prayer on Thursday

There's a convent, Fahr monastery, about 5 km down the Limmat river from here. I heard once (and now can't confirm quickly online, so take this as not-reliable information) that because it was just over the border between the Protestant canton of Zürich and the Catholic canton of Aargau, it was a place of refuge for young women who had unplanned pregnancies and were fleeing punishment. Now, it seems, it's just over the border between the very-conservative bishop of Chur and the much more tolerant bishop of Basel, and is maybe more of a spiritual refuge for those who hope that the Church will somehow begin to see sense. The prioress of Fahr recently wrote a "prayer on Thursday" for equality and inclusion in the church, with a heartbreaking addendum for religious communities of women. I'm in. Here it is. I did make some small improvements to the English translation; you can find the official versions here and here.

I want to say more about this but that will have to wait for another day, it's time for me to get some sleep.

Prayer on Thursday

God, our Father and Mother, we are all aware of the situation in our church. Acts of injustice occurred and continue to occur. Power was and is abused. “However, among you, it should not be so” said Jesus.
We ask you for your mercy - Kyrie eleison.

Through one baptism, women and men are equal and full members of the church. If they work together in all duties and offices, they can contribute to a church that moves forward renewed into the future.
We ask you for strength and confidence. - Kyrie eleison.

People come to God and to one another with their desires for peace, community and relationship. A credible church is open to all people regardless of their background, nationality or sexual orientation. This church is present for people whose life decisions appear to be misguided and it welcomes them with their bumps and bruises. It does not assess or judge but, instead, trusts that the power of the spirit is at work even when, according to our own human understanding, this seems improbable.
We ask you for strength and confidence. - Kyrie eleison.

[this next paragraph is the religious communities addendum]
Women entrust themselves in body and soul to you, God. Women in religious communities were violated in body and soul. Priests have sexually assaulted them, Superiors have denied them protection. They have betrayed trust, destroyed lives, separated mothers and children, forced pregnant women to have abortions. All this leaves us speechless. It will take courage and honesty to reveal the crimes and punish the culprits. It will require trustworthy people who listen to the women affected by these crimes and walk with them on their journey. You alone can relieve the pain and heal the wounds, for you are the the hope of those who are oppressed and tormented.
We ask you for strength and confidence.

Looking forward with confidence requires a great deal of trust, especially in these times in which we are limited by fear and narrowness and in which the future seems grim. We must trust that taking new paths and making decisive changes will bring about more good than simply maintaining the status quo.
We ask you for strength and confidence. - Kyrie eleison.

God, our Father and Mother, trusting that you are with us on the way, we continue on with and in the Church, following in the tradition of all the women and men who went before us who were enlivened by and acting in the fire of the Spirit’s power; women and men who believed and lived before and for us. St. Scholastica trusted in the power of prayer. We want to go forward step by step in the same way as she did: “Go forward as you can, sisters and brothers!” Watch over us. Be with us always until the end of the world.
For this we pray, now and forever. Amen.