Thursday, April 10, 2008

The Prayer that Pope Benedict Will Offer At Ground Zero World Trade Center Site (Full Text)



This is available from the Vatican in PDF format(starting on page 67) in their release of Liturgical Text for the Papal Trip to the USA located here.
Prayer Service at
Ground Zero
Arrival
The Holy Father is escorted to the carpet by Cardinal Edward Egan.
Silent Prayer and Candle Lighting
The Holy Father kneels for a few moments of silent prayer. He then lights
a candle brought to him by an employee of the Port Authority.
Prayer
The Holy Father
:
O God of love, compassion, and healing,
look on us, people of many different faiths
and traditions,
who gather today at this site,
the scene of incredible violence and pain.


Prayer
The Holy Father
:
O God of love, compassion, and healing,
look on us, people of many different faiths
and traditions,
who gather today at this site,
the scene of incredible violence and pain.



We ask you in your goodness
to give eternal light and peace
to all who died here—
the heroic first-responders:
our fire fighters, police officers,
emergency service workers, and
Port Authority personnel,
along with all the innocent men and women
who were victims of this tragedy
simply because their work or service
brought them here on September 11, 2001.
We ask you, in your compassion
to bring healing to those
who, because of their presence here that day,
suffer from injuries and illness.
Heal, too, the pain of still-grieving families
and all who lost loved ones in this tragedy.
Give them strength to continue their lives
with courage and hope.
We are mindful as well
of those who suffered death, injury, and loss
on the same day at the Pentagon and in
Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Our hearts are one with theirs
as our prayer embraces their pain and suffering.



God of peace, bring your peace to our violent world:
peace in the hearts of all men and women
and peace among the nations of the earth.
Turn to your way of love
those whose hearts and minds
are consumed with hatred.
God of understanding,
overwhelmed by the magnitude of this tragedy,
we seek your light and guidance
as we confront such terrible events.
Grant that those whose lives were spared
may live so that the lives lost here
may not have been lost in vain.
Comfort and console us,
strengthen us in hope,
and give us the wisdom and courage
to work tirelessly for a world
where true peace and love reign
among nations and in the hearts of all.
At the conclusion of the prayer, the Holy Father is handed an aspergillum.
He blesses the ground in all four directions



Solemn Blessing
The Holy Father
:
The Lord be with you.
R/. And also with you.
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
R/. Amen.
May his face shine upon you and be gracious to you.
R/. Amen.
May he look upon you with kindness,
and give you his peace.
R/. Amen.
May almighty God bless you,
the X Father, and the X Son, and the X Holy Spirit.
R/. Amen.

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