Prayer service for Sr.

Edwig
In the name of the Father …. Angelus
Lord there is a spring time of joy in us today. The dove of peace and love sings in our hearts. For you make
us feel the strength of IMD family as we have gathered here with grateful hearts. Fill us with the power of
your spirit that we may remain in your love during this hour of prayer…. My soul give thanks to the living
God, all my being bless His holy name, My soul give thanks to the Lord, And never forget all His blessings.
(Ps.102). Now let us express our gratitude to God in the silence of hearts. (pause)
As we sing Bhajan let us experience his presence in the cave of our hearts. Bhajan
Flowers make people feel better, happier. They are like sunshine, food and medicine for the mind and soul.
IMD family is a bouquet of flowers placed together from varied states, cultures and languages. Under a
single gardener we grow and bloom. Lord at the eve of this day we come before you with these flowers,
symbolizing our presence from the four corners of our country north, east, south and west to adore you.
1. Roses you are the queen of flowers. Your beauty lies even the in the thorns that you hold. The
flowers may fade away yet the stem remains very strong. We come to you Lord from south with
thanks in our hearts for creating us as the crown of creation even though we have gone astray.
2. Gladiola: gladly you exist, vibrantly you bloom, fulfilling you live, harmony is your way, beauty is
your speech and love is what you share. You can be placed anywhere in the vase. You add beauty
to the vase. As each flower fades at the bottom the new one blooms on the top. We come to you
Lord from north to surrender our lives with all its present beauty and future yet to come.
3. Sunflower: The sun kissed and the sunflowers all aglow turning always to the sun, gazing on the
sun it blooms to spread its warmth all around us. We come to you Lord from east, look upon us O
Lord that we may be radiant and be never ashamed.
4. White flowers: Fresh white flowers are most closely associated with purity and innocence. The
delicate white blossoms represent honesty, purity and perfection. We come to you Lord from west,
Purify our heart and lips to worship and sing your praises.

Now let us give all praise and adoration to the Triune God with an arthi
Arthi (hy)
Nothing is more sacred than someone’s life and no words more precious than words that celebrates
someone’s life. It provides us an opportunity for acknowledging and giving thanks to God, the author of life.
So dear Sr. Edwig we thank God, and pray for you with great joy as you enter into a new year of life. May
God who has begun a good work in you may complete that work in the years to come. For God says, You
are my treasured possession out of all the people (Ex. 19:5).
Giving gifts on birthdays are a delightful act. Gifts are given to us wrapped in different shapes and shades to
express how much we are cared and loved by someone. Dear Sr. Edwige on this grace filled occasion we
would like to honor you with gifts, to express our gratitude and love for all that you are to us. Now we invite
Sr. Sayuja to present the first gift to Sr. Edwig. Sr. please open the gift.
A Lump of clay: Dear Sr. you were a lump of clay in the hands of the divine master. He has molded and
fashioned you into his own image and likeness. God says, just like clay in the potter’s hands so you were in
my Hand (Jer 18/6). Sr. Edwig you are my creation . You have been born of my thought, every part of you is
placed together by my hands. You have my thumb prints upon you. I have carved you on the palm of my
hands. Lord we praise and thank you for all the blessings you have showered upon Sr.

Hy (You are the potter Ist stanza) (pause)

