“…assist with Thy Holy Spirit of counsel and fortitude the President of these United States…”

“…assist with Thy Holy Spirit of counsel and fortitude the President of these United States, that his administration may be conducted in righteousness, and be eminently useful to Thy people over whom he presides; by encouraging due respect for virtue and religion; by a faithful execution of the laws in justice and mercy; and by restraining vice and immorality.”

This is one of the petitions in the prayer composed by John Carroll, Archbishop of Baltimore, in 1791. John was a cousin of Charles Carroll of Maryland, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Fathers, you might want to post this in your parish bulletins and ask families to recite it regularly in their homes.

PRAYER FOR GOVERNMENT We pray, Thee O Almighty and Eternal God! Who through Jesus Christ hast revealed Thy glory to all nations, to preserve the works of Thy mercy, that Thy Church, being spread through the whole world, may continue with unchanging faith in the confession of Thy Name. We pray Thee, who alone art good and holy, to endow with heavenly knowledge, sincere zeal, and sanctity of life, our chief bishop, Pope N., the Vicar of Our Lord Jesus Christ, in the government of his Church; our own bishop, N., all other bishops, prelates, and pastors of the Church; and especially those who are appointed to exercise amongst us the functions of the holy ministry, and conduct Thy people into the ways of salvation. We pray Thee O God of might, wisdom, and justice! Through whom authority is rightly administered, laws are enacted, and judgment decreed, assist with Thy Holy Spirit of counsel and fortitude the President of these United States, that his administration may be conducted in righteousness, and be eminently useful to Thy people over whom he presides; by encouraging due respect for virtue and religion; by a faithful execution of the laws in justice and mercy; and by restraining vice and immorality. Let the light of Thy divine wisdom direct the deliberations of Congress, and shine forth in all the proceedings and laws framed for our rule and government, so that they may tend to the preservation of peace, the promotion of national happiness, the increase of industry, sobriety, and useful knowledge; and may perpetuate to us the blessing of equal liberty. We pray for his excellency, the governor of this state , for the members of the assembly, for all judges, magistrates, and other officers who are appointed to guard our political welfare, that they may be enabled, by Thy powerful protection, to discharge the duties of their respective stations with honesty and ability. We recommend likewise, to Thy unbounded mercy, all our brethren and fellow citizens throughout the United States, that they may be blessed in the knowledge and sanctified in the observance of Thy most holy law; that they may be preserved in union, and in that peace which the world cannot give; and after enjoying the blessings of this life, be admitted to those which are eternal. Finally, we pray to Thee, O Lord of mercy, to remember the souls of Thy servants departed who are gone before us with the sign of faith and repose in the sleep of peace; the souls of our parents, relatives, and friends; of those who, when living, were members of this congregation, and particularly of such as are lately deceased; of all benefactors who, by their donations or legacies to this Church, witnessed their zeal for the decency of divine worship and proved their claim to our grateful and charitable remembrance. To these, O Lord, and to all that rest in Christ, grant, we beseech Thee, a place of refreshment, light, and everlasting peace, through the same Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior. Amen.

 

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

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15 Comments

  1. Supertradmum says:

    Thank you for this…sigh, so far away from this reality, especially since 1973.

  2. Will D. says:

    I’ve been praying that prayer before Mass every Sunday since January 2009. Sadly, the President’s heart remains hard.

  3. Lady Catcliffe says:

    We need to pray even harder, given what the President just said in his Second Inaugural Address about “if we are equal, the love we pledge to each other is equal.”

  4. amsjj1002 says:

    I’ve been praying this one for years and said it especially fervently today. I plan on saying this one for the rest of my life.

  5. I was not happy to hear the so called Invocation to whom it may concern, and the equally banal “benediction.” Liberal protestantism and liberal agenda! Perhaps the girls on the bus were overjoyed!

  6. Stumbler but trying says:

    I could not bear to watch but I will pray. I will pray that we Americans wake up and take a stand and not be seduced into complacency or free hand outs (no such thing).
    What has been said countless times before is said again today…”We deserve what we get.”
    I am going to entrust Mr. Obama to our Lady…I am going to ask her to place him under her holy mantle and keep him there forever and from now on…and his co-horts too. God bless us all and every one. ^^

  7. Clinton R. says:

    Couldn’t bear to watch Obama’s coronation, er.. inauguration. I half expected Notre Dame to play a role. Not surprising to hear he is committed to pushing unnatural marriage down our throats. Thankfully, our hope rests with God and not man. Domine, miserere nobis. +JMJ+

  8. nykash says:

    I couldn’t bear to watch it either. In the first four years, we’ve seen attacks on the First and Second Amendment. One can only imagine will the next four bring, but to be honest, I’d rather not dwell on what might happen.

    Father, I’ll add this to my daily prayers.

  9. disco says:

    I heard that the marching band of my alma mater performed. Thankfully I missed it. Jack Connors no doubt played a role in making that happen.

  10. Suburbanbanshee says:

    And may God bless and keep the Czar… far away from us!

  11. bookworm says:

    I think this is a wonderful prayer. The only change I would make is that I would add the name of the President and the name and state of one’s respective governor, as a way of reminding us that God cares about them as persons, and about our particular home state or community, in a personal way and not just in an abstract way.

    Now I have to admit that saying out loud “the President of these United States, Barack Obama” or “his excellency, Pat Quinn, the governor of this state of Illinois” would make me cringe a bit (in the latter case, I think “his incompetency” would be a more appropriate title, but I digress). All the more reason to pray for them by name, it might even constitute a small form of penance :-)

  12. Legisperitus says:

    I heard someone giving a speech there today… Not sure who she was, but I heard her use the phrase “unborn hopes.” And this in the context of civil rights. Apparently all irony-meters had been banned from the premises for this occasion.

  13. aragonjohn7 says:

    Ah-men.

    God bless

  14. amsjj1002 says:

    I’ve added a bit for the Supreme Court as well, none of the versions I’ve seen mention our third branch. If anyone has, please share!

  15. Desertfalcon says:

    I pray it often and am a parish catechist. It was my “homework” assignment to my class on Sunday.

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