Lord, open my lips.
 - And my mouth shall proclaim your praise.

Psalm 95 is the traditional Invitatory Psalm. Psalm 24, 67, or 100 may be substituted.

Antiphon: Come, let us worship God, wonderful in his saints.

Or:     Let us sing praise to God, as we acclaim Saint N.

Psalm 95

Psalm 24

Psalm 67

Psalm 100

God, come to my assistance.
 - Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
 -  as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever.
Amen. (Alleluia.)

HYMN

Rise up, O men of God!
Have done with lesser things.
Give heart and mind and soul and strength
To serve the King of kings.

Rise up, O men of God!
The kingdom tarries long.
Bring in the day of brotherhood
And end the night of wrong.

Rise up, O men of God!
The church for you doth wait,
Her strength unequal to her task;
Rise up and make her great!

Lift high the cross of Christ!
Tread where His feet have trod.
As brothers of the Son of Man,
Rise up, O men of God!
Melody: Festal Song S.M.; Music: William Walter, 1894; Text: William Pierson Merrill, 1911,

Or:


O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home.

Beneath the shadow of your throne
Your saints have dwelt secure;
Sufficient is your arm alone,
And our defense is sure.

Before the hills in order stood,
Or earth received her frame,
From everlasting you are God,
To endless years the same.

A thousand ages in your sight
Are like an evening gone,
Short as the watch that ends the night
Before the rising sun.

Time, like an ever-rolling stream,
Bears all our lives away;
They fly, forgotten, as a dream
Dies at the opening day.

O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Be now our guide while life shall last,
And our eternal home.
Text: Isaac Watts; Melody: St. Anne C. M.

Or:


Who would true valour see,
Let him come hither;
One here will constant be,
Come wind, come weather;
There’s no discouragement
Shall make him once relent
His first avowed intent
To be a pilgrim.

Whoso beset him round
With dismal stories
Do but themselves confound;
His strength the more is,
No lion can him fright;
He’ll with a giant fight;
But he will have a right
To be a pilgrim.

No power of evil fiend
Can daunt his spirit;
He knows he at the end
Shall life inherit,
Then fancies fly away,
He’ll fear not what men say;
He’ll labour night and day
To be a pilgrim.
Melody: Monks Gate 65.65.66.65; Music: Ralph Vaughan Willians, 1872-1958; Text: John Bunyan
PSALMODY

Antiphon 1: The Lord has given them unending glory; their name shall be in everlasting remembrance.

For your love is better than life,
my lips will speak your praise.
So I will bless you all my life,
in your name I will lift up my hands.
My soul shall be filled as with a banquet,
my mouth shall praise you with joy.

On my bed I remember you.
On you I muse through the night
for you have been my help;
in the shadow of your wings I rejoice.
My soul clings to you;
your right hand holds me fast. Glory...

Psalm Prayer: Father, creator of unfailing light, give that same light to those who call to you. May our lips praise you; our lives proclaim your goodness; our work give you honor, and our voices celebrate you for ever.

Antiphon 1 The Lord has given them unending glory; their name shall be in everlasting remembrance.


Antiphon 2 Servants of the Lord, bless the Lord for ever.

Canticle  -  Daniel 3:57-88,56
Let all creatures praise the Lord
All you servants of the Lord, sing praise to him (Revelation 19:5)

Every shower and dew, bless the Lord.
All you winds, bless the Lord.
Fire and heat, bless the Lord.
Cold and chill, bless the Lord.
Dew and rain, bless the Lord.
Frost and chill, bless the Lord.
Ice and snow, bless the Lord.
Nights and days, bless the Lord.
Light and darkness, bless the Lord.
Lightnings and clouds, bless the Lord.

Let the earth bless the Lord.
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Mountains and hills, bless the Lord.
Everything growing from the earth, bless the Lord.
You springs, bless the Lord.

Seas and rivers, bless the Lord.
You dolphins and all water creatures, bless the Lord.
All you birds of the air, bless the Lord.
All you beasts, wild and tame, bless the Lord.
You sons of men, bless the Lord.

