Intercessions
Here at All Saints, systematic intercession is a vital part of our everyday life. As well as our intercessions for the Church, for our world and nation, community and family, we pray for countless individuals living and departed. Some of those whose names are mentioned at Mass will be known. Others will not be. They are there because we have been asked to pray for them.
There is a danger that the bidding prayers at Mass can become overloaded with names, but we are reluctant to refuse requests for prayer. Some years ago we introduced a system in which many people who are sick but not dangerously ill would be prayed for on one day of the week at Mass. Since then the number of people we have been asked to pray for has increased further and the lists have grown longer. To cope with this we are introducing a “triage” system. The most urgent cases will still be prayed for at all Masses. Others, rather less serious, will be prayed for at one Mass each day. A third category will be remembered once a week. The Friday intercessions for those in need will continue and people will be able to place requests on the board in church.
We hope no one will think of this as a discouragement to ask for prayers. Our intention is quite the opposite. It is our hope that many will make use of our work of intercession. This work is of course centred on our daily round of worship in Mass and Office and we hope that more and more people will see it as a part of the priestly ministry of the whole Church of God to which we are called by our baptism.
If you would like someone or something prayed for, please contact us.
It will be helpful if you could give us some information about the circumstances.
Fr. Michael Bowie, Assistant Priest