Leader:   Our help is in the name of the Lord.
All:           Who made heaven and earth.
Leader:   God of Love
All:           We thank You and praise You for Your goodness to                   us.
Leader:   God of Love
All:           Be with us as we conduct our meeting.
Leader:   God of Love
All:           We ask this in Jesus name.
All:           Amen

Lord Jesus,
We give you our hands to do your work
We give you our feet to go your way.
We give you our eyes to see as you see.
We give you our tongues to speak your words.
We give you our minds to think as you think.
We give you our spirit so that you may pray in us.
We give you ourselves so that you may grow in us.
So that it is you, Lord Jesus,
who lives and works and prays in us.
Amen

Guide us by your wisdom,
support us by your power,
we stand before you, Holy Spirit,
conscious of our sinfulness,
but aware that we gather in your name.
Come to us, remain with us,
and enlighten our hearts.
Give us light and strength
to know your will,
to make it our own,
and to live it in our lives.
Guide us by your wisdom,
support us by your power,
for you are God,
sharing the glory of Father and Son.
You desire justice for all:
enable us to uphold the rights of others;
do not allow us to be misled by ignorance
or corrupted by fear or favor.
Unite us to yourself in the bond of love,
and keep us faithful to all that is true,
as we gather in your name.
Amen

Leader: Dear Lord, we come before you today to ask you to help us be more generous. We pray:

Side A: Gracious God, give us generous hearts so we may fully appreciate all your many gifts to us.

Side B: Gracious God, give us generous hearts so we may give without counting cost.

Side A: Gracious God, give us generous hearts so we may share without expecting something in return.

Side B: Gracious God, give us generous hearts so we may know the joy that comes from helping others.

Side A: Gracious God, give us generous hearts so we may share all that you have given us.

Side B: Gracious God, give us generous hearts so we may hold all our treasures in an open hand.

Side A: Gracious God, give us generous hearts so we may recognize the many blessings in each new day.

Side B: Gracious God give us generous hearts so we may learn the difference between what we need and what we want.

Side A: Gracious God, give us generous hearts so we may ever thank you and serve you.

Leader: Lord, we ask all of this, knowing that you will always give us all that we need. Please bless the work we do for you today and always.

All: Amen

Before we begin our meeting, let us take a moment to thank the Lord for this opportunity to be here, working together toward the common goal of enriching our parish and our parishioners. Guide us, Lord, so that we may unite in the spirit of mutual respect and exchange of ideas and goals, not as individual entities, but as the Catholic community we strive to be. In our discussion here this evening, let us not forget for whom we do this: our Parish and our parishioners. Help us to work together to be successful in our obligations to our Parish and our parish family. As always, we seek your guidance and inspiration in all our thoughts and decisions. Dear Lord, we pray that this will be a most productive and successful meeting.

Amen

Loving God, give each of us here today
the wisdom to listen to each other
and to hear God's voice through
their words.
Fill each of us with the peace
you have promised, that we may
serve you and those you have
entrusted to our care more
freely and generously.
We ask this through our
Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the
unity of the Holy Spirit,
God forever and ever.
Amen

Holy Spirit of wisdom,
You refresh us with Your life-saving power.
You have entrusted us with a share in leadership.
Help us to share ideas and plans with each other.
Keep us kind and courteous to one another.
Give us insight to the work at hand
that we may further Your causes and
benefit many people.
Help us to resist any temptation to dominate,
control or forget the needs of all.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen

Leader: Lord, you have called us each by name and
                drawn us together in your love. Be with us
                now as we give our lives to you and your people.

All: Lord, hear your servant's simple prayer:

Side A: When we are weak, be our strength;

Side B: When we doubt, be our faith;

Side A: When we are discouraged, be our hope;

Side B: When we are lost, come and find us;

Side A: When we are hungry, be our food;

Side B: When we are thirsty, be our drink;

Side A: When we are in darkness, be our light;

Side B: When we are sad, be our comfort and joy.

Leader: Let us feel your touch in all we say and do. Let
                us grow and blossom in your love, Grant us this
                Lord, and there's nothing more we want until we
                see you face to face.

                Amen

Lord Jesus, Create in us a new heart.
Pour your Spirit upon us
so that we may do the will of the Father.
Nourish us
with your Eucharist
and heal us of sin.
Let our commitment
to stewardship be a sign
of our love for you.
Amen

Leader: As we gather for this meeting, we
                call upon God to be with us.<br />

Leader: Spirit of understanding

All:          You surround us with people who care.

Leader: Spirit of understanding

All:          Inspire us to solve the issues we have before us this                 evening.

Leader: Spirit of understanding

All:          Be with us now and forever.

                 Amen

Love of Jesus fill us,
Holy Spirit guide us
Will of the Father be done.
Amen

Lord Jesus, as You once called the first disciples
to make them fishers of men, let your sweet
invitation continue to resound: COME FOLLOW ME!
Give young men and women the grace of responding
quickly to Your voice. Support our bishops, priests
and consecrated people in their apostolic labor.

Grant perseverance to our seminarians and to all
those who are carrying out the ideal of a life totally
consecrated to Your service.

Awaken in our community a missionary eagerness,
Lord, SEND WORKERS TO YOUR HARVEST and
do not allow humanity to be lost for lack of pastors,
missionaries and people dedicated
to the cause of the Gospel.

Mary, Mother of the Church, the model of every
vocation, help us to say "Yes" to the Lord Who calls
us to cooperate in the divine plan of salvation.

Pope John Paul II

O Jesus, we pray for your faithful and fervent
priests, for Your unfaithful and tepid priests,
for Your priest laboring at home or abroad in
distant mission fields; for Your tempted priests,
for Your lonely and desolate priests; for Your
young priests; for Your dying priests; for the
souls of Your priests in purgatory.

But above all, we recommend to You the priests
dearest to us; the priest who baptized us; the
priests who absolved us from our sins; the priests
at whose Masses we assisted and gave us Your
Body and Blood in Holy Communion; the priests
who taught and instructed us; all the priests to
whom we are indebted in any other way. O Jesus,
keep them close to Your heart, and bless them
abundantly in time and in eternity.

Amen