Prayer for America – Civic Spirit

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The Prayer for America Campaign

Civic Spirit is honored to partner with respected public art luminaries For Freedoms in launching Prayer for America, which calls upon students to use their creative voice and share their hopes for our country.

The campaign is designed with two goals in mind:

Give students

an opportunity to create their own prayers and wishes for their democracy.

Give older Americans

insight into the prayers of the next generation.

2019 Prayer for America Highlights

Yacov's Prayer

For our community, I pray that the walls which separate us will not hold us back. That we will not allow division of thought and belief to confine us. I pray that instead of simply sustaining the walls which divide us, we can build bridges between them. Walls can keep us safe, but they can also restrict us. Like the character of Jonas in Lois Lowry’s the Giver, we often live in a world which attempts to eliminate emotional complexity and intellectual independence for a black-and-white world of us vs them. I pray that we all have the courage to break the chains of fear of the other and free ourselves to discover the incredibly complex and often tragically beautiful reality of this world. It is my final prayer that like Jonas, we will not allow the comfortable walls of our past experience, our familiar communities, and our long-held beliefs and ideologies restrain us from interacting with the beautifully complex unknown and with each other. For our community, I pray that as a result, we will grow as civically engaged citizens of this country as never before.

Rivka's Prayer

Ana El Na Refa Na La
(Hebrew prayer of healing, translation- I beseech you, god, please heal her.)

I hope for the community.
Motivated ideals handled with dignity,
The demand for better,
I hope that our children will not look upon a trodden world that we left them and see defeat,
Tell them that there is still hope out there
I hope together we can pray for the people out there who wrong us.
That they find satisfaction and beauty within themselves and heal.
I hope together we can pray for the hurt.
Hope they find the amazing strength I see within them.
I hope together that we can pray for those who are misplaced, lost, forgotten and alienated.
We see you, your pain and struggle.
I hope our prayers will evoke a sense of self, of community, of beauty, and of change.
But I hope that prayers will never replace action and that our prayers motivate us to be better.
We can be better.
We must be better.
We will be better.
I pray for America.

Ryan's Prayer

For our Community, I pray:

That we may build up one another rather than shut others out,
That we may help the suffering, to see the brighter parts of everyday,
That we may also see the brighter parts of everything in life,
That we may find our calling, a job we are happy and proud to do,
That we may learn to love one another, despite differentiating views,
That we will live as a whole, working together as one,
That we will show future generations how to live in unity,
That we will be aware of surrounding issues and learn to work them out,
That we will elect government official that will push our nation forward,

Finally, that we will give back to our community, so that future generations can thrive.

Rahul's Prayer

Please God bless us all in times of division and turmoil. Give us strength through unity and fortitude through faith. Give us the fortune to find our homes and the goodwill to share it when needed.

John's Prayer

Let us pray for those that are less fortunate
That cannot make ends meet
The ones that can’t defend themselves
Who are cast out on the street
Let’s help those who cannot help themselves
And treat them with dignity
Since these people are just like us
We are all humanity

The Students of Bishop Loughlins' Prayer

Dear Lord, grant our community the unity to become the light in this world’s darkness. Protect us and give us peace.

Lord, give us the will to find the goodness in our hearts to serve others and give them joy, to see everyone as equals despite our different views. We hope that one day we can see each other through our souls and hearts rather than the color of our skin or our gender.

Lord, can we love each other and keep the peace? Can we sacrifice our wants and needs for the needs of others? This will be determined only through your grace and your goodness. Give us courage to fight our hardships and find you at the finish line.

Thank you Father for the glory of your mercy. Thank you for the lives we possess and the people we love.

AMEN

Daniel-Ashley's Prayer

Heavenly Father, we pray for democracy which is so vital in our society yet so taken for granted. In a day and age where our democracy can be compromised at any moment, we pray that you guide our leaders and grant them wisdom. In a democracy today where every department in our government is split grant them unity. Send your holy spirit to guide them in making erudite decisions that could allow us as citizens to then be inspired to serve you in all ways. We pray that as a people we come to terms with the idea that not all may want to believe what is right and not all may want to do what is right, but we all must strive to do what is right no matter what may be the circumstances. May your protection continue to watch over our freedom and grant it to those that may not have freedom yet. Amen

Deron's Prayer

For Fellow Citizens, I invite you to be active in your community. Help and teach others around you so that they may know you better. Always try to be respectful and considerate of others. Do your best to be productive for you community and share your skills with one another. Lastly, I ask that you try to bring joy to everyone around you. Amen.

David's Prayer

May we pray that the leaders of our country use their platform for the common good and for selfless purposes. May the citizens of our country seek out fellow citizens as equals despite race, gender, or other identities that have been known to be discriminated against or looked at as less than for generations. May we all strive to keep moving our country forward and learn from our previous mistakes rather then repeat those missteps. America is an diverse nation so may we all as American citizens keep that in mind and make a common effort to accept those of different cultures.

Interested in launching the Prayer for America project in your community?

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