Name
Michigan Catholic Conference
Phone
(800) 395-5565
Fax
(517) 372-3940
Address
510 S. Capitol Ave.
Lansing, MI 48933

Prayer for the State of Michigan

We pray to you, O Almighty and Eternal God! You are our creator, and rule over the destinies of all peoples and powers. We come before you vividly aware of how much needs to be done to strengthen in the State of Michigan the fabric of our community through works of solidarity, and we know that achieving our aspirations is only possible with your merciful help. We raise this prayer to you on a day, at a time, when our future in Michigan seems uncertain and we are sorely tempted to wonder whether the greatest blessings of your bounty are in the past. But, not so, Lord; your blessings are boundless and your goodness never fails.

In offering this prayer for our State, we are mindful that through the Apostle Paul you have directed us to pray for our leaders, for he wrote to Timothy to “urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all men, for rulers and everyone who has authority over us, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life, godly and respectful in every way” (1 Tm 2:1-2). And in his Letter to the Romans the Apostle he taught that “there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God” (Rm. 13:1).

So, Lord God, taught by your word, and according to your sovereign will, we fervently intercede on behalf of all who govern our State. We pray for Governor Snyder and the members of his administration; we pray for our legislators and our judges; we pray for all to whom we have entrusted the exercise of authority in the government. May all their acts advance the preservation of peace, the promotion of happiness, the increase of industry, sobriety, and useful knowledge; and in all matters may they perpetuate to us the blessing of equal liberty.

“We, the People” have given this authority to them as a sacred trust. We have, as a free people, designated them to be your agents as stewards of your creation. Our well-being depends on their discharging of this trust with wisdom and courage, justice and compassion. Pour out these virtues upon them in abundance.

In order to fulfill their grave responsibilities to protect and advance our common good, they must have your help, Lord God. We beg you to help and direct them unfailingly so that their tenure in political service will be renowned for encouraging due respect for virtue and religion, for the faithful execution of the laws in justice and mercy; for restraining vice and immorality, and for building up everything that gives life to the common good.

May those who lead never fail to see that in all their decisions you call them to widen the scope of our freedoms, to secure the well-being of families, to protect the strangers in our midst, to advance the flourishing of the whole civil society, and – above all and in all – to preserve the authentic and irreducible dignity of every human life from conception to natural death. Let them know the right and give them the courage to do the right.

O Lord God Our Father, we thank you for your love for us, the people of Michigan. We thank you that you have given us this land to be our home, a place whose beauty we recognize every time we look around us. We thank you that you have made us a free people, drawn from every race and language and creed in the world, living in mutual respect and cooperation. We bless your name for our religious liberty and praise you that in our exercise of this liberty we have been able to do our part to make our state and our nation a greater and freer people, a light of liberty to the world.

Lord God: bless Michigan, bless America. Lord God, keep us free.

Name
Michigan Catholic Conference
Phone
(800) 395-5565
Fax
(517) 372-3940
Email
Address
510 South Capitol Avenue
Lansing, Michigan 48933
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