Liturgy Resource
St. Peter Claver Prayer Service
For the Feast Day of St. Peter Claver
The following prayer service is an adaptation of the Liturgy of the Hours, and can be prayed individually or with a group.
Leader: God, + come to my assistance.
All: Lord, make haste to help me.
Leader: Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
All: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia.
Hymn
“There Is a Balm in Gilead” or another appropriate hymn may be sung.
Psalm 15
Leader: My life is at the service of the Gospel;
God has given me this gift of his grace.
A: Lord, who may abide in your tent,
and dwell on your holy mountain?
Whoever walks without fault;
who does what is upright,
and speaks the truth from his heart.
B: Whoever does not slander with his tongue;
who does no wrong to a neighbor,
who casts no slur on a friend,
who looks with scorn on the wicked,
but honors those who fear the Lord.
A: Who keeps an oath, whatever the cost,who lends no money at interest,and accepts no bribes against the innocent.Such a one shall never be shaken.
B: Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
All: My life is at the service of the Gospel;God has given me this gift of his grace.
Revelation 15:3-4
Leader: My sheep will hear my voice;
and there shall be one fold and one shepherd.
A: Great and wondrous are your works,
O Lord, Almighty God!
Just and true are your ways,
O King of the nations!
B: Who would not fear, O Lord,
and glorify your name?
A: For you alone are the Holy One,
for all nations will come,
And they will worship before you,
for your righteous deeds have been revealed.
B: Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.
All: My sheep will hear my voice;
and there shall be one fold and one shepherd.
Reading (Philippians 3:7-8)
Reader: Whatever gains I had, these I have come to consider a loss because of Christ. More than that, I even consider everything as a loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have accepted the loss of all things and I consider them so much rubbish, that I may gain Christ.
Responsory
Reader: Just is the Lord, in justice he delights.
All: Just is the Lord, in justice he delights.
Reader: He looks with favor on the upright man;
All: in justice he delights.
Reader: Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
All: Just is the Lord, in justice he delights.
Canticle of Mary (Luke 1:46-55)
Leader: I tell you most solemnly, what you did for the
least of men you did for me.
Come, my Father delights in you; receive the
kingdom prepared for you
from the foundation of the world.
All: My + soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
For he has looked upon his handmaid in her lowliness;
for behold, from this day forward,
all generations will call me blessed.
For the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
His mercy is from age to age
for those who fear him.
He has made known the strength of his arm,
and has scattered the proud in their conceit of heart.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones
and has exalted those who are lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and has sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
mindful of his mercy,
Even as he promised to our fathers,
to Abraham and his descendants forever.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.
All: I tell you most solemnly, what you did for the
least of men you did for me.
Come, my Father delights in you; receive the
kingdom prepared for you
from the foundation of the world.
Intercessions
Leader: Let us pray to the Father, the source of all holiness, and ask him to lead us to holiness of life through the example and intercession of his saints.
Leader: Holy Father, you want us to be called your children and truly to be such;
All: grant that your holy Church may proclaim you throughout the world.
Leader: Holy Father, you want us to walk worthily and please you in all we do;
All: let us abound in doing good works.
Leader: Holy Father, you have reconciled us to yourself through Christ;
All: preserve us in your name so that all may be one.
Leader: Holy Father, stir up in your children a zeal for justice and charity;
All: that every ethnic group and each nation can live in harmony and peace.
Leader: Holy Father, forgive the offenses of every sinner;
All: let the dead perceive the light of your countenance.
All: Our Father...
Concluding Prayer
Leader: O God, who made Saint Peter Claver a slaveof slaves
and strengthened him with wonderful charity and patience
as he came to their help,
grant, through his intercession,
that, seeking the things of Jesus Christ,
we may love our neighbor in deeds and in truth.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
All: Amen.
Leader: May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
All: Amen.
Excerpts from the English translation of the Liturgy of the Hours © 1970, 1973, 1975 International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation (ICEL); excerpt from the English translation of the Roman Missal © 2010 ICEL. All rights reserved.
Abbey Psalms and Canticles, prepared by the monks of Conception Abbey © 2010, 2018 United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, DC. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be repro-duced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright holder.
Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All rights reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.