifier
Give praise and glory, both now and forever. Amen.
Reading from The Dinner Party, by Judy Chicago.
And then all that has divided us will merge
And then compassion will be wedded to power
And then softness will some to a world that is harsh and unkind
And then both men and women will be strong
And then no person will be subject to another’s will
And then all will be rich and free and varied
And then the greed of some will give way to the needs of many
And then all will share equally in the earth’s abundance
And then all will care for the sick and the weak and the old
And then all will nourish the young
And then all will cherish life’s creatures
And then all will live in harmony with each other and the Earth
And then everywhere will be called Eden once again.
This month as we observe the summer solstice, we are honored to celebrate a small part of Native American heritage.
We turn to our sisters and brothers who have long reverenced this land.
Before we enter the sacred circle known as the medicine wheel,
Ree will purify the sacred circle and each of us by leading us in a smudging ceremony.
Presider:
Let us pray:
Blessed be God
for the many gifts
of divine maternity,
for the newness of life
and the nurture
we experience day after day.
Blessed be the full
and faithful breasts
of our birth mother earth.
May we cherish her
and the fruit of Her womb
as our god cherishes us.
Blessed be th human spirit,
an innately holy spirit,
that enables earth’s capacities
to claim beatitude.
Blessed be god
Sustainer of life
now and forever. Amen.
Closing song: Song at the Center by Marty Haugen
Gahter # 345
Please join us for coffee and tea.
A short meeting will follow fellowship for those interested.
Women who are called to ordination are welcome to preside and give the homily. If you are interested please contact Marie Andrews 314-776-3912.
If you are interested in helping to prepare the liturgy or share any talent you might have please let Marie Andrews know. We always need signers and musicians,
All men and women are invited to join us in prayer.
Prayer is scheduled for July 21, 9 am.
Beginning in August we will meet on the fourth Saturday of the month at 10 am. October’s liturgy may be in the evenong . watch for further details.
That will be August 25, September 22, October 27, November 24, and December 22. Hope you will join us.