Richard M Healey

The liturgy through the season of Advent provides events and characters to meditate upon. We are joined by Hebrew Testament prophets in our journey who express the hopes and longings of the generations of people for the Messiah to come. In the weekday Masses, Isaiah provides the main voice, but in our Sunday Masses, we…

As a society we so often accept poor substitutes rather than the fullness of life experience that is offered to us. When we journey through the season of Advent, it can at times feel like a poor substitute for the season of Lent. The reality is very different – because the character of the season…

The readings today reminded me of being in Brisbane at the start of last year, when the devastating flood waters that had claimed too many lives in the Lockyer Valley moved downstream towards the city. Authorities did not want any more lives to be lost, so did all that they could to ensure that the…

We begin the new liturgical year (Year C) in much the same tone as we concluded Year B – with a focus on the destruction of Jerusalem. So it seems appropriate to reflect on the events that would have so marked the lives of any Christians living in the forty-year period between the wonderful events…

The sense of royalty that we have is very muted. We live in Australia in a constitutional monarchy, with Queen Elizabeth II as our head of state. Yet, the role of the Queen (or her representatives in the Governors and Governor General) within our lives is very limited, and severely restricted under the constitution and…

The final Sundays in the liturgical year always feature readings that are drawn from the more apocalyptic readings in the scriptures. Drawing from the mini-Apocalypse of Mark 13, our Gospel this Sunday has often confused people. Indeed Mark suggests that people may well misunderstand it, when he adds the note to the reader in verse…

Both the first reading and Gospel feature widows – one of the most vulnerable groups in Israel and the ancient world. When there is no social safety net, widows relied on other family members and the wider community to provide the sustenance that they could not earn themselves. There lot was even worse when times…

As the liturgical year draws to a close, our readings bring us ever closer to the events of holy week and the suffering and death of Jesus. Immediately after today’s Gospel from Mark 10:35-45 we find Jesus and the disciples travelling through Jericho in the final stage of their pilgrimage to Jerusalem (next Sunday) and…

This week we have commemorated the tenth anniversary of the tragic Bali bombings which commentators at the time and since have called Australia’s experience of 11 September 2001. Certainly those events that ushered in the so-called ‘age of terror’ have changed the way that we travel and our sense of security. In the universal church,…

A line in the first reading (from Genesis 2) caught my attention today: “The man gave names to all the cattle…” I wondered how many species of cattle there are that they are worthy of a special mention? Mainly, the line caught my attention because it reminded me of growing up on our farm, and…

This workshop was presented during the Ignite Conference 2012 – Awaken. It is in part a response to the book written by Rob Bell, called ‘Love Wins’ which was published in 2011. This is the description of the workshop: Rob Bell challenged the Church to rethink heaven and hell in his book Love Wins. This seminar…

The internet and social media are replacing TV, print and telephones as the primary communication tools. This workshop will look at basic communications theory and the current technical landscape before considering practical guidelines for how to use the resources that we have to provide a welcoming and informative presence. Tools will be provided for assessing…

Option A By the power of this sacrifice, O Lord, accompany with your loving favour what in your providence you have instituted, so as to make of one heart in love those you have already joined in this holy union (and replenished with the one Bread and the one Chalice). Through Christ our Lord. Option…

V. The Lord be with you. R. And with your spirit. V. Lift up your hearts. R. We lift them up to the Lord. V. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. R. It is right and just. Preface: A. The dignity of the marriage covenant. It is truly right and just, our…

Option A Receive, we pray, O Lord, the offering made on the occasion of this sealing of the sacred bond of Marriage, and, just as your goodness is its origin, may your providence guide its course. Through Christ our Lord. Option B Receive in your kindness, Lord, the offerings we bring in gladness before you,…

Option A May God the eternal Father keep you of one heart in love for one another, that the peace of Christ may dwell in you and abide always in your home. All:         Amen. May you be blessed in your children, have solace in your friends and enjoy true peace with everyone. All:         Amen. May…

