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Order of Service

Prelude: “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” The Patriot Brass Ensemble  

Invocation & Welcome: Welcome to Our Lady of Peace, shuttered by the Archdiocese of New York on July 31, and now doing its work as a “church on the street.” We are here today to commemorate the 97th Anniversary of the Dedication of the Church, which occurred on Palm Sunday, April 13, 1919. On that day, there was a procession from the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help on East 61st Street, where the parishioners were relegated to worship in the basement, to this place. Archbishop Hayes consecrated this church as a sacred place. Madonna della Pace, Our Lady of Peace, was named for the peace that followed the First World War. This church was bought and paid for by its founders and benefactors, who were primarily Italian and Irish immigrants. With their contributions, Father Filippo Leone purchased this church. This evening we honor the memory, the generosity, and the sacrifice of our ancestors and the community of the faithful that preceded us. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. May perpetual light shine upon them.

Opening Hymn: “Come Holy Ghost, Creator Blest” – Page 8 (Veni, Creator, Spiritus) Verses 1, 2 and 4

Opening Prayer: Be present to your family, O Lord we pray, and graciously ensure those you have endowed with the grace of faith an eternal share in the Resurrection of your Only Begotten Son, Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Scripture Reading 1: Psalm 24 The earth is the LORD’s and all it holds, the world and those who dwell in it. For he founded it on the seas, established it over the rivers.

Who may go up the mountain of the LORD? Who can stand in his holy place? “The clean of hand and pure of heart, who has not given his soul to useless things, what is vain.

He will receive blessings from the LORD, and justice from his saving God. Such is the generation that seeks him, that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.” Selah.

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Lift up your heads, O gates; be lifted, you ancient portals, that the king of glory may enter.

Who is this king of glory? The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in war.

Lift up your heads, O gates; rise up, you ancient portals, that the king of glory may enter.

Who is this king of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the king of glory. Selah.

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 84:3, 4, 5-6, 12

R. (2) How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!

My soul yearns and pines for the courts of the LORD. My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. R. How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!

Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest in which she puts her young—Your altars, O LORD of hosts, my king and my God! R. How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!

Blessed they who dwell in your house! Continually they praise you. Blessed the men whose strength you are! Their hearts are set upon the pilgrimage. R. How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!

For a sun and a shield is the LORD God; grace and glory he bestows; The LORD withholds no good thing from those who walk in sincerity. R. How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God! Scripture Reading 2: Acts 8:1b-8 There broke out a severe persecution of the Church in Jerusalem, and all were scattered throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria, except the Apostles.

Devout men buried Stephen and made a loud lament over him.

Saul, meanwhile, was trying to destroy the Church; entering house after house and dragging out men and women, he handed them over for imprisonment.

Now those who had been scattered went about preaching the word. Thus Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed the Christ to them. With one accord, the crowds paid attention to what was said by Philip when they heard it and saw the signs

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he was doing. For unclean spirits, crying out in a loud voice, came out of many possessed people, and many paralyzed and crippled people were cured.

Hymn: “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling” (Hyfrydol) – Page 9

Gospel Reading: John 6:35-40 Jesus said to the crowds, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst. But I told you that although you have seen me, you do not believe. Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me, because I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me. And this is the will of the one who sent me: that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it on the last day. For this is the will of my Father: that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day.” Meditation on the Readings “The members of the church who had been dispersed went about preaching the word.” – Acts 8:4 When the early Christians were chased out of Jerusalem, they went to other towns and chased out unclean spirits. When the Church was being paralyzed and crippled from being persecuted, the wounded Church healed the paralytics and cripples. While the Christians mourned the deaths of martyrs, cities rejoiced because they heard and accepted the gospel. (See Acts 8:1-8)

The Lord works everything together for the good of the Church. (See Romans 8:28). “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). The One in us is greater than the prince of this world (See 1 John 4:4; John 14:30). God’s wounded become healers. “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of Christians.” (Catechism, 852, Tertullian.) “Continually we carry about in our bodies the dying of Jesus, so that in our bodies the life of Jesus may also be revealed.” (2 Corinthians 4:10). “There is not chaining the word of God!” (2 Timothy 2:9)

“Despite the increase of sin, grace has far surpassed it.” (Romans 5:20) “When I am powerless it is then that I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:10). “In all this we are more than conquerors because of Him Who has loves us.” (Romans 8:37) Prayer: Father, turn my morning into dancing (Ps 30:12) Promise: “No one who comes will I ever reject.” (John 6:37) Praise: Pope St. Martin I wrote from his imprisonments, “God sees all things and I trust in him.”

