Introductory Rites

Together with the servers, the presider approaches the altar while an appropriate song is sung. Upon reaching the
altar the presider immediately proceeds to the ambo.

Opening Song
After the song, the priest makes the sign of the cross, and then he greets the assembly in the following
words:

In the name of the Father, and of the Son,

and of the HolySpirit.
R.Amen

May God who made heaven and earth

and all that it contained
be with you all.
R: And with your spirit.

After the greeting, the presider briefly introduces the celebration with the following words:

Brothers, we are gathered today

to ask God’s mercy and forgiveness
for failing to care for our common home.
We are invited to reflect with grateful resolution
on all the failings, sins, and abuses
that we have inflicted upon the rest of creation.
May this celebration enable us
to renew our commitment
as a steward of the earth.
After the introduction, he says a prayer then after it, all sit for the reading:
Opening Prayer:

Let us pray:

Almighty ever-living God,

creator and ruler of creation,
human ignorance and sin have brought
destruction upon Earth.
We humbly ask you to cast upon us
your mercy and forgiveness and draw us together
to work with urgency and hope to heal
and renew our common home.
Grant this through Christ our Lord.

R.Amen.
 THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
Reading: Genesis 1:1, 11-12,29-31

A reading from the book of Genesis

In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the
earth…God said, “Let the earth bring forth vegetation: every kind
of plant that bears seed and every kind of fruit tree on earth that
bears fruit with its seed in it.” And so it happened: the earth
brought forth every kind of plant that bears seed and every kind
of fruit tree on earth that bears fruit with its seed in it. God saw
how good it was.

God also said: “See, I give you every seed-bearing plant all
over the earth and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit on it to
be your food; and to all the animals of the land, all the birds of
the air, and all the living creatures that crawl on the ground, I
give them all the green plants for food.” And so it happened. God
looked at everything he had made, and he found it very good.
Evening came, and morning followed—the sixth day.

The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm:

How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord,

God of Host.

My soul is longing and yearning,

is yearning for the courts of the Lord.
My heart and my soul ring out their joy
to God, the living God. (R.)

The sparrow herself finds a home

and the swallow a nest for her brood;
she lays her young by your altars,
Lord of hosts, my king and my God. (R.)

They are happy, who dwell in your house,

for ever singing your praise.
Turn your eyes, O God, our shield,
look on the face of your anointed. (R.)

One day within your courts

is better than a thousand elsewhere.
The threshold of the house of God
I prefer to the dwellings of the wicked. (R.)
Gospel: John 1, 1-5

The Lord be with you.

R. And with your Spirit.

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to John.

R. Glory to you, O Lord.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with
God. All things came to be through him, and without him
nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life,
and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines
in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

The Gospel of the Lord

R. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

After the gospel, the presider may give a brief homily. After the homily, the intercessory
prayers follow.
When there is no homily, a short silence for reflection is observed.
 Prayers of the Faithful

Brothers, let us come to the Lord with humble hearts as we pray for the
healing of the earth and of all creation as we pray:

Lord, heal us as we pray to you.

1. We pray for all creation, the whole cosmos including our common home, and the
intricate balance in every part of every ecosystem that sustains life on Earth. Let us
pray to the Lord.

2. We pray for all creatures on Earth, as we are all affected by extreme weather
events, rising tides, and the changing climate. Let us pray to the Lord.

3. We pray for people who risk their lives to defend creation and for all who have
lost their lives in the mission of protecting Mother Earth. Let us pray to the Lord.

4. We pray for the Church, that she may truly model Jesus through the teachings
found in Laudato Si’ and bring about ecological conversion, changing hearts and
minds to lovingly care for creation. Let us pray to the Lord.

5. We pray for social and ecological justice in our world so that we can right the
wrongs that create poverty and degrade our common home. Let us pray to the Lord.

6. We pray that we will turn away from fossil fuels and choose new investment
options such as renewable energy, and that we will better share the gifts of creation.
Let us pray to the Lord.

7. We pray for the success and sustainability of the Eco-Committee in responding

to the call of caring our common home. Let us pray to the Lord.

The Lord’s Prayer

Let us join the voice of the Church with that of Christ in praying to the
Father using those words which His Son Jesus has taught us.

The assembly sings the Our Father.

Our Father, who art in heaven,

Hallowed be thy name;
Thy kingdom come;
Thy 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.

After the Lord’s Prayer is sung, the presider says the concluding prayer:

Father, full of goodness and love to your creation,

you sustain all things with life.
Grant, we pray, that as we begin to renew
our commitment for the care of the earth
we may marvel at the works of your creation
and protect our common home,
where, you live and reign forever and ever.
R.Amen
Dismissal
The Lord be with you.
R.And with your spirit

May almighty God bless you,

the Father, and the Son,and the Holy Spirit.
R:Amen.

Having been renewed by the marvelous love of God,

go and care for the earth.
R: Thanks be to God.