Religious of the
Virgin Mary
20 th
Ordinary
General Chapter
CLOSING
RITUAL
(Sisters form a Circle, Paschal Candle in the middle surrounded by candles in capiz shells: 1 for Luzon, 1 for
Generalate, 1 for Visayas, 1 for Northern Mindanao, 1 for Southern Mindanao, 1 for the US, 1 for
Italy, 1 for Indonesia, 1 for Ghana) – Instrumental of We Give You thanks by David Haas)
Seedlings for each region and district will also surround the Paschal Candle
Prayer Leader: Dear Sisters, the past couple of weeks have
been replete with graces as we had come together
working hand in hand, in humble availability, united in our
love for the Beloved amidst the challenges and occasional
differences. Each one of us has taken to heart the sacred
responsibility entrusted to us by the Congregation. our
Sisters as guided by the Holy Spirit, we mapped out the
paths we are to take.
We had commenced our coming together with prayer,
now, we too shall wrap up our hours of seed sowing in this
hall in prayerful gratitude for the graces and prayerful
trust that the Lord of the Harvest shall bless our
collaborative efforts with Him with abundant fruit.
Prayer Leader: In the name of the Creator
All: Let God’s name be praised
Prayer Leader: In the name of Resurrected Jesus Christ
All: Let God’s name be praised
Prayer Leader: In the name of the Holy Spirit
All: Let God’s name be praised
Prayer Leader: In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of
the Holy Spirit who has called us and commissioned us to
take part in this Sacred act of Service to our
Congregation
All: Let God’s name be praised
Prayer Leader: Drawing once more from the Light of the Paschal
candle, let us light our candles from each other,
reminding ourselves that it is Jesus who is the true
source of light. May we also be reminded of our
responsibility as prophets of hope, we are to help kindle
the Light of Christ for others as we sing once more,
Christ be our Light
Candles are distributed
Song: Christ, Be Our Light (Bernadette Farrel)
THANKSGIVING
Prayer Leader: Heavenly Father, we offer to you our prayer of
gratitude for the numerous blessings You have generously
showered upon us, for every intention, we echo the words of
our Blessed Mother Mary and say:
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My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
My spirit rejoices in God my Savior
Rev. Mother Maria Corazon: For the gift of our Mother
Foundress, and all our Sisters who have gone ahead of us
whose faithful response of remaining in Your service have
been beacons of inspiration, we pray:
S. Maria Rosalia: For the leadership that was and the
leadership that is and will be, thank you, Lord, for our Sisters’
generosity and openness to Your will that we may be
continued to be led by You through them, bringing hope, joy
and most especially Your compassionate love to many more,
we pray:
S. Maria Anicia: For the grace of being called by You, Heavenly
Father, to share our gifts and talents for the good of our
Congregation and Your Church, we pray:
S. Maria Marissa: For all the messengers You have sent,
Heavenly Father – the people, events, spoken or written
words, images – that came to us just at the right time that we
may discern better, we pray:
S. Maria Gilda: For the grace of bonding, openness, and
commitment among the Capitulants and working committees
for the 20th General Chapter, may our providential Lord of the
Harvest see to the bountiful fruit we hope to be born from the
seeds we have sown during our stay here, we pray:
S. Maria Rosabella: For the gift of all our Sisters, lay-partners
and collaborators we shall be returning to, through whom You
continue to make Your presence felt through joys and
challenges we face with them, we pray:
S. Maria Teresita: For all other graces and gifts You have
bestowed upon us, which are unsaid but have been gratefully
etched in our hearts (silently, the Sisters recall and
acknowledge these gifts), we pray:
Prayer Leader: As we have thanked the Lord, let us also thank
our companions. Please lay your right hand on the shoulder of
the Sister next to you and say to her:
Dear Sister, your presence here has been both a gift and
a blessing. Thank you for all your efforts, thank you for
the graces you have shared with us by your very
presence. May the Lord’s light and love remain with you.
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…..together…… “Dear Sister…..”
Let us turn to the Sister on our other side and laying our on
her shoulder, we say our greeting of thanks
CONCLUDING PRAYER and BLESSING:
All together, let us pray…..
Prayer Leader: Faithful God, you have lavished us with
love. Keep us ever mindful that You keep your promises. As
we return to our ministries and communities bearing Your
light and love, help us remember on our difficult days that You
are a refuge for those who need shelter, a comfort for those
who feel empty and are poor in spirit. On our joyful days fill us
with a deep sense of thanksgiving as we experience your
everlasting love, that with You we may set forth and put to
action the mandates and plans You have guided us to make
these past days, that together with all of our Sisters, we may
remain true in being humble servants called to be prophetic
witnesses of hope in today’s world. Amen.
BLESSING (by: Rev. Mother Maria Corazon):
Eternal God, source of every gift and talent,
through Your Son, Jesus Christ, You grant us Your blessings
that the Church might be nourished and strengthened.
Bless all of us today, and bestow on us the gifts of Your Spirit
that we may remain humble in heart
as we serve Your household Church.
Bring us all into the peace of Your kingdom,
Where all honor and glory are Yours, Lord our God,
Forever and ever. Amen.
May our Almighty God bless us In the name of the Father
And of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
ALL: Amen.
Ever mindful of all the graces our good Lord has given us
throughout the 20th Ordinary General Chapter, let us move forward
in gratitude and full of hope as we sing the song of praise of our
Blessed Mother Mary:
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CLOSING SONG: Magnificat (from Light from Light) (show video
with lyrics and pictures of the assembly)
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