veterans-day

The annual observance of Veterans Day in the United States on November 11th  has it roots in the the armistice that ended World War I hostilities in 1918. The armistice between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed thereafter that November 11 be observed as “Armistice Day.”  In 1954, Congress passed legislation that  renamed the federal holiday “Veterans Day,” in recognition of the service of veterans of all U.S. Wars. It is important to remember and reflect on those who have served and continue to serve in defense of the freedoms we enjoy today.

A Prayer for Veterans
Help us, dear God, to see your face in every Veteran we encounter.
Guide us as we imagine new ways to support Veterans and their families.
Bring healing and peace to all who have been wounded physically, mentally and spiritually during wartime.
Help us bring your saving grace to heal the invisible wounds of war.
We ask this in Jesus’ holy name. Amen.

A Prayer for Veterans
God of peace, we pray for those who have served our nation and have laid down their lives to protect and defend our freedom.
We pray for those who have fought, whose spirits and bodies are scarred by war,
whose nights are haunted by memories too painful for the light of day.
We pray for those who serve us now, especially for those in harm’s way.
Shield them from danger and bring them home.
Turn the hearts and minds of our leaders and
our enemies to the work of justice and a harvest of peace.

Spare the poor, Lord, spare the poor!
May the peace you left us, the peace you gave us,
be the peace that sustains, the peace that saves us.

Christ Jesus, hear us! Lord Jesus, hear our prayer! Amen.

A Prayer for Deceased Veterans
O God, by whose mercy the faithful departed find rest,
look kindly on your departed veterans who gave their lives in the service of their country.
Grant that through the passion, death, and resurrection of your Son
they may share in the joy of your heavenly kingdom and rejoice in you with your saints forever.
We ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

Diocese of Fall River
Diocese of Fall River
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