September 11 Proper

July/August 2005

Special Proper, prayers, music
prepared to mark 9/11 anniversary

BY NEVA RAE FOX

This year, September 11 falls on a Sunday and, because of the impact of that date, Bishop Mark Sisk has authorized the diocesan Liturgical Commission to prepare a special Proper for the day.

“This Proper presents an opportunity as a remembrance and a memorial,” commented the Rev. Tobias Haller, chair of the Liturgical Commission. “The Commission specifically chose prayers that are appropriate and also that we are familiar with, readings that we know, to elicit the feelings that many of us have about that tragedy four years ago.”

The theme of the Proper, Haller said, is “respect, remembrance, and moving on.” The Proper may have been written for the Episcopal Diocese of New York, but the work will be shared with the entire Episcopal Church, USA.

Written for Rite II, the 9/11 Proper will be available for Rite I and will be translated into Spanish and French.
The Commission has focused its work on the 9/11 Proper since early this year. The July 7 bombings in London, Haller admitted, has stirred memories in many people. “The Prayers of the People that we prepared can be modified to include personal items, including the honoring of the 55 who died in London.”

The prayers, as well as a format for a bulletin insert are available on line at www.dioceseny.org and on the liturgical Commission’s page at http://liturgy.dioceseny.org/

The Prayers and Readings
Among the suggested readings are:
•Isaiah 61:1-4, which concludes, They shall build up the ancient ruins, they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastation of many generations.

•Psalm 31: In hour, O Lord, have I taken refuge.

•St. Paul’s letter to the Romans 8:31-39, which includes: For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

•The Gospel of Matthew 5:1-10: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. ‘Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. ‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. ‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. ‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. ‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

•The Prayers of the People are woven around the familiar and much-loved Prayer of St. Francis (see sidebar).

Music Suggestions
The Commission also prepared a list of possible musical pieces, running the gamut of musical styles in our Episcopal churches. The selections hail from our familiar song books: The Hymnal 1982; Wonder, Love and Praise; Lift Every Voice and Sing II; El Himnario. There are also suggestions for anthems and vocal solos.

Liturgical Commission
The Diocesan Liturgical Commission members are:The Rev. J. Barrington Bates, Ascension, Manhattan; the Rev. Deacon Ian Betts, Cathedral Church of St. John The Divine; the Rev. Michael A. Bird, Christ Church, Bronxville; the Rev. Sr. Jean Campbell OSH, Trinity, Fishkill; Joseph Costa, Christ Church, Sparkill;  the Rev. Deborah M. Dresser, St. George’s, Newburgh; the Rev. Br. Tobias S. Haller BSG , St James Fordham, the Bronx; the Rev. Lyndon F. Harris; the Rev. Deacon Robert A. Jacobs, Cathedral; Margaret B. Lehrecke, St. Paul’s, Spring Valley; Tim Lewis, Grace, White Plains; the Rev. Canon Thomas P. Miller, Cathedral; Laura Moore, Holy Trinity (Inwood), Manhattan; the Rev. Shane Scott-Hamblen, St. Mary’s in the Highlands, Cold Spring.

Prayers of the People
Written for September 11, 2005

With all our heart and all our mind, we pray to you, O Lord.
Make us instruments of your peace.

For the peace of the world, that a spirit of respect and forbearance may grow among nations and peoples, we pray to you, O Lord:
Where there is hatred, let us sow love.

For our enemies and those who wish us harm, especially those who are led to acts of terror; that in the aftermath of the destruction in New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington on September 11th, 2001 we may grow ever more deeply in your spirit of justice and peace, we pray to you, O Lord:
Where there is injury, let us sow pardon.

For all who believe in you, Lord Christ, and all whose faith is known to you alone, that they may be delivered from the darkness of fanaticism that arises from poverty and oppression, and from the pride that arises from wealth and comfort, and brought into your light, so that divisions that foster violence may cease, we pray to you, O Lord:
Where there is discord, let us sow union.

For those who have lost their faith in you Lord God, for those who continue to mourn those who died in the World Trade Center, the airplanes and the Pentagon, may your Church give comfort and hope in this time of remembrance, we pray to you, O Lord:
Where there is doubt, let us sow faith.

For all those whose spirit has been broken and whose lives have been irrevocably disrupted by the violence of that day and its aftermath, we offer our prayers along with the persecuted, the lonely, and the sick who have bid our prayers today, that they may be relieved and protected. Especially we pray for_______. We pray to you, O Lord:
Where there is despair, let us sow hope.

For the mission and ministry of the Episcopal Church, especially in the Diocese of New York; that we may listen to the Gospel of reconciliation and proclaim it in word and action for the building of your reign here on earth, we pray to you, O Lord:
Where there is darkness, let us sow light.

For all who died in the terror of September 2001 and for those others whom we remember today, for those who believed in your resurrection and those who knew not your promise of eternal life, in trust that they have been found by you and are at rest in your holy habitation, we pray to you, O Lord:
Where there is sadness, let us sow joy.

We pray for the concerns of our parish.
Silence

And we pray for the forgiveness of our sins.
Silence
Grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood, as to understand; to be loved as to love.

Take heart, in Christ we have been reconciled to God.
For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we reborn to eternal life.

Amen.

O Almighty God, who brings good out of evil and turns even the wrath of your children towards your promised peace: Hear our prayers this day as we remember those of many nations and differing faiths whose lives were cut short by the fierce flames of anger and hatred. Hasten the time when the menace of war shall be removed. Cleanse both us and those perceived to be our enemies of all hatred and distrust. Pour out the spirit of peace on all the rulers of our world that we may be brought through strife to the lasting peace of the kingdom of your Son; Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.