Opening Prayer
Sign of the Cross
Heavenly Father, we come before You with humble hearts as we prepare for our TEC weekend. We thank You for the gift of this time to seek Your presence and to deepen our relationship with You and bring others closer to you.
Pour forth Your Holy Spirit upon us, O Lord, that we may open our minds and hearts to Your divine will. Grant us the grace to listen attentively to Your word, to reflect deeply on Your love, and to respond with faithful hearts to Your call.Bless our retreat with the light of Your guidance and the warmth of Your love. May it be a time of spiritual renewal, healing, and transformation. As we journey together, may we grow in unity and love, supporting one another in faith and in truth.
We entrust this Novena and our retreat into the hands of our Blessed Mother, Mary. Through her intercession, may we be drawn closer to Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.
Saint of the Day: St. Therese of Lisieux (patron Saint of Anchor of Hope TEC)
St. Terese was born in France as the youngest of 9 children. Her mother died when she was just 4 years old. On Christmas Eve at the age of 14, she had a conversion of heart which eventually confirmed her calling to religious life. She became a Carmelite nun at age 15, yet even in the religious life, she doubted the existence of God. She chose to focus her ministry on love, and she was very aware of her littleness. She shared “…I want to seek out a means of going to heaven by a little way, a way that is very straight, very short and totally new.” She thus developed her “Little Way” as a path to holiness. This path emphasizes trust in God and His mercy, a childlike love and doing all things with great love. She believed that her short life of 24 years was just beginning for God, and she promised to spend her heaven doing good on earth. Her final words were ones to live by: “Oh, my God, I love you!”
St. Terese lived her life according to the “Little Way.” Just as she did, we must acknowledge our littleness compared to God’s greatness. It is only through God that we can accomplish great things, yet those great things can also be simple and small. To follow St. Terese’s example, we must filter all that we do through the lens of love. We can each change the world if we treat others with love and kindness and bring a positive attitude to all that we do. This will bring a deep joy to our world that God wants for all of us. May we all be open to living the “Little Way” in our own lives and following the beautiful servant example of St. Terese.
~Amanda Gerrits
Prayer
O Little Therese of the Child Jesus, please pick for me a rose
from the heavenly gardens and send it to me as a message of love.
O Little Flower of Jesus, ask God to grant the favors
I now place with confidence in your hands . .
(mention in silence here)
St. Therese, help me to always believe as you did in
God’s great love for me, so that I might imitate your “Little Way” each day.
Amen
Intentions
Through the intercessions of the Saints we pray for TEC 284
- The team, that they stay open to the Holy Spirit in their lives before and during the weekend- we pray
- The Tecites- That those attending or thinking about attending. That the spirit moves their hearts to be open to the TEC weekend. – We Pray
- (Feel free to add any special intentions you would like prayed for) – We Pray
Closing Prayer
Heavenly Father, in Preparation for this retreat we lift our hearts in gratitude for Your boundless love and mercy. We thank You for the graces and blessings bestowed upon us during these days of prayer and reflection. With humble hearts, we invoke the intercession of the saints who have accompanied us on this journey. Saints who have gone before us, lighting the path with their faith and devotion:
- Mary, Mother of God- Pray for us
- St. Joseph – Pray for us
- St. Michael the Archangel – Pray for us
- St. Francis Xavier- Pray for us
- Our Lady of Champion- Pray for us
- St. Therese of Lisieux- Pray for us
Through their intercession, may we be strengthened in our faith and inspired to live lives of holiness and service.
Lord, bless our TEC retreat with Your divine presence. May it be a time of profound encounter with You, of healing, renewal, and transformation. Fill our hearts with Your love, that we may return to our daily lives as witnesses of Your grace, carrying the light of Christ to all we meet.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.
Amen
