A BLESSING FOR THE JOURNEY HOME

By Sean O' Leary

A Blessing for the Journey Home – Inspired by our Synodal Journey

In the landscape of Ferns, where manifold steeples pierce the sky,we have gathered, voices rising like tide on Rosslare’s shore, young and old,singing a tale of faith not yet done, note by note, heart by loving heart.

For belonging, we pray:

May you find a hearth in this church, a door swung wide, where no one is a stranger.Let the warmth of welcome draw you in, like sunlight spilling through stained glass.May you be seen, your story held as holy, your presence a spark in the fire of God’s love.

For the youth, we hope:

Bless the young ones who dance with questions, their feet tapping with curiosity.May you carve spaces for their tears and laughter, where faith speaks their tongue.May their roots deepen and their branches boldly grow, nourishing their souls.

For co-responsibility, we call:

May you walk as kin, women and men, elbow to elbow, your talents shining outwards.Bless the hands that share in the Spirit, the mission that dreams as one.A community of faith, where all belong in the kingdom, a witness for eternity.

For lay ministry, we dream:

Bless the ones who serve, their work a sign of faith and their gifts a chorus of grace.Let their service ripple outward, a stream that carves new paths in the wilderness.With clergy who work with them in Christ, to cherish our Father’s people everywhere.

And where shadows linger:

In wounds of abuse, in discord that fractures, in the ache of people adrift,May belonging be the bridge that spans the chasms of our own making,Bless the listening that heals and the deep silence that cherishes the truth.

For the journey, we sing:

Go out together, with hope as your guide and love as your terrain.Our pathway is sacred and our work begins again, here and now.In God’s presence, you are the blessing that speaks of possibility.