It may be appropriate to adapt the following prayers to the particular circumstances of the couple and their commitment to the Lord. The following prayers may be seen as models. Prayers may be chosen from more than one collection. Prayers are read by one or more guests. o Option A God the Father, source of…

Option A Dear brothers and sisters, let us humbly pray to the Lord that on these his servants, now married in Christ, he may mercifully pour out the blessing of his grace and make of one heart in love by the Sacrament of Christ’s Body and Blood those he has joined by a holy covenant. And all…

The Blessing and Giving of Rings Option A 66. The Priest says: May the Lord bless + these rings, which you will give to each other as a sign of love and fidelity. R. Amen. He sprinkles the rings, if appropriate, and gives them to the bride and bridegroom. Option B 229. Bless, O Lord, these…

Option A  The bridegroom says:  I, N., take you, N., to be my wife. I promise to be faithful to you, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love you and to honour you all the days of my life. The bride says:  I, N., take you, N., to be my husband. I promise to be…

The Questions before the Consent N.and N., have you come here to enter into Marriage without coercion, freely and wholeheartedly? Each:     Yes, I have. Are you prepared, as you follow the path of Marriage, to love and honour each other for as long as you both shall live? Each:     Yes, I am. Are you prepared to accept children lovingly from…

Option A (if both are baptised) Dearly beloved, you have come together into the house of the Church, so that in the presence of the Church’s minister and the community your intention to enter into Marriage may be strengthened by the Lord with a sacred seal. Christ abundantly blesses the love that binds you. Through…

Outline of the Nuptial Mass See also: Wedding Liturgy Outline Complete the Nuptial Mass Liturgy Worksheet Download: Full Nuptial Mass texts [PDF] 1. INTRODUCTORY RITES Entrance Music or Hymn Greeting [Optional – Candle Ceremony – Part 1] [Optional – Gloria] Opening Prayer 2. LITURGY OF THE WORD Old Testament Reading Responsorial Psalm New Testament Reading…

Outline of the Wedding Liturgy See also: Nuptial Mass Outline Complete the Wedding Liturgy Worksheet (Google Form) Download: Full Wedding Liturgy texts [PDF] INTRODUCTORY RITES Entrance Music or HymnGreeting[Optional – Candle Ceremony – Part 1]Opening Prayer LITURGY OF THE WORD Old Testament ReadingResponsorial PsalmNew Testament ReadingGospel AcclamationGospel LITURGY OF THE SACRAMENT IntroductionQuestionsConsent [exchange of vows]Blessing and…

Part 5. Gospel (Proclaimed by the Priest or Deacon) Choose one from the following readings. The Gospel is always included in the Wedding liturgy (or Nuptial Mass). o 5A. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Mt 5:1–12 A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew Seeing the crowds,…

Part 4. Gospel Acclamation (Sung before the Gospel) Choose one from the following options… During Lent the “Alleluia” is not used, but one of the four alternative Gospel Acclamation verses are used instead, such as “Glory and praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.” or “Glory to you, Word of God, Lord Jesus Christ.” or “Praise…

Part 3. Responsorial Psalm oChoose one from the following psalms o 3A Ps 32:12. 18. 20–22 Reader: The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. All: The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. They are happy, whose God is the Lord, the people he has chosen as his own. The…

Part 2. New Testament Reading If you wish to have two readings before the Gospel, the first reading is taken from the Old Testament. If you wish to have one reading before the Gospel, the reading may be taken from the Old Testament (or the New Testament). The order for each would be: (One reading…

Part 1. Old Testament reading If you wish to have two readings before the Gospel, the first reading is taken from the Old Testament. If you wish to have one reading before the Gospel, the reading may be taken from the Old Testament (or the New Testament). The Liturgy of the Word always concludes with…

Choose one from the following six options Option A Let us pray. And all pray in silence with the Priest for a while. Be attentive to our prayers, O Lord, and in your kindness uphold what you have established for the increase of the human race, so that the union you have created may be…