Our Heavenly Father,

We thank you for the past week and ask for your blessing on the week ahead. Give us strength and perseverance to carry out our tasks, wisdom in our decisions, and patience in our difficulties. Help us to treat everyone with love and understanding. And as we approach 1 May, we especially ask for your intercession through Saint Joseph, patron saint of workers, to bless our work and help us to work with dignity and devotion.

Protect us from all harm and guide us in your light.

Amen.

Saint Alexius, patron saint of the homeless, pilgrims and the Alexian Brothers! At the beginning of the week, we turn to you to ask for your blessing and intercession. We thank you for the example you have set with your life: service, humility and love for the poor. We ask, strengthen all members of our Order around the world to faithfully continue their mission of service to those in need. Give them strength to carry on strength in fatigue, wisdom in decision, and patience in adversity. Help them to be guided always by love and mercy in their service. Bless all the institutions of the Order that they may be a refuge and a source of hope for the suffering. We ask that your holy example inspire them to reflect God's love in their daily lives. Amen.

Almighty God, we celebrate this Easter Sunday, the glorious resurrection of your Son, Jesus Christ!  Death is conquered, and life reigns supreme.  We rejoice in the victory over sin and death, and we give thanks for the hope and new life that this day brings. Fill our hearts with joy and gratitude, and help us to live as witnesses to your love and mercy. May the light of the resurrection shine brightly in our lives, guiding us on the path to eternal life. Amen.

Merciful God, on this Holy Friday, we remember the suffering and death of your beloved Son, Jesus Christ. We contemplate his agony in the garden, his unjust trial, and his crucifixion on the cross. Help us to understand the weight of his sacrifice, made out of boundless love for us. Grant us the grace to carry our own crosses with patience and faith, knowing that through suffering, we can find redemption and new life. We pray for the strength to forgive others, as Christ forgave his persecutors. Amen.

Lord Jesus Christ,

on this Holy Thursday, we remember your Last Supper, your profound act of love and humility. We thank you for the gift of the Eucharist, the sacred bread and wine that nourish our souls and unite us with you. Help us to understand the depth of your love, as you washed the feet of your disciples, showing us the true meaning of service. Grant us the grace to serve one another with humility and compassion, and to forgive as you have forgiven us. Strengthen our faith and guide us on the path to eternal life.

Amen.

Loving God, as we enter Holy Week, we remember the profound sacrifice of your Son, Jesus Christ. We reflect on his suffering, his death, and his glorious resurrection. Help us to truly understand the depth of your love for us, shown so completely in the events of this sacred week. Grant us the grace to participate fully in the mysteries of Holy Week, to renew our commitment to you, and to live our lives as witnesses to your love and mercy. Amen.

Embroidered patches with the coat of arms of the Alexian Brothers.

The coat of arms of the Congregation of Alexian Brothers has changed a lot over the centuries. Its present form is divided into three fields, representing the spirit and activity of our Order. Above is a pelican feeding its chicks with the blood of its own heart - a self-sacrificing symbol of Christian love. The two spades in the lower left field are a reminder of the earlier activity of the Alexian Brothers: burying the dead in times of adversity. The flying raven represents the feeding of the destitute, a virtue that the Congregation has practised for centuries. The cross rises from the background of the coat of arms, signifying that in the cross, in Christ, is our salvation. In a circle on the ribbon are the words of St Paul: "Caritas Christi Urget Nos" - "The love of Christ compels us." (2 Cor 5:14)

This selection of images shows different variants of the Alexian Brothers' coat of arms.

 

Almighty God, we ask you to bless the Order of the Alexian Brothers. Send us new vocations who will selflessly serve the sick and the needy. Give them strength, wisdom and perseverance in their mission and help us to support them by our prayers and actions. Amen.

 Beautiful stained glass in the chapel of the Alexian Mission in Ireland

Our God,

Teach us to be selfless, so that we may realize that true happiness and peace do not come from the accumulation of our own possessions, but from the service of others. Give us the wisdom and strength to sacrifice our time, talents and material possessions for those who need us.

Amen.

The pelican feeding its chicks with its own blood is also shown
in the Alexian coat of arms as a self-sacrificing symbol of Christian love.
The original of this beautiful carving adorns the dining room
of the Irish Alexian Brothers.