ST. PAUL S WITHIN THE WALLS EPISCOPAL CHURCH, ROME

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1 ST. PAUL S WITHIN THE WALLS EPISCOPAL CHURCH, ROME Sunday, June 21 Resources to Celebrate World Refugee Day (June 20 th ) Produced by The Rev. Austin K. Rios Young Adult Service Corps Missionaries Will Bryant & Jared Grant The Joel Nafuma Refugee Center On June 21, 2015, The Anglican Communion will unite to celebrate World Refugee Day around the globe. The following Eucharistic prayers, written by volunteers of the Joel Nafuma Refugee Center in Rome, Italy, will echo throughout churches in Asia, Europe, Australia and North America on World Refugee Day. We hope that the resources provided in the documents below will inspire you to celebrate World Refugee in your church community on that day, and that you will stand with us in welcoming refugees and migrants everywhere.

2 Recommended Hymns for World Refugee Day (Page numbers correspond with The Hymnal 1982 of The Episcopal Church) NOT HERE FOR HIGH AND HOLY THINGS Dare 9 BLESSED BE THE GOD OF ISRAEL, WHO COMES TO SET US FREE Thornbury 444 IN CHRIST THERE IS NO EAST OR WEST McKee 529 I KNOW NOT WHERE THE ROAD WILL LEAD Laramie 647 TAKE UP YOUR CROSS, THE SAVIOR SAID Bourbon 675 ABIDE WITH ME Monk 662 A Collect for Migrants and Refugees Almighty God, you have set before us numerous stories of prophets and sages that at one time were forced to flee from their homes in order to build your kingdom in this world. Abraham, Sarah, Ruth and Moses were all refugees for your name s sake. Help us to realize that when we speak of immigrants and refugees, we are really speaking of your son, Jesus Christ. The One, who like millions today, had no place to lay his head, and who felt unwelcome in his homeland. Knowing that we often turn away from the Christ present in one another. We ask you, O God, to open our minds and hearts to the challenge brought by the current refugee crisis, and to help us welcome the stranger in our midst with radical love and hospitality. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. The Prayers of the People Grant, Almighty God, that as we join together in prayer, we remember your word, which bids us to love the stranger who dwells among you for you were strangers in the Land of Egypt.

3 We pray for all those who flee oppression and persecution in their homeland only to find desperation and loneliness in a foreign land. We pray for all refugees who have made it to the shores of Europe, especially for those in the crowded nation of Italy. We pray for churches, as well as other faith-based and secular organizations who work tirelessly to support the strangers in our midst. We pray especially for [insert name of specific organization in your community]. We pray for Italy, a country at the heart of the global refugee crisis, and for all European states struggling to accommodate refugees. We pray for strong leadership in guiding these nations to welcome and integrate our brothers and sisters from across the globe. We pray that our community of [insert your church s name here] will continue to embrace and support disenfranchised persons, and that our ministry my serve as an inspiration for other parishes looking to serve the helpless and the needy. Help us to remember the words of Christ, who said I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me. Comfort and heal all those who suffer in body, mind, or spirit; give them courage and hope in their troubles, and bring them the joy of your salvation. We remember especially [insert names of people in your parish that are in need of prayers and support at this time.] [please add your own petitions, aloud or in silence] We pray for all those whom it would be easy for us to neglect. We pray for the homeless and the poor, the old and the sick. We pray for those who have no home, and those who find themselves strangers in a foreign land.

4 We pray for those who have been victims of any kind of human trafficking, and for human traffickers themselves, asking that you create within them new hearts and spirits, and remove their hearts of stone. We remember the 900 victims of the April 2015 capsizing tragedy in the Mediterranean Sea, and we pray for all those who have died this year crossing seas and borders in search of refuge and peace. [please add your own petitions, aloud or in silence] Almighty God, make us instruments of your peace. Help us to create welcoming and hospitable communities in your kingdom. Help us to overcome the fear and anxiety we feel towards those who we perceive to be different from us. Give us the courage and wisdom to create compassionate and just immigration policies, and grant that we may all live together in peace and love. We ask all this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, in whome we live and move and have our being. Amen. The Confession of Sin Presider: During his ministry, Jesus walked from village to village preaching the forgiveness of sins, and healing broken lives and broken communities. Let us confess our sins knowing that Christ continues to move amongst us and is ever ready to forgive our sins and call us into new life. Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed

5 The Holy Communion Preface for Refugees Presider: It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere to give thanks to you, Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, through your dearly beloved Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Like millions of people today, your son was a refugee, a migrant travelling on foot and by boat to foreign lands. He relied on the hospitality of strangers, and was met with skepticism, doubt and eventually, death. But he did not die in vain, but instead died for us that we may live anew. Through his life and sacrifice, we now understand that it is through loving that we are loved, and it is through welcoming the stranger in our midst that we begin to fully welcome the stranger that is our true self. The Holy Communion (Continued) stand or kneel as you are able Holy and gracious Father: In your infinite love you made us all of us for yourself. You sent us your son Jesus Christ, a model migrant, who offered us everything and asked for nothing. He walked dusty paths to make known your Word, to proclaim pardon and forgiveness, and to announce the good news of liberation to the poor. On the night he was handed over to suffering and death, our Lord Jesus Christ took bread; and when he had given thanks to you, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, and said, Take, eat: This is my Body, which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me. After supper he took the cup of wine; and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and said, Drink this, all of you: This is my Blood of the new Covenant, Which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me.

6 Therefore we proclaim the mystery of faith: Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again. Father, in this memorial of pardon and forgiveness we celebrate the wonder of your love, and we offer you this bread and this wine. Send upon them the presence of your Holy Spirit, that they may be for us the body and blood of your Son, the food and refreshment of your people. Fill us with your blessing that we may be artisans of your justice and instruments of your peace in this broken world. Bind us in the unity of faith, hope, and love with your church around the world. We pray for Justin, Archbishop of Canterbury, and Katharine, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, and all ministers, that they may be faithful heralds of your Word, agents and ambassadors of the Gospel. Have compassion on those that suffer in solitude and abandonment. Save the victims of hunger, oppression, and persecution from the terrors and torture of war and violence. Make us all participants in your hope of glory. Bring us one day to the joy of your eternal kingdom that we may sing your praises forever. Through Christ, with Christ, and in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all honor and glory are yours, Almighty Father, now and forever. AMEN. Presider: And now, as our Savior Christ has taught us, we are bold to say, Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name Concluding Blessing Christ, send us out into the world to love one another as you love us. And to welcome the strangers in our midst as you have so boldly welcomed us. Amen.

7 Please send any questions or comments to: St Paul s Within the Walls Via Napoli 58, Rome, Italy Tel: office@stpaulsrome.it Rector : The Rev. Austin K. Rios