1
Now we request Sr. Lilly to honour sr. Edwig with the second gift. Sr. please unwrap the gift.
A Mirror: Sr. look into it. This is what you are today. A person of great potentialities, enveloped with
God’s unconditional love. Endowed with gifts of the Spirit and nature, filled with compassion, joy and
simplicity. God says I have called you by name. You are mine. You are precious in my sight. Lord we praise
and thank you for blessing IMD family by her presence and her gift to each one of us.
Hy (I am only a woman Ist stanza) (pause)
Now we invite Sr. Benita to hand over the third gift to Sr. Edwig. Sr. please have a look at it.
An image of St. Edwig:
St. Hedwig was born as the daughter of Berthold IV, Duke of Merania. In 1186 at age of 12 Hedwig married
Prince Henry I. She became the mother of seven children of out which only Gertrude survived. Later she
adorned the catholic church as Saint Gertrude. St. Hedwig is the aunt of St. Elizabeth of Hungary. The life
of St. Hedwig illustrates that holiness within the family is contagious and an exemplary life can help our
loved ones to walk towards holiness. Upon her husband’s death, she gave away her fortune and entered the
monastery at Trebnitz. She practiced severe mortification, endured all trials with the greatest resignation;
with self-denying charity, cared for the sick and supported the poor; in her interior life of prayer, she gave
herself up to meditation on supernatural things. Her piety and gentleness won for her even during life the
reputation of a saint. She died in the convent on October 15 and she was canonized in 1267. Church
celebrates her feast on October 16.
Yes dear Sr. Edwig God has called you from your mother’s womb to be a treasured possession in his sight.
In Lev20:26 we read “You shall be holy to me; for I the Lord am holy, and I have separated you from the
other peoples to be mine”. Thank you Lord the great plans that you have for her.
Hymn (here I am Lord Ist stanza) (pause)
O God remember Sr. Edwig like Noah. Favor her like Moses. Honor her like Mary. Fight for her like the
Israelites. Use her like Paul. Heal her like Naaman. Answer her like David and keep her safe like Shadrack,
Meshach and Abednego all the years to come.

Now we invite Sr. Edwig to surrender her past, present and future into the loving hands of Jesus through
Mother Mary in a symbolical way offering the three gifts. As Sister offers the gifts at the altar let us pray for
her.

Tamil hymn
Prayer of the faithful

Let us pray for various intentions: After each intention let us pray 3 Hail Mary

1. Lord our living Father we thank you for the blessings that make our life what it is. Today as we pray
specially for Sr. Edwig we pray for her congregation and sisters whose good will and sacrifice have
become a realization of your providence in her daily life. We also pray for her formators who helped
her to become a wonderful sister. Bless them all Lord, be prompt in answering their prayers and their
intentions.

2. "I am the Vine you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit". Lord we
pray for our IMD family and each one of us, guide our lives and keep us ever close to you so that
abiding in your love we may bear much fruit.

2
 3. Gratitude leads to recognize the Lord as the author of all the good, that He has done in the lives of
Sr. Edwige and to her friends, benefactors and all those who involved in her mission. Through the
intercession of St. Edwige let us pray for all of them that the love of God be a pillar of strength in
times of trials and may they enjoy fruits of their hard work.
Dear sister you are God’s gift of love and blessing. No doubt you are the reflection of God’s love to us. We
thank God for the person you are to us and assure our prayers to you. We wish May the blessings of God
always rest upon you thus you become a channel of blessing to everyone.
The word of God is a grace to the soul and strength to the life. Dear sister, here we come to bless you with
the word of grace and strength now. (Sr we invite you to come forward and stand before the altar)
Dear Srs let us stretch our hands to pray and bless our dear sr. Edwige as we read the word of God.
Dear Sister, we thank God for all the blessings he has showered upon you and pray to God to continue to
work in you as we sing- Hymn for Joyful lips C 63
Let us continue to remember an pray for our sister as we say the Lord’s prayer (Our Father)
May the Lord……
Word of God
Under the wings of God you find refuge Ps.91:4
My plan for your future has always been filled with hope. Jer29:11
I love you with an everlasting love Jer31:3
I will never stop doing good to you Jer32:40
You are my treasured possession Ex19:5
Delight in me and I will give you the desires of your heart.Ps37:4
I’m your provider and I meet all your needs.Mt6:33
My thoughts towards you are countless as the sand on the seashore Ps139:17-18
I choose you when I planned creation Eph 1:11-12
He allotted the time of your existence Acts17:26
You are fearfully and wonderfully made Ps139:14
I knit you together in your mother’s womb Ps139:13
As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried close to you Ps34:18
I am your Father who comforts you in all your troubles. 2 Cor1:3-4
You are my child and I Am your Father. 1Jn 3:1
You him you have your moving and being Acts 17:28
I knew you before you were conceived. Jer1:4
I am familiar with all your ways Ps139:3
He will cover you with his pinions Ps 91:4
With long life he satisfy you Ps.91:16