Role

Ministers of the Word are appointed by the parish priest. They may lead Scripture readings and Communion services in the absence of the priest. They can expose the Blessed Sacrament in the monstrance for adoration but any sacramental blessing must only be given by a priest or deacon.

Liturgy of the Word

A Liturgy of the Word service is a structured prayer gathering that centres on the reading and reflection of Scripture. While the Liturgy of the Word is a core component of the Mass, a dedicated Liturgy of the Word service often occurs in the absence of a priest, typically led by a deacon or lay leader, allowing the community to worship and be nourished by the Scriptures.

Order

In the name of the Father,
And of the Son,
And of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

The Lord be with you.
And with your spirit.

To prepare ourselves to welcome the Lord into our lives and with confidence in His generous mercy, let us call to mind our sins.

I confess to almighty God
And to you, my brothers and sisters,
That I have greatly sinned
In my thoughts and in my words,
In what I have done,
And in what I have failed to do.
Through my fault, through my fault,
Through my most grievous fault.
Therefore 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.
Amen.

May Almighty God have mercy on us, Forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.

Let us pray
Collect
Epistle
Psalms
Alleluia

The Lord be with you.
And with your Spirit.
A reading from the Holy Gospel according to …
Glory be to you, O Lord.
Gospel
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise be to You Lord Jesus Christ.

With the divine words Jesus taught us, we continue to pray
Our Father, who is in heaven,
Hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
Your 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.
Amen.

Deliver us Lord we pray, from every evil, graciously grant peace in our days that by the help of your mercy, we may be always free from sin and safe from all distress, as we await the blessed hope and the coming of our Saviour Jesus Christ.
For the kingdom the power and the glory are yours, now and forever.

Lord Jesus Christ, who said to your apostles: “Peace I leave you, my peace I give you”, look not on our sins, but on the faith of your Church, and graciously grant her peace and unity in accordance with your will. Who lives and reigns forever and ever.
Amen.

The peace of the Lord be with you always.
And with your spirit.

With clean hands, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion retrieve the ciboria from the tabernacle. They hold up the host and say:

Behold the Lamb of God, behold Him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.
Lord I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul will be healed.

Communion

Act of spiritual communion for those who are at home
My Jesus, I believe that You are truly present in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar, I love You above all things and desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You.
Amen.

In thanksgiving we pray
Oh Sacrament most Holy
Oh Sacrament Divine
All praise and all thanksgiving
Be every moment thine. (x3)

For God’s protection
O Angel of God my Guardian dear
To whom God’s love commits me here
Ever this day be at my side
To light, to guard to rule and guide.
Amen.

Morning prayer
God of my life, I welcome this new day. It is your gift to me, a new creation, a promise of resurrection.
I thank you for the grace of being alive this morning. I thank you for the sleep that has refreshed me. I thank you for this chance to make a new beginning.
This day, Lord, is full of promise and opportunity: let me waste none of it.
This day is full of mystery and the unknown: help me to face it without fear or anxiety.
This day is blessed with beauty and adventure: make me fully alive to it all.
During this day keep me thoughtful, prayerful and kind. May I be courteous and helpful to others, and not turned in on myself.
Keep me from any word or deed that would hurt, or belittle, or destroy; and may the thoughts of my mind be pleasing in your sight.
When night comes again, may I look back on this day with no grievance or bitterness in my heart; and may nobody be unhappy because of anything I have done or anything I have failed to do.
Lord, bless this day for me and for everyone. Make it a day in which we grow to have the mind of Christ, your Son.
Lord, Jesus Christ, friend and brother, may we know you more clearly, love you more dearly, and follow you more nearly, day by day.
Amen.

Night prayer
We thank you, Lord, for the day that has passed.
We thank you too for your love and protection.
Forgive us for any wrong we have done this day. Forgive us for being bad tempered or hard to live with.
Forgive us for hurting those we should love. Forgive us for any word of comfort or praise or thanks which we might have spoken and did not speak.
Forgive us for any help we might have given to someone in need and did not give.
Lord, we pray tonight for all humankind: for the believer and the unbeliever;
for those who are trying to find you;
and for those who are trying to ignore you.
Bless those who are lonely, and who feel their loneliness worst of all at evening time.
Bless those who are old or sick, or who will not sleep tonight.
Bless all homes and families, and bless those who have no home of their own.
Give us all restful sleep, and the peace of heart that comes from knowing that our sins are forgiven, and that we are always in the hands of our heavenly Father.
Amen.

Closing prayer

The Lord be with you.
And with your spirit.

May Almighty God Bless you,
the Father,
the Son,
and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

Go now and announce the Gospel of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.