As Felician Sisters, our lives of service are nurtured and sustained by contemplative prayer. We gather for prayer as a community each morning and evening, and we engage in our own personal prayer throughout the day.
We invite you to explore various types of prayers.
We pray the rosary in honor of Mary and follow her radical example of saying “yes,” even when the path forward is not clear. You will need to know several prayers (in bold below), and have a rosary or request one.
Make the Sign of the Cross.
Holding the Crucifix of your rosary, say the Apostles’ Creed.
Say an Our Father on the first bead.
Say one Hail Mary on each of the next three small beads.
Say the Glory Be at the intersection.
For each section of ten small beads, you will say ten Hail Marys.
At each of the large beads, say an Our Father.
At the intersection, say a Glory Be. End saying the Hail, Holy Queen.
Conclude the Rosary with the Sign of the Cross.
God our Father,
we praise and thank you
for the gift of Blessed Mary Angela,
who lived your will in faith and trust, and lived your love in service to others.
I pray, in confidence, that through her intercession you will grant me the favor which I request.
I ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen
We need and welcome all prayers you can offer for Haiti. We ask that you consider praying:
For the government and leaders of Haiti, that they will look beyond their own ambitions and work to protect their citizens and serve their country.
For the people of Haiti, especially the most vulnerable, that they will have access to the necessities they lack (food, clean water, medicine, safety).
For those in gangs, that instead of violence, they will seek peace.
For schools, hospitals and clinics, that they will be protected from harm and enabled to serve.
For leaders to emerge from among the people of Haiti who will work to meet the needs of the people.
For our Felician Mission: Haiti staff, and all working for good in Haiti, that they be sustained and given the resources they need to serve.
Catholic Relief Services Prayer
God of all creation, as we weep with our family in Haiti, console us.
In this time of crisis, open our eyes to look beyond the disaster
to see Christ in our brothers and sisters in Haiti, as Christ sees us.
Be with us as we stand in solidarity with those living and working in Haiti.
Be with us in our mourning and guide our efforts to feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, comfort the grieving and stand for justice.
With your mercy, sustain us at this time as we continue to work for peace and justice.
Amen
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant
that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Historians credit St. Francis of Assisi with composing the first great poem in Italian, “The Canticle of the Creatures.” In this hymn, Francis expresses unity with all creation and invites all of his sister and brother creatures to praise their creator.
Most High, all-powerful, good Lord,
Yours are the praises, the glory, and the honour, and all blessing.
To You alone, Most High, do they belong,
and no human is worthy to mention Your name.
Praised be You, my Lord, with all Your creatures,
especially Sir Brother Sun,
Who is the day and through whom You give us light.
And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendour;
and bears a likeness of You, Most High One.
Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars,
in heaven You formed them clear and precious and beautiful.
Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Wind,
and through the air, cloudy and serene, and every kind of weather,
through whom You give sustenance to Your creatures.
Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Water,
who is very useful and humble and precious and chaste.
Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Fire,
through whom You light the night,
and he is beautiful and playful and robust and strong.
Praised be You, my Lord, through our Sister Mother Earth,
who sustains and governs us,
and who produces various fruit with coloured flowers and herbs.
Praised be You, my Lord, through those who give pardon for Your
love, and bear infirmity and tribulation.
Blessed are those who endure in peace
for by You, Most High, shall they be crowned.
Praised be You, my Lord, through our Sister Bodily Death,
from whom no one living can escape.
Woe to those who die in mortal sin.
Blessed are those whom death will find in Your most holy will,
for the second death shall do them no harm.
Praise and bless my Lord and give Him thanks
and serve Him with great humility.
Watch and pray along to a multilingual rosary and an Examen prayer — and hear Felician Sisters, postulants and novices talk about what prayer means to them.
From Pope Francis’s Laudato Si’
All powerful God, you are present in the whole universe and in the smallest of your creatures.
You embrace with your tenderness all that exists.
Pour out upon us the power of your love, that we may protect life and beauty.
Fill us with peace, that we may live
as brothers and sisters, harming no one.
O God of the poor,
help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this earth,
so precious in your eyes.
Bring healing to our lives,
that we may protect the world and not prey on it, that we may sow beauty, not pollution and destruction.
Touch the hearts of those who look only for gain at the expense of the poor and the earth.
Teach us to discover the worth of each thing, to be filled with awe and contemplation, to recognize that we are profoundly united with every creature as we journey towards your infinite light.
We thank you for being with us each day.
Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle for justice, love and peace.
St. Ignatius Loyola developed the Daily Examen, a technique of prayerful reflection on the events of the day. While there are many versions, the guidelines below are for sharing your day, thoughts, and feelings with God.
Become aware of God’s presence.
Review the day with gratitude.
Pay attention to your emotions.
Choose a feature of the day; pray from it.
Look toward tomorrow.
Named for the Christian community of monks formed in Taizé, France, this prayer is evening prayer for all Christian faiths and revolves around singing short, repetitive chants or hymns, based on passages from the Bible. Interspersed with singing are periods of silence and contemplation, allowing individuals to internalize the words and reflect on their meaning, providing an opportunity for quieting the mind and making a personal connection with God.
Create a space with candles and a crucifix as a focal point that everyone will face; seating on a comfortable floor is common. In advance, prepare a form of music and Scripture, either assigned for the day by the Community of Taizé, or your own around a theme. The order of Taizé goes as follows:
Start with an opening song
Read a psalm
Respond in song
Read one or two passages of scripture
Meditate in silence: Do not rush, this is the heart of the prayer service. The music serves to prepare your spirit for listening. In silence, listen for God’s word. Reflect on the scripture, but don’t fill your mind with prayers or words. Allow God space to enter.
Pray intercessory prayers: Invite worshipers to share short prayers.
Conclude with the Lord’s Prayer
Get away to pray. Alone or with a group, our retreat centers are places you can find spiritual renewal.
Jericho House
Wainsfleet, ON
Maryville Retreat Center
Holly, MI
