The Holy Office of the Serotina (for benefactors & friends)

The “Serotina Prayers”

for our Community and Benefactors 

It is the custom of the Servants of God to prayer specifically for living and deceased benefactors.  The prayers which follow, called the “Serotina” (evening time prayers) are prayers traditionally said by Augustinian communities for their living and deceased benefactors.  At some point in the day, the brother/sister takes time to pray for the good of his/her family and for his/her living and deceased benefactors.  This “office” is particularly useful to begin or end common meetings.

Kneeling

In the Name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen  

V.  O Holy Banquet,

R.  in which Christ is received, the memory of his passion is renewed, the soul is filled with grace, and there is given to us a pledge of future glory. (Alleluia)

V.  You have given them bread from heaven (Alleluia)

R.  Having all sweetness within it (Alleluia)

 Let us pray:  

V.  You have given them bread from heaven (Alleluia)
R.  Having all sweetness within it (Alleluia)

Let us pray:

O God, who in this wonderful sacrament left us a memorial of your passion, grant, we implore you, that we may so venerate the sacred mystery of your body and blood as always to experience the fruits of your redemption.  You who live and reign forever and ever.

Then follows:

Our Father....

Hail Mary...

I confess to Almighty God, to Blessed Mary ever Virgin, to Blessed Michael the Archangel, to Blessed John the Baptist, to the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul (to our Holy Father Saint Augustine) and to all the saints, that I have sinned exceedingly in thought, word and deed.  Through my fault, through my fault, through my most grevious fault.  Therefore I beseech Blessed Mary ever Virgin, Blessed Michael the Archangel, Blessed John the Baptist, the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul ( our Holy Father Saint Augustine) and all the saints, to pray to the Lord our God for me.

 May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins and bring us to life ever lasting.  Amen.
May the almighty and merciful Lord grant us pardon, absolution and the remission of our sins.  Amen

Prayer for the Good of our Community

Father in heaven, in your all embracing love / you have brought us together in as the Servants of God / that we might serve the Church of your Son / in the spirit of our vows / and the true love our founder.

Strengthen our commitment to the demands of our vocation. / Send our community many young men and women / who with whole heart and in true harmony / will serve your kingdom.  

Grant our sick patience and hope / and make their sacrifices fruitful for the Church and the entire Augustinian family.  / Increase our devotion to those for whose beatification we confidently pray. / Strengthen our brothers and sisters in the missions, / bless their efforts, / and may your good news find a hearing by all nations.  

Heal the wounds of disunity among those / upon whom your name has been called. / In your loving care receive the petitions of the faithful / and our friends who ask for our prayers.  / Graciously grant the requests of our house, / (this chapter and the entire Augustinian family.  

All-good and merciful God, / we place all out trust in you.  / In the love of the Holy Spirit, / we pray the prayer that your Son himself taught us…

 Our Father…

 For the Living Benefactors

Standing erect, say:

V. Let us pray for all the brothers, sisters, parents, relatives and benefactors of our community, living and deceased.
R.  Grant, Lord God, the reward of eternal life, to all who have been good to us in your name.

Psalm 123
Our Trust is in the Lord

To you I have lifted up my eyes: / You who dwell in the heavens. / My eyes like the eyes of slaves, / On the hands of their Lords.

Like the eyes of a servant, / On the hand of her mistress, / So our eyes are on the Lord our God,/ Till he shows us his mercy.  

Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy, / We are filled with contempt. / Indeed all too full is our soul / with the scorn of the rich, / with the proud man's disdain.  

Glory to the Father...

 V.      Lord, have mercy
R.      Christ, have mercy
V.      Lord, have mercy

Our Father...

 V.  O Lord, save Your servants,
R.  O Lord, we trust in You.
V.  O Lord, send us help from Your holy sanctuary,
R.   And strengthen us out of Zion .
V.  Be for us, O Lord, a tower of strength,
R.   Protect us from all harm.
V. Do not let our enemies overcome us,
R.  Nor the son of iniquity have power to harm us.
V.  May the name of the Lord be praised
R.  And may He guide us on the way of salvation.
V.  Show us, O Lord Your paths,
R.  And direct our hearts to keep Your precepts.
V.  O Lord hear my prayer
R.  And let my cry come unto You.

