Santuário San Rafael Ascension Catholic church

An independent ministry in the Catholic Tradition

The Holy Eucharist

of Christ Sophia

A Mass of Healing and Liberation

By Bishop Christina Fernandez

The Liturgy of the Word

The Gathering of the People.

Regular typeface indicates priest or deacon to read or pray, as appropriate. Boldface indicates response by those gathered.

Invocation and Greeting.

+In the name of God the Father, God the Mother, Christ Sophia and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The grace of Christ Sophia, the love of God and the fullness of the Holy Spirit be with you.

And also with you.

Let us pray. We give thanks for the presence of God’s power and love among us, as we prepare to celebrate these holy mysteries. [A prayer of the day may be inserted here]. Amen.

The Penitential Rite.

As we open our hearts and minds from all that keeps us from God and each other, we acknowledge that our peace is disturbed in the midst of wrong. God’s wisdom lies within us to see where we err. Silent reflection. Happy are we to come into harmony with our God, all creation and each other. Let us pray, knowing that God forgives and heals us.

One of these forms may be used.

1 (A New Zealand Prayer Book (Collins Liturgical Publication 1989), p.458)

We need your healing, merciful God:

give us true repentance.

Some sins are plain to us;

some escape us,

some we cannot face.

Forgive us;

set us free to hear your word to us;

set us free to serve you.

The presiding priest says:

God forgives you.

Forgive others;

Forgive yourself.

2 (Adapted from A New Zealand Prayer Book, p.460)

Through Christ Sophia, God brings you new life,

forgives and frees you.

Take hold of this forgiveness

and live your life

in the Spirit of Christ.

Amen.

Sacred Reading.

One or two readings follow. Silence follows each reading.

The reader completes the reading by saying:

Hear what the Spirit is saying to us.

Thanks be to God.

Should a Gospel be read, all standing, the reader of the Gospel says:

The Holy Gospel according to . . .

Praise and glory to Christ Sophia.

After the Gospel silence may be kept.

The reader says:

This is the Gospel of Christ Sophia.

Praise to Christ the Word.

The Homily.

The Affirmation of Faith (Optional)

One of the following forms may be used.

1 (Modified Apostle's Creed)

I believe in God, Father, Mother,

creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Christ Sophia, one from God,

conceived by the Holy Spirit,

born of a woman,

suffered under hands like ours,

was crucified, died and was buried;

then descending to the dead.

On the third day rising again;

ascending into heaven,

sitting at the right hand of the Father Mother,

and coming again to claim the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy catholic church,

the communion of saints and sages,

the forgiveness of sins and errors,

the immortality of the soul,

and live everlasting. Amen.

2 (A Liturgical Affirmation, adapted from A New Zealand Prayer Book, p. 481.)

You, O God, are power and light.

You create our world and give us life.

Your purpose overarches everything we do.

You have always been with us.

You are God.

You, O God, are infinitely generous,

good beyond all measure.

You came to us before we came to you.

You have revealed and proved

your love for us in Christ Sophia,

who, in Jesus Christ, lived and died and rose again.

You are with us now.

You are God.

You, O God, are Holy Spirit.

You empower us to be your gospel in the world.

You reconcile and heal;

you free us from the power of death.

You are God. We bow before you.

I believe in God as verb

being in darkness

piercing in light

revealing concealing

one with all that is

opposites sealing

relating

incarnating

healing

I believe in God creating

woman hearted

common quartered

cosmic bodied

father sending

open ended

stillpoint greening

omni seeing

crone wise

I believe in God redeeming

Jesus loving

Christa coming

born

blessed

broken

poured out

feeding seeding

mother fierce

I believe in God sustaining

Spirit sowing

life growing

freedom making

justice slaking

power flowing

chthonic knowing

God blowing

maiden fresh

where she will. Amen.

The Prayers of the People

Prayer is offered with thanksgiving and intercession for the needs of all, for God’s people, and for all creation.

After each particular intercession or thanksgiving any one of the following may be used.

O God hear us.

Hear our prayer.

God, in your mercy.

Hear our prayer.

God of freedom.

Hear our prayer.

The Prayers of the People may conclude with an appropriate prayer of the day or one of the following.

God of power and light,

We your people come to you

yearning for the wholeness that

only you can give. We place ourselves

and our cares in your hands,

knowing that your peace, your love,

your freedom and your life

are with us always, until the end of time.

Amen.

Christ Sophia, you came that we might

have life, and have it to the full.

Free us from unnecessary anxiety,

open our hearts to the joy and grace

that lie in your depths, and grace us

with the vision

of your goodness in each other,

as we place our concerns for our world

and its wounds in your care.

Amen.

The Liturgy of the Eucharist

The Peace

All standing, the presiding priest, or deacon, says to the people

The peace of God be with you all.

And also with you.

The peace of Christ Sophia be with you all.

And with your spirit.

All present are invited to exchange a sign of peace.

The Preparation of the Gifts

The offerings of bread, wine and dana are brought forward from the entrance table, blessed and the bread and wine are placed on the altar. The acolyte may assist the priest in washing hands. All remain standing, as are able.

Blessed are you, God of all creation. Through your goodness, we have this bread to offer, which earth has given and human hands have made. It will become for us the bread of liberating life.

Blessed be God forever.

Blessed are you, God of all creation. Through your goodness, we have this wine to offer, fruit of the vine and work of human hands. It will become for us your Spirit’s drink.

Blessed be God forever.

A NOTE ON THE LITURGY OF CHRIST-SOPHIA

Healing and Liberation are the subtitles of this liturgy in the western tradition presented by Bishop Christian Fernandez. For too many thousands of years, the experience of women has been excluded from our worship experiences, and the feminine energy has even been repressed within our theologies of the Divine. Recognizing that the true nature of God is beyond all word and beyond all gender, Bishop Fernandez has created a pastoral and meditative liturgy which is especially suitable for those of us, both women and men, who long for traditional liturgy and at the same time long for inclusiveness.

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