Reclaiming Our Children: A Blog About Healing After Abortion

Respect Life Sunday, the first Sunday in October, will be upon us soon.  Is your Parish planning prolife events for the first Sunday and/or the rest of October?  An Afternoon of Prayerful Remembrance and Intercession is a Lumina program tailor made for this special time on the calendar.  

An Afternoon of Prayerful Remembrance and Intercession (APRI) is, as its name suggests, a prayer service created in the spirit of the New Evangelization,
for the entire local community. Acknowledging abortion’s universal
impact through reflections and testimonies offered as part of the day,
the prayer service offers the opportunity for all of us to come together
in an extended period of prayer, contemplation, and intercession in the
context of the Church’s Sacraments, seeking forgiveness and healing for
our entire nation. This day of prayer includes an opportunity for the
Sacrament of Reconciliation, a period of silent Eucharistic Adoration,
and concludes with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

What Does the Day of Prayerful Remembrance Entail?

• The prayer service is 3 hours in duration and can be held in the morning or afternoon.
• It begins with an introduction by the organizer providing a brief overview of the service.
• The
  Priest then processes to altar while the congregation sings an
  appropriate entrance chant/song.  He then offers a prayer for the day.
• Next,
  a brief talk (approximately 15 min) is given by a post-abortion speaker
  on “The Far Reaching Impact of Abortion on Family, Friends, and
  Society." The speaker concludes the presentation with an explanation of
  what is to immediately follow.
• Individual Testimonials and Intercessory Prayer
• A Holy Hour with Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament follows consisting of:
  • The
    main priest celebrant for the day offering a short reflection (10min)
    on the notion of Reconciliation as it pertains to the spirit of the day.
    Then recitation of 5 decades of the Rosary and the remainder of the
    time spent in silent adoration.  Confessions are available all
    throughout the Holy Hour. The Hour concludes with Benediction and
    Reposition. The altar is then made ready for the Holy Sacrifice of the
    Mass.
• The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass concludes the
  day. The Mass is taken from the Lectionary: Masses and Prayers for
  Various Needs and Occasions, #IV for Particular Needs, #40 For
  Forgiveness of Sins.

Interested in hosting your own Prayerful Remembrance & Intercession service?  Contact Lumina at (877) 586-4621
to obtain the Resource Manual.  The Resource Manual contains all the
materials necessary for promoting and coordinating the day including
sample bulletin announcements and flyers, sample talks, testimonies,
intercessory prayers as well as a sample program.