Alternative Pastoral Prayers: Liturgies and Blessings for Health and Healing, Beginnings and Endings

This book is intended as a supplement to Common Worship Pastoral Services which provides liturgies for use in ministry to the sick – distribution of communion, emergency baptism, laying on of hands and anointing. Many hospital chaplains find their services are needed in other acute situations and often by people who have no church connection or knowledge of religious language. Here chaplains need to improvise. This practical volume draws on the experience of numerous clergy and chaplains and provides tried and tested liturgies in accessible language for a wider range of occasions. Prayers are included for - occasions surrounding birth: thanksgiving, baby blessing and naming, emergency baptism, prayers for a stillborn child - healing rites: communion, anointing, laying on of hands, confession and reconciliation - marriage in hospital, blessing of a civil union, affirmation of a relationship - prayers for every stage of a hospital stay – on receiving a diagnosis, before an operation, when life support is withdrawn - occasions surrounding the death of infants, children and adults