There is rarely enough silence in our lives.
Perhaps we are too busy for silence.
Perhaps we are afraid of what we might discover.

Today we will again give silence its place.
(Silence)

We gather at this time and in this place to celebrate the mystery of life.
As Winter days begin to give way to early Spring
we commit to moving beyond our previous selves
and to continue emerging into persons and into a community
dedicated to enhancing this world.
(Silence)

We celebrate the fragile signs of blossom, heralding new and fruitful growth.
And the bird song that beckons us to a slower pace...
to listen, to appreciate, to wonder;
to be at peace with ourselves in the harried world we often create.
(Silence)

We affirm the worth of all, and commit ourselves to honouring the sacred in all.
Thus we seek to open ourselves to be
more in tune, more involved with each other and the world.
(Silence)

We sense our greater connection to the sacred within all,
and resist old models that would place us at the egotistical center,
with the world and others revolving around us.
(Silence)

We commit ourselves to learning, changing, thinking again...
doing our theology and daring again to imagine
how faith and risk lead us to each other,
engaging us all in the depths and dimensions of what it means
to be human, to be neighbour, to love, to include, to laugh, to be free.
(Silence)

And may we be inspired to be carriers of the spirit of caring.
(Silence)

May it be so.