EVENING PRAYER

The Evening Prayer is taken from the Evening Prayer II on the Feast of St. Rita with its proper commons and prayers.

All Stand.
Presider: God, + come to my assistance.
All: Lord, make haste to help me.

All bow from the word glory to Spirit

Presider: Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
All: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia.

Hymn
One in God’s Mercy
PSALMODY
Antiphon 1: Now your servant rejoices, Lord, for you have saved her.

Psalm 122
Left Side: I rejoiced when I heard them say:
Let us go to God's house.
And now our feet are standing
within your gates, O Jerusalem.

Right Side: Jerusalem is built as a city

strongly compact.
It is there that the tribes go up,
the tribes of the Lord.

Left Side: For Israel's law it is,

there to praise the Lord's name.
There were set the thrones of judgment
of the house of David.

Right Side: For the peace of Jerusalem pray:

"Peace be to your homes!
May peace reign in your walls!
In your palaces, peace!"

Left Side: For love of my brethren and friends

I say: Peace upon you.
For love of the house of the Lord
I will ask for your good.

All stand and bow from the word glory to Spirit

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia.

Antiphon 1 Now your servant rejoices, Lord, for you have saved her.

Antiphon 2 Like a house built on enduring rock, so the commandments of God will remain firm in the heart of a
holy woman.
Psalm 127

Right Side: If the Lord does not build the house,

in vain do its builders labor;
if the Lord does not watch over the city,
in vain does the watchman keep vigil.

Left Side: In vain is your earlier rising,

your going later to rest,
you who toil for the bread you eat,
when he pours gifts on his beloved while they slumber.

Right Side: Truly sons are a gift from the Lord,

a blessing, the fruit of the womb.
Indeed the sons of youth
are like arrows in the hand of a warrior.

Left Side:
O the happiness of the man
who has filled his quiver with these arrows!
He will have no cause for shame
when he disputes with his foes in the gateways.

All stand and bow from the word glory to Spirit

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia

Antiphon 2 Like a house built on enduring rock, so the commandments of God will remain firm in the heart of a
holy woman.

Antiphon 3 The hand of the Lord has given her strength; she will be praised forever.

Canticle - Ephesians 1:3-10

Right Side: Praised be the God and Father

of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has bestowed on us in Christ
every spiritual blessing in the heavens.

Left Side: God chose us in him

before the world began
to be holy
and blameless in his sight.

Right Side: He predestined us

to be his adopted sons through Jesus Christ,
such was his will and pleasure,
that all might praise the glorious favor
he has bestowed on us in his beloved.

Left Side: In him and through his blood, we have been redeemed,
and our sins forgiven,
so immeasurably generous
is God’s favor to us.
Right Side: God has given us the wisdom
to understand fully the mystery,
the plan he was pleased
to decree in Christ.

Left Side: A plan to be carried out

in Christ, in the fullness of time,
to bring all things into one in him,
in the heavens and on earth.

All stand and bow from the word glory to Spirit

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia

Antiphon 3 The hand of the Lord has given her strength; she will be praised
for ever.
All sit

READING
Lector: A reading from the letter of Paul to the Romans (8:28-30)
We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. For those
he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he might be the firstborn among
many brothers. And those he predestined he also called; and those he called he also justified; and those he justified
he also glorified.

The word of the Lord All Respond: Thanks be to God.

RESPONSORY
Cantor: The Lord has chosen her, his loved one from the beginning.
All: -The Lord has chosen her, his loved one from the beginning.
Cantor: He has taken her to live with him,
Cantor: -his loved one from the beginning.

All stand and bow from the word glory to Spirit

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
-as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia.

MAGNIFICAT (Canticle of Mary)

Antiphon: My heart sings for joy and overflows with gladness, for the Lord is my savior.
The presider may put incense in to the cencer and incenses the altar, then the precider is incensed and all those in attendance.
+ My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me/ and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
and has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children forever.”
All bow from the word glory to Spirit.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia.

INTERCESSIONS

Presider: Through the intercession of holy women let us pray for the Church in these words:
Be mindful of your Church, Lord

Lector: Through all the women martyrs who conquered bodily death by their courage,
- strengthen your Church in the hour of trial.

Lector: Through married women who have advanced in grace by holy matrimony,
- make the apostolic mission of your Church fruitful.

Lector: Through widows who eased their loneliness and sanctified it by prayer and hospitality,
- help your Church reveal the mystery of your love in the world.

