Ministry and Outreach - Katrina pages

Katrina prayers

Please Pray for the families affected by Hurricane Katrina, including those who have lost loved ones, their homes and businesses.

A Louisianian whose family has been affected by the hurricane (some have lost everything, some family members are still missing), sent the following prayer. Please join with him and others who are praying for those who have been affected by this tragedy.

Protector, Friend.

Help me. Heal me.

I surrender my doubts and fears to you, for they limit me.

Take with them my worries of tomorrow and my regrets about yesterday.

Free me now,

For I am ready for something better,

Something bigger and far more wonderful than anything I have ever experienced.

I give you my willingness to be happy,

My faith in the promise of renewal,

And my pledge to enjoy the blessing of my life for my own sake and Yours.

I offer my whole life to Your loving will,

Believing that all I am now experiencing will come to good in the end.

Creator, thank You for this moment,

For the gift of Faith,

And for the love that sustains all live.

Amen.

A Litany for the Sunday after Katrina swept the Gulf Coast:

Holy One, who creates the heavens and earth, we cry to you,

Lord, Hear our prayer.

Holy and Mighty, who redeems the whole of the world, we cry to you,

Lord, hear our prayer.

Holy and Immortal, who brings the faithful to holiness, we cry to you,

Lord, hear our prayer.

Holy, blessed and glorious Trinity, One God, we cry to you,

Lord, hear our prayer.

For those whose lives are lost in the wind and flood and rain of Hurricane Katrina, that they may be welcomed into the kingdom of heaven, we add our voices to the cry,

Lord, hear our prayer.

For those who grieve and sit in sadness, that their hope may not be taken from them, that their faith may not grow dim, we add our voices to the cry,

Lord, hear our prayer.

For those whose lives and health are in peril from illness, hunger and the continuing flood, that they may be rescued and saved from this time of peril, we add our voices to the cry,

Lord, hear our prayer.

For those whose homes have been destroyed, that they may have the resources to rebuild and the cover of shelter from family, friends and fellow citizens, we add our voices to the cry,

Lord, hear our prayer.

For those whose jobs and livelihoods have been washed away, that they may be called to new work and be supported to care for their families and all who depend on them, we add our voices to the cry,

Lord, hear our prayer.

For those who govern and decide for others, that their compassion may not fail, that their ingenuity may be renewed, and that their resolve for good may be a strength to the weakened and the fearful, we add our voices to the cry,

Lord, hear our prayer.

For those who labor to clean up, recover that lot, and begin the work of rebuilding, that their strength may not fail and their efforts prosper, we add our voices to the cry,

Lord, hear our prayer.

For those who have the gifts to share , may your spirit move the fortunate of this land to generosity and action, that those who have lost all may be given aid, that those who are unemployed may be sustained, that those who hunger may be fed, we add our voices to the cry,

Lord, hear our prayer.

For those who have turned to lawlessness and theft, for the opportunists and the greedy, that their consciences may waken to righteousness and the fellowship of common good prevail, we add our voices to the cry,

Lord, hear our prayer.

For those we love and the neighbors of our own homes, that we may live our lives in dignity and peace, we add our voices to the cry,

Lord, hear our prayer.

For the beloved listed in our church's prayers this day, that their illnesses may be healed, their sorrows met with hope, and their trials raised by faith, we add our voices to the cry,

Lord, hear our prayer.

For those departed this life, for the dying and those who weep in grief, that they may be drawn into the fullness of eternal life, we add our voices to the cry,

Lord, hear our prayer.

For our own homes and communities, that we may be spared the devastation for nature's power and protected from the violence of war, we add our voices to the cry,

Lord, hear our prayer.

For the grace to live in tranquility and peace, living our days without fear of dying unprepared, we add our voices to the cry,

Lord, hear our prayer.

For the witness of the church, for our Bishops, Vincent, Nedi and Sandy and for all the baptized ministers of Christ, that the Gospel may be preached in power and the hope of the faithful be shown in love, we add our voices to the cry,

Lord, hear our prayer.

For the grace of pastoral care, especially among the faithful of the Gulf Coast states, that their generosity and kindness may win souls for Christ, we add our voices to the cry,

Lord, hear our prayer.

For The discipline to use the resources of the earth to your glory and for the good of all, that we may not add to the harshness of nature's power, we add our voices to the cry,

Lord, hear our prayer.

For all who travel from or to the districts of the hurricane path, that they may travel in safety, we add our voices to the cry,

Lord, hear our prayer.

For the grace of true repentance that we may receive and give the gift of forgiveness with gladness and relief, that we may learn for your Holy spirit to amend our lives according to your word, we add our voices to the cry,

Lord, hear our prayer.

Holy God,
Holy and Mighty,
Holy Immortal One,
we add our voices to the cry,
Lord, hear our prayer.

The Lord be with you,
And also with you.

Let us Pray

God of mercy and compassion, be in our midst and bind us together in your Spirit as a community of love and service to bear one another's burdens in these days as we face the ravages of storm and sea. This we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord form whom alone comes our hope.

Amen