16th Feb Day of Prayer for Victims of Abuse God of endless love, ever caring, ever strong, always present, always just: You gave your only Son to save us by his blood on the cross. Gentle Jesus, shepherd of peace, join to your own suffering the pain of all who have been hurt in body, mind, and spirit by those who betrayed the trust placed in them. Hear the cries of our brothers and sisters who have been gravely harmed, and the cries of those who love them. Soothe their restless hearts with hope, steady their shaken spirits with faith. Grant them justice for their cause, enlightened by your truth. Holy Spirit, comforter of hearts, heal your people’s wounds and transform brokenness into wholeness. Grant us the courage and wisdom, humility and grace, to act with justice. Breathe wisdom into our prayers and labours. Grant that all harmed by abuse may find peace in justice. We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
CANDLE OF ATONEMENT
PRAYER
Lord, forgive us our many sins.
We grieve and repent with all our hearts for having
offended you, for our great failings and neglect of the
young and vulnerable.
We place all of those who have been hurt by the Church
in any way into your loving hands and under the
protection of Our Blessed Mother.
Lord, bring peace to their broken lives and show us all
the way out of darkness and into the light of your Word.
May we as the people of God be more fully human,
more fully Christ-like and more fully your people, that
we may see the errors of the past and go forward with
renewed hope and faith in Christ and in our Church.
Amen
Prayers of the Faithful
We turn to our gracious Father and pray for all those who have suffered the pain of abuse.
1. We pray that all who have suffered abuse may experience Christ’s presence in their
lives and come to find him once again with restored confidence in the family of the
Church.
Lord, hear us.
2. We pray for families who have been greatly affected by these betrayals of trust. We
pray that their confidence be renewed in the loving presence of Christ in his Church
and her ministers.
Lord, hear us.
3. We pray for priests and members of the Church who have been affected by the abuse
scandal and whose faith has been shaken.
Lord, hear us.
4. We pray that we may become more and more a community that actively cares for and
protects the most vulnerable sections of our society, particularly our children.
Lord, hear us.
5. We pray for those who have pastoral responsibility in the Church that they may have
the strength and wisdom to exercise it after the mind of Christ himself.
Lord, hear us.
February 2024
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