The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Tonight at St Mary's Hampden Park, we will be holding a special Mass and Chips, to celebrate the birth of our patron saint, the Blessed Virgin Mary.  This is traditionally celebrated in the Anglican church, as in the Roman tradition, on the 8th September (it is described by the Church of England as one of the "lesser" festivals)   The Church of England lectionary draws particularly on Isaiah 7, Micah 5, Galatians 4, and of course Luke 1 including the Magnificat.

An Anglican Rosary for the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary 

The Cross

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. 

Holy God, 
on this feast we give thanks for Mary, 
daughter of Israel, mother of our Lord, 
whose life became a place in which your purposes unfolded. 

As we rejoice in her birth, 
teach us to recognise your grace at work 
in beginnings whose endings we cannot yet see, 
and to offer our own lives freely to you. 
Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

The Invitatory Bead 

“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour.” (Luke 1:46–47)

Blessed are you, O Lord

who call ordinary human lives 

into your extraordinary purposes. 

Give us the humility of Mary, 

that Christ may find a dwelling place in us. 

First Cruciform — God at Work in Hidden Beginnings 

“But you, O Bethlehem… from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel.” Micah 5:2 

At the Cruciform Bead:
God of Abraham and Sarah,
of prophets and saints,
of generations remembered and forgotten,
teach us to trust the work of grace
even when its purpose remains hidden from us.

On each of the seven weeks' beads: 
God of hidden beginnings, 
teach us to trust your unfolding grace. 

As the seven beads are prayed, we remember Mary as a newborn child, her future unknown to those who welcomed her into the world. We remember that every human life is known and loved by God. We remember the beginnings in our own lives whose significance we understood only much later, and those things for which we are still waiting, unable yet to see what they may become. God's grace is already at work before we recognise it. 

After the seventh bead: 
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be for ever. Amen

Second Cruciform — Mary, Daughter of Israel 

“When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman.” Galatians 4:4 

At the Cruciform Bead:

Faithful God, 

you called Mary from among your people 

and formed her within their worship, stories and hope. 

Root us deeply in your promises, 

that what we have received in faith 

may bear fruit in those who come after us.

On each of the seven weeks' beads: 

Blessed Mary, daughter of Israel, 

pray that we may walk faithfully with God. 

As the seven beads are prayed, we remember Mary born into a people shaped by covenant and promise. The psalms and prayers through which she learned to praise God.  We remember all those whose faith quietly prepares another generation to encounter God, including our own place within the great company of those who have received faith and handed it on.  

After the seventh bead: 
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be for ever. Amen

Third Cruciform — Mary’s 'Yes' to God 

“Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Luke 1:38 

At the Cruciform Bead:

God of vocation, 

you did not demand an unthinking obedience from Mary, 

but called her into a courageous and freely given yes. 

Give us attentive hearts, 

honest questions 

and the courage to place ourselves at your service. 

On each of the seven weeks' beads: 

Holy Mary, full of grace, 

teach us to say yes to God. 

As the seven beads are prayed, we remember  Mary listening before she answers, questioning when she does not understand, and discovering that grace does not always lead along an easy road.  We remember that Mary trusted that God can work through human weakness and vulnerability as we consider the invitations God places before each of us today. 

After the seventh bead: 
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be for ever. Amen

Fourth Cruciform — Mary, Bearer of Christ 

“Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you.” Luke 1:28 

At the Cruciform Bead: 

Lord Jesus Christ, 

you took flesh from Mary 

and entered fully into our human life. 

As she bore you faithfully into the world, 

make our lives also places of your presence, 

that others may encounter through us 

your mercy, justice, peace and love.

On each of the seven weeks' beads: 

As Mary bore Christ into the world, 

may Christ be born anew in us. 

As the seven beads are prayed, we remember Mary who carried and gave birth to Jesus in poverty and uncertainty. Mary who remained near her Son through joy, misunderstanding, suffering and the Cross. We remember how her joy overflowed into the song of the Magnificat as she proclaimed a God who lifts the lowly and remembers the forgotten.

After the seventh bead: 
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be for ever. Amen

On returning to the Invitatory Bead 

Hail Mary, full of grace, 

the Lord is with thee. 

Blessed art thou among women, 

and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. 

God of all generations, 

we thank you this day for the birth of blessed Mary. 

Before Bethlehem, 

before Cana and Calvary, 

there was a child whose life lay open before you. 

Teach us therefore to reverence small beginnings, 

to cherish lives whose possibilities we cannot yet know, 

and to trust that your grace may be growing quietly 

where we least expect to find it. 

With Mary, teach us to listen. 

With Mary, give us courage to question. 

With Mary, enable us to say yes. 

With Mary, make us bearers of Christ. 

And may our souls magnify the Lord, 

our spirits rejoice in God our Saviour, 

and our lives proclaim your mercy from generation to generation

Through Jesus Christ, Son of Mary and Son of God, our Lord. 

Amen. 

The Grace at the Cross 

 

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, 

the love of God, 

and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit 

be with us all evermore. 

Amen.