Responsory Prayer for the Whole State of Christ's Church for the Feast of John Donne

The Officiant shall say

Almighty and everliving God, your holy apostle Paul has taught us to make prayers, supplications, and thanksgivings for all people.

To which the People shall reply:

We humbly beseech thee most mercifully to receive these our prayers, which we offer unto thy divine majesty.

That it may please thee to inspire continually the universal Church with the spirit of truth, unity, and concord.

Grant that all they that do confess thy holy name may agree in the truth of thy holy word and live in unity and godly love.

Give grace (O heavenly Father) to all Bishops, Priests and Deacons.

That they may both by their life and doctrine set forth thy true and lively word and rightly and duly administer thy holy Sacraments.

And to all thy people give thy heavenly grace, and especially to this congregation here present, that with meek heart and due reverence,

We may hear and receive thy holy word, truly serving thee in holiness and righteousness all the days of our lives.


We beseech thee also to defend and save all those in authority among the nations, especially the President of the United States, the Governor of this State, and the Mayor of this City.

And grant us also the grace to maintain our liberties in righteousness and peace.

We most humbly beseech thee of thy goodness (O Lord) to comfort and succor all them which in this transitory life be in trouble, sorrow, need, sickness, or any other adversity.

I ask your petitions, either silently or aloud.

The People may add their own petitions.

O Lord, thy servant, John Donne, whom we commemorate this evening, reminds us that when the Church buries someone, that action concerns us all:

“All mankind is of one author, and is one volume; when one man dies, one chapter is not torn out of the book, but translated into a better language; and every chapter must be so translated; God employs several translators; some pieces are translated by age, some by sickness, some by war, some by justice;”

We bless thy Holy Name for all thy servants who have departed this life in thy faith and fear and beseech thee that it may also be for them and us as Donne has said, “

“God's hand is in every translation, and his hand shall bind up all our scattered leaves again for that library where every book shall lie open to one another.”

Grant this, O Father, for Jesus Christ’s sake, our only Mediator and advocate. Amen.