Lector: Through mothers who have borne children for the kingdom of God and the human community,
- help your Church bring all men and women to a rebirth in life and salvation.

Presider: Through all your holy women who have been worthy to contemplate the light of your countenance,
- let the deceased members of your Church exult in that same vision forever.

Presider: Let us pray the prayer the Lord has taught us.

All: Our Father...

Presider: Let us pray,

Bestow on us, we pray, O Lord,

the wisdom and strength of the Cross,
with which you were pleased to endow Saint Rita,
so that, suffering in every tribulation with Christ,
we may participate ever more deeply in his Paschal Mystery.
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.

Presider: The Lord be with you.

All: And with your Spirit.
Presider: May the Lord bless you, The Father, the Son + and the Holy Spirit.
All: Amen.
Presider: Go in peace!
All: Thanks be to God

Singing of a Hymn to the Blessed Virgin Mary

Recessional

CONCLUDING RITE OF THE VISITATION

Visitator: In the name of the Father…

All: Amen.

Visitator: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,

the love of God the Father
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit
be with you all.

All: And with your spirit.

Visitator: Brothers and sisters, at the end of the Visitation we thank God for the gifts we have received, and
we humbly acknowledge our sins in order to rise again to new life.

A brief pause of meditative silence. The Penitential Act follows.

Visitator: Lord, you are the way that leads us back to the Father, Kyrie eleison.
All: Kyrie eleison.

Visitator: Christ, you are the truth to enlighten the peoples, Christi eleison.
All: Christi eleison.

Visitator: Lord, you are the life to renew the world, Kyrie eleison.
All: Kyrie eleison.

Visitator: May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive our sins and lead us to eternal life.
All: Amen

Reading
Lector: A reading from the letter of Paul to the Ephesians.( 2:13-18)

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have become near by the blood of Christ.

For he is our peace, he who made both one and broke down the dividing wall of enmity, through his flesh,
abolishing the law with its commandments and legal claims, that he might create in himself one new person* in
place of the two, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile both with God, in one body, through the cross,
putting that enmity to death by it.

He came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near, for through him we both
have access in one Spirit to the Father.

The word of the Lord.

All: Thanks be to God.

Then the Psalm 133 is intoned.

How good and pleasant it is
when God’s people live together in unity!

It is like precious oil poured on the head,

running down on the beard,
running down on Aaron’s beard,
down on the collar of his robe.

It is as if the dew of Hermon

were falling on Mount Zion.
For there the Lord bestows his blessing,
even life forevermore.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning,
is now and will be forever. Amen.

The Visitor then reads the issued DISPOSITIONS.

The Universal Prayer follows.

Visitator: Brothers, let us turn to Christ, the Way, the Truth and the Life so that He may intercede
for us with the Father

Give us your Spirit, Lord.

Lector: That He may help us to achieve sincere conversion through prayer, example and brotherly love, let us pray.
Lector: That we may become builders of communion through dialogue, sharing and emulation, let us pray.
Lector: That we may rediscover all the richness of our charism through the teachings of the Holy Father
Augustine, the Rule and the Statutes, let us pray.

Lector: That we may sincerely and generously commit ourselves to the implementation the program of the Order,
and to participate in the program of our community, we pray.

Visitator: Grant to our family, merciful Lord, the conversion in order to obtain from your goodness what it
being asked for with trusting prayer.

The Visitator intones the Our Father;

then says: O God, who called us to follow your Son in common life, arrange for us to persevere in the holy
purpose, which you yourself inspired in us, by imitating Him in our life. Through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen

He then invites all present to exchange of the Embrace of Peace saying:

As children of the God of peace, let us offer each other the sign of fraternal communion.

The Visitor then imparts the final blessing.

Visitator: Blessed be the name of the Lord.

All: Now and forever.
Visitator: May Almighty God remove all evil from you and grant you the gifts of His blessing.
All: Amen
Visitator: May He make your hearts attentive to His Word, so that you may walk in the way of his precepts.
All: Amen
Visitator: May He help you understand what is good and right, so that you become coheirs of the eternal city.
All:. Amen
Visitator: And the blessing of the almighty God, Father and Son and Holy Spirit
Descend upon you and remain with you forever.
All: Amen
Visitator: In the name of the Lord, go in peace.
All: Thanks be to God.

The Rite ends with a hymn.