Litany of Sending - Jubilee Mass

At the end of the diocesan Jubilee Mass on March 18, 2006, 10 young people led the following litany just before the final blessing of the Mass. The assembly responded to each call with resounding "Amens!" Several people have asked me for the text, so here it is. It is adapted from the Diocese of San José Pastoral Plan: "Renewing the Church."

The mission of the Diocese of San José,
the Catholic Community of Santa Clara County,
is to be a local Church that will inspire the people of this Valley
to live the values taught by Jesus Christ,
inspiring them to integrity and action.

Vision is first and most important as we fulfill our mission.
Our mission is rooted in faith: Christ and Christ alone is at the center.
That vision must rise out of faith
and be different from any merely worldly vision.
Christ guides all we do. His hope for the kingdom is our vision.

Therefore, let us be a Church unafraid to dream. Amen!
Let us be a Church that is in tune with the world around us,
dealing with the real concerns of real people. Amen!

Let us be a Church that matters,
making a real difference in people’s lives. Amen!
Let us be an inclusive Church in which no one feels unwelcome
or unwanted. Amen!

Let us be an evangelizing Church;
reaching out to the young and to the old. Amen!
Let us be a witnessing Church—witnessing not a cause,
not an ideology or an agenda,
but the person and life of Jesus Christ. Amen!

Let us be a Church that witnesses the poverty of Christ
in a consumer society. Amen!
Let us be a Church that witnesses
the charity and hope of Christ. Amen!

Let us be a Church that shows the face of Christ
by being known for our compassion,
forgiveness, and love. Amen!
Let us be a Church in which all are servants. Amen!

Let us be a confident Church, one that is not gloomy and without joy,
but a Church that laughs. Amen!
Let us be a Church that seeks to know and follow the Lord,
not perfectly, but ever more closely. Amen!

Let us be a Church that forgives and asks for forgiveness. Amen!
Let us be a Church that perseveres in the teaching of the apostles,
in the breaking of the bread and in prayer. Amen!

Finally, let us be a Church that has priorities,
a Church in which there is a priority of persons over things
and of truth over expediency,
a Church where there is a priority of love over all else,
a Church in which we say that the greatest of all,
of everything, is love. Amen!