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The Prayers of the People: Filled with the joy of this celebration, we bring before God our prayers for the church, our community of faith and the faithful throughout the world. We offer these petitions to God, who creates hearts and minds able to love unconditionally:

That we, who are called to be the Church of Our Lady of Peace, may hearten to the prompting of the Spirit with wisdom, courage and hope. Lord in your mercy... R: Hear our prayer

That as we plan for the future of the Church of Our Lady of Peace, may we be awake, alert and attentive to the signs of the times and respond to the movement of the Spirit with openness and love. Lord in your mercy.... R: Hear our prayer.

That all who shepherd the Archdiocese, parishes and those who work toward our growth, renewal and revitalization, may be open to the creative and merciful power of the Holy Spirit. Lord in your mercy... R: Hear our prayer.

That our call to our church always be grounded in prayer: in our homes, on the street, and in every parish we visit. Lord in your mercy... R: Hear our prayer.

May the Holy Spirit who guides us and renews us as a church, empower us to share out gifts with great a joy and unbounded generosity. Lord in your mercy... R: Hear our prayer.

For all that they come to a better understanding of what it means to "Build the reign of God" here on earth. Lord in your mercy... R: Hear our prayer.

That in following the example of Jesus who came to serve, we challenge ourselves to put others first. Lord in your mercy... R: Hear our prayer.

That our call to be a church allows us to reach out to everyone, especially the poor and the broken-hearted. Lord in your mercy... R: Hear our prayer.

For all Christians who are persecuted throughout the world. Lord in your mercy... R: Hear our prayer.

That Church Leaders will work to unify the dispersion of the faithful throughout the world. Lord in your mercy.... R: Hear our prayer.

That the Congregation for the Clergy will prayerfully consider a just and merciful decree relative to Our Lady of Peace Parish and Church. Lord in your mercy... R: Hear our prayer.

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That all of the former Parishioners of Our Lady of Peace will unite in solidarity of prayer and action to bring about the reopening of Our Lady of Peace. Lord in your mercy... R: Hear our prayer.

Finally, we bring to mind any in our community that we know to be in need. May love and goodness fill their lives lord in your mercy... R: Hear our prayer.

God our Creator, guardian of our homes and source of all blessings, you delight in the happiness of your people, please hear the prayers this community offers for all your people and for the entire world. Fulfill our needs and guide our actions toward the building up of your kingdom. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Peace: Let us share a sign of God’s Peace with each other. The Peace of the Lord be always with you… “And also with you.”

HYMN: “Faith of Our Fathers” (St. Catherine) – Page 10 The Reading of the Names of the Benefactors of Our Lady of Peace Announcement: During the reading of the family and individual names of the benefactors, whose names are engraved on the stone tablets in the vestibule of the church, we invite the living descendants of those families to come forward now, stand on the bottom step and assist in the placement of the candles. Everyone who is carrying a candle should bring it forward as each name is read. – Pages 13-14

An Invocation for Blessing & Dismissal: God of our pilgrimage, You have led us to the living water: refresh and sustain us as we go forward on our journey, in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Closing Hymn: “I Am the Bread of Life” – Page 11-12

Thank you for your continued support…

The Church of Our Lady of Peace was founded by Italian and Irish immigrants in 1919, and closed and merged with the parish of Saint John the Evangelist as part of the largest restructuring of parishes in the history of the Archdiocese of New York on July 31, 2015. Parishioners of Our Lady of Peace have appealed to the Congregation for Clergy at the Vatican against the decree of merger, and the study of the parishioners’ appeal has been extended to April 30, 2016. If you would like to be on our mailing list and further support the efforts to save Our Lady of Peace, please sign up on our weblog site at www.olpchurchnyc.typepad.com. Email updates are provided through Constant Contact. From the weblog site, you can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and sign our petition to Pope Francis.

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