National Day of Prayer 2013

National Day of Prayer 2013

We thank Thee, Lord, for America, our home. We bless Thee for the liberty, the opportunity, and the abundance we share. But above all we praise Thee for the traditions which have made our country great, and for patriots who have laid the foundations through faith, courage, and self-sacrifice. Teach us in our own day the meaning of citizenship, and help us to be faithful stewards of the responsibility which Thou entrusted to us. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A Prayer for our Country from A Book of Devotions and Prayers According to the Use of the Polish National Catholic Church.

O, God, the strength of those who put their trust in Thee; Bless we pray, our soldiers, sailors, servicewomen, and airmen; our chaplains, doctors, nurses; and all enlisted in the service of our country. Give Thy holy angels charge over them to protect them from all harm; deliver them in all temptation, and if it by Thy gracious will, bring them safely home. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A Prayer for Those in the Armed Forces from A Book of Devotions and Prayers According to the Use of the Polish National Catholic Church.

Thank God for freedom

Today we celebrate Independence Day. Let us pause to give thanks for the freedoms we have as citizens of the United States and as members of our Church. Let us pray that these freedoms remain and are protected in law, in spirit, and in the life of our Church.

Independence Day is a day that is special to the heart of every Polish National Catholic. Our parents, grandparents, as well as members of our parishes to this day, have come to the United States not just for economic opportunity but also to live within the spirit of freedom.

When our ancestors’ former Church continued to oppress their freedoms, treating them as obedient servants only, with their pastors and bishops as a sort of exclusive royalty, they struck back by organizing a true Church that upholds the Holy Catholic faith and operates as a free society.

In our Church, as in our country, every person has a voice and a vote. In our Church, women have voted and participated in its democratic traditions even before women had a right to vote in our country. In our Church the clergy are not an aloof, royal class, but co-workers with the laity. We are a Church of liberty, freedom, and equality.

Let us give thanks this Independence Day for our free country and our free Church.