Fathers’ Day Blessing

Our Parish Family extends to all Fathers our warmest blessings and deepest appreciation for all that you do. In your loving and willing sacrifice, you model for our children and our community, the same self-giving love of God. in the midst of the barbecues, the beers, the stories and the games, why not stop a moment to offer your own blessings to the father your Heavenly Father has placed in your life;

Opening Prayer
A son or daughter may lead the family in the following:

Lord, we have relied on our father for so many things throughout the years, and we often forget that he is not invincible, but rather a person who has strengths and weaknesses just like us. Help us Lord, to always give our father the chance to be simply who he is, a blessing to us. Lord, this Father’s Day may we learn to love and appreciate our father.

Intercessions
 
Leader    Lord, may our dad experience your love for him in new and deeper ways this Father’s Day. May he always be aware of how deeply his children love him.
 
Response      Hear us God, our Father.
 
Leader    May we always have memories of shared love with our dad.
 
Response      Hear us God, our Father.
 
Leader       May we always have the courage to tell our father how much we love him.
 
Response      Hear us God, our Father.
 
Leader    Free our father from any injury or hurt we may have caused, so that we may be as united in love as we are intended to be.
 
Response     Hear us God, our Father.
 
Leader    May we always walk proudly with our father in times of prosperity and in times of need, and humbly support him as he has supported us.
 
Response      Hear us God, our Father.
 
Leader    May we have the courage to forgive our father from any hurts we have experienced and accept him in his brokenness.
 
Response      Hear us God, our Father.

Affirmation
Take a moment to tell your father about one of his qualities which you admire.

On behalf of all the children, one son or daughter may say:
I believe in you Dad. You are someone who is very important to me, not because of the things you do, but rather for the person you are. I honor you and love you. I love you for who you are, and not for who I pretend or hope you to be. If you have hurt me in any way, I forgive you. I know in my heart that you are God’s gift to me.

Blessing
Leader    Lord God, bless our father this day with all good things:  health, joy, love, and laughter. Keep him in your care and protect him from all which is harmful. And grant him peace and justice all his days.
All    Amen.

Offer your father your blessing by signing him with the sign of the cross on his forehead. You may also ask your father to bless you in the same way.

Peace and God Bless