Blessing of Convention Participants
February 25, 2018
PRESIDER: The 66thAnnual Diocesan Youth Convention will be held next weekend in
Buffalo. Our parish is sending a group of young people to the event. Their weekend will be spent praying, learning about their faith and exploring their call to discipleship. We are so proud of how these young people witness to their faith, and we hope that this weekend will empower them to be even more effective at sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with others. I would like to invite them to come forward at this time. To show these teens how much we care for them and support them, I would like to send them forth with this blessing.
(Convention participants come forward.)
Optional: The Presider may ask the assembly to extend their hands in a sign of blessing over the
Convention participants.
PRESIDER: Loving God, we thank you for the gift of these young people.
As they prepare for the Convention, we ask that you bless them in a special way.
Bless their brokenness and their questions, that their hearts and minds may be open to the truth of your love for them.
Bless their experiences so that the knowledge they gain may help them to go forward
witha renewed spirit of hope.
Bless them with courage to share their stories, to be open to the stories they will hear, and to live in the grace of this experience, long after they return to our community.
Bless them with trustworthy friends who help them discover the joys of your
Truth.
Bless their enthusiasm for life and strengthen them to remain committed to their love for you.
May their faith and courage be an inspiration to all of us as we work for justice and peace.
Shelter them with your protection by day,
give them the light of your grace by night,
and, as their companion on the journey,
guide their way in all that they do.
May God bless you in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
ALL: Amen.