Let us pray  

for the pope

Heavenly Father, / through the intercession of Blessed Mary ever Virgin, / St. Joseph , Our Holy Father Saint Augustine / and all Your saints in heaven, / grant the help of your heavenly grace to your son: Pope   N.  ,  the pastor of your Church. / May his word and example inspire and guide the Church. / Protect him from all harm, / do not allow his enemies to triumph / and may he, and all those entrusted to his care, / come to the joy of everlasting life.

 for the Bishop

Almighty God, our Father, / eternal Shepherd and guide, / look with love on  N   /, our bishop, chief shepherd of your church in the diocese of   N  . /. Give him the grace and power of your Holy Spirit / that he may guide and govern his people with love.  Protect him from all harm / and help him to be a faithful teacher, / wise administrator / and a holy priest.

 for Members Benefactors & Friends

Father, you have renewed all creation / in your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, / the King of the whole universe. / May all the members, friends and benefactors of our community / seek you with their whole heart / and become subject to the gentle rule of your only begotten Son / so that they may merit to obtain what they rightly ask. /  Grant this through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

 for the deceased Benefactors

 Psalm 130
A cry from the depths

Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord, / Lord, hear my voice! / Let your ears be attentive / to the voice of my pleading.

If you, O Lord, should mark our guilt, / Lord, who would survive? -- / But with you is found forgiveness; / for this we revere you.  

My soul is waiting for the Lord, / I count on his word. / My soul is longing for the Lord / more than watchmen for daybreak / let the watchman count on daybreak / and Israel on the Lord.  

Because with the Lord there is mercy / and fullness of redemption, / Israel indeed he will redeem / from all its iniquity  

Glory to the Father...
As it was in the beginning...

 V.   Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.
R.  And let perpetual light shine upon them.

V.   Lord have mercy
R.   Christ have mercy
V.   Lord have mercy

Our Father...        Until...

V.  And lead us not into temptation
R.   But deliver us from evil.
V.   From the gates of hell
R.   deliver their souls, O Lord.
V.   May they rest in peace.
R.   Amen.
V.   O Lord hear my prayer
R.   and let my cry come unto you.

Let us pray

God, our Father, / you grant pardon from sin / and will the salvation of everyone. / We beg you to be merciful / and grant that all the deceased priests, brothers, sisters, relatives and benefactors of our community / may come to eternal happiness / through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and all your saints.

 O God, the creator and redeemer of all the faithful / grant to all your deceased servants / the remission of all their sins,/ that they may obtain the pardon which they have ever wished for  / We ask this through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

 ****Additional Collects for particular needs may be added here. After which continue here with the following:

 V.  We praise the Lord our God who has brought us together to rejoice in the Spirit.

 R.   May we always be humble of heart / and place our joy in the Lord. / Let us not be carried away by any material success, / but rather acknowledge that true happiness will be ours / only when the things of this life have passed away.

 Hail Queen of Heaven
A prayer for protection of the Parish, Community, family (said kneeling)

V.  Hail, Queen of Heaven
R.  Mother of the King of Angels,/ O Mary, flower of virgins,/ Like a Rose or Lily, / Pour out prayers to your  Son, /For the salvation of the faithful.

V.  Pray for us O holy Virgin of virgins,
R.  That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray: 
Protect, O Lord, we pray, upon the intercession of Blessed Mary ever Virgin, this community of the servants of God from all misfortune: and graciously shield from the enemy all those who implore you from their heart.  Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayer in Honor of St. Joseph

O God, who in your ineffable providence have chosen St. Joseph as the spouse of your most holy mother, grant, we pray, that we may have him in heaven interceding for us whom we venerate as our Protector on earth.  Through Christ our Lord.

Prayer in Honor of St. Augustine

O God, by revealing to our Holy Father, St. Augustine the secrets of your eternal wisdom, and by kindling in his heart the flames of divine love, you renewed in your Church the miracle of the cloud and fire; grant that under his guidance we may safely pass through the dangers of this world and be worthy to reach the eternal land of promise.  Through Christ our Lord.

 Here follows the closing prayer

V.  We adore you O Christ and we praise you
R.    Because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

And here ends the “Office” of the Serotina.