O Israel, bless the Lord.
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Priests of the Lord, bless the Lord.
Servants of the Lord, bless the Lord.
Spirits and souls of the just, bless the Lord.
Holy men of humble heart, bless the Lord.
Hananiah, Azariah, Mishael, bless the Lord.
Praise and exalt him above all forever.

Let us bless the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Let us praise and exalt him above all forever.
Blessed are you, Lord, in the firmament of heaven.
Praiseworthy and glorious and exalted above all forever.

Antiphon 2 Servants of the Lord, bless the Lord for ever.


Antiphon 3 The saints will exult in glory; they will sing for joy as they bow down before the Lord.

Sing a new song to the Lord,
his praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel rejoice in its maker,
let Zion’s sons exult in their king.
Let them praise his name with dancing
and make music with timbrel and harp.

For the Lord takes delight in his people.
He crowns the poor with salvation.
Let the faithful rejoice in their glory,
shout for joy and take their rest.
Let the praise of God be on their lips
and a two-edged sword in their hand,

to deal out vengeance to the nations
and punishment on all the peoples;
to bind their kings in chains
and their nobles in fetters of iron;
to carry out the sentence pre-ordained;
this honor is for all his faithful. Glory...

Antiphon 3 The saints will exult in glory; they will sing for joy as they bow down before the Lord.


READING          Romans 12:1-2
Brothers, I beg you through the mercy of God to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to God, your spiritual worship. Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, so that you may judge what is God’s will, what is good, pleasing and perfect.


RESPONSORY
In the depths of his heart, the law of God is his guide.
 - In the depths of his heart, the law of God is his guide.
He will never lose his way;
 - the law of God is his guide.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
 - In the depths of his heart, the law of God is his guide.


BENEDICTUS (Canticle of Zechariah)
Antiphon: The man of God welcomes the light that searches his deeds and finds them true.

For several holy men:

Antiphon: Blessed are the peace makers, and blessed are the pure of heart; they shall see God.


INTERCESSIONS
My brothers, let us praise Christ, asking to serve him and to be holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life. * Let us acclaim him:

                  Lord, you alone are the holy one.

You desired to experience everything we experience but sin,
 - have mercy on us, Lord Jesus.

You called us to love perfectly,
 - make us holy, Lord Jesus.

You commissioned us to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world,
 - let your light shine on us, Lord Jesus.

You desired to serve, not to be served,
 - help us, Lord Jesus, to give humble service to you and to our neighbors.

You are in the form of God sharing in the splendor of the Father,
 - Lord Jesus, let us see the glory of your face.


Our Father...


PRAYER

If there is no proper prayer, one of the following is said:

God our Father,
you alone are holy;
without you, nothing is good.
Trusting in the prayers of Saint N.,
we ask you to help us
to become the holy people you call us to be.
Never let us be found undeserving
of the glory you have prepared for us.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Or:

All powerful God,
Help us who celebrate the memory of Saint N.
to imitate his way of life.
May the example of your saints
be our challenge to live holier lives.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.

For several holy men:
Ever-living God,
the signs of your love are manifest
in the honour you give your saints.
May their prayers and their example encourage us
to follow your Son more faithfully.
We ask this through Jesus Christ your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. Amen.

For a religious:
Lord God,
you kept Saint N. faithful to Christ's pattern of poverty and humility.
May his prayers help us to live in fidelity to our calling
and bring us to the perfection you have shown us in your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. Amen.

For one who worked for the underprivileged:
Lord God,
you teach us that the commandments of heaven
are summarized in love of you and of our neighbor.
By following the example of Saint N.
in practicing the works of charity
may we be counted among the blessed in your kingdom.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.

For a teacher:
Lord God,
you called Saint N. to serve you in the Church
by teaching his fellow man the way of salvation.
Inspire us by his example:
help us to follow Christ our teacher,
and lead us to our brothers and sisters in heaven.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. Amen.


May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.