Today, April 22, is Earth Day. This is an annual observance started in 1970 to honor the Earth and environmental protections of our planet.
This set of prayers for use with an Anglican rosary is designed for use on Earth Day, and mixes praise and thanks to God for this glorious world He has made with prayers for the wisdom and grace for humankind to be better stewards of the Earth so that all the Earth and its inhabitants (plant, animal, and human) may thrive together.
The prayers used for the cruciform and week beads are excerpts from a longer prayer attributed to St. Francis. All other prayers are attributed to their authors as noted, and a full source list can be found at the bottom of the post.
Happy Earth Day! May it inspire all of us to offer more praise and thanks to God and to better care for His creation.
| Cross: | The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein; for the Lord has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the rivers. (Psalm 24:1-2) May we be reminded this Earth Day of our role as stewards of this amazing world you have created. Give us the wisdom to manage the resources You have provided in ways that benefit all of Your creation and bring glory to Your name. Amen. |
| Invitatory bead: | O God, we thank you for this earth, our home; For the wide sky and the blessed sun, For the salt sea and the running water, For the everlasting hills And the never-resting winds, For trees and the common grass underfoot. We thank you for our senses By which we hear the songs of birds, And see the splendor of the summer fields, And taste of the autumn fruits, And rejoice in the feel of the snow, And smell the breath of the spring. Grant us a heart wide open to all this beauty; And save our souls from being so blind That we pass unseeing When even the common thorn bush Is aflame with your glory, O God our creator, Who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen. (prayer by Walter Rauschenbusch) |
| Cruciform beads: | All praise be yours, My Lord through all that you have made. |
| Week bead 1: | And first my lord Brother Sun, who brings the day… How beautiful is he, how radiant in all his splendor! Of you, Most High, he bears the likeness. |
| Week bead 2: | All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Moon and Stars; In the heavens you have made them, bright and precious and fair. |
| Week bead 3: | All praise be yours, my Lord, through Brothers Wind and Air… |
| Week bead 4: | All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Water, So useful, lowly, precious and pure. |
| Week bead 5: | All praise be yours, my Lord, through Brother Fire, through whom you brighten up the night… |
| Week bead 6: | All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Earth, our mother, Who feeds us…and produces various fruits With colored flowers and herbs… |
| Week bead 7: | Praise and bless my Lord, and give him thanks, And serve him with great humility. |
| Invitatory bead: | Lord, grant us the grace to grow deeper in our respect of and care for Your creation. Lord, help us to recognize the sacredness of all Your creatures as signs of your wondrous love. Lord, help us to turn from the selfish consumption of resources meant for all and to see the impacts of our choices on the poor and vulnerable. (A Prayer for Creation from the Congregation of St. Joseph) |
| Cross: | Lord, grant us the wisdom to care for the earth and till it. Help us to act now for the good of future generations and all your creatures. Help us to become instruments of a new creation, Founded on the covenant of your love.| Amen. (prayer from The Cry of the Earth) |
Sources of prayers used above:
Cross (1): verse from Psalm 24:1-2; prayer by me
Cross (2): prayer from The Cry of the Earth, found on Xavier University’s website
1st Invitatory bead: prayer by Walter Rauschenbusch, found on Xavier University’s website
Last Invitatory bead: A Prayer for Creation from the Congregation of St. Joseph, found on their Facebook page
Cruciform and Week beads: prayer attributed to St. Francis, found on Xavier University’s website
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