We hold in prayer all who continue to suffer—whether in body, mind, or spirit—from the effects of Hurricane Katrina.
The following is a prayer for the hurricane season by Maurice Schexnayder (1895-1981), the second Bishop of Lafayette, Louisiana:
O God, Master of this passing world, hear the humble voices of your children.
The sea of Galilee obeyed your order and returned to its former quietude; You are still the Master of land and sea.We live in the shadow of danger over which we have no control; the Gulf, like a provoked and angry giant, can awake from its seeming lethargy, overstep its conventional boundaries, invade our land and spread chaos and disaster.
During this hurricane season we turn to You, O loving Father. Spare us from past tragedies whose memories are still so vivid and whose wounds seem to refuse to heal with passing time.
O Virgin Mary, Star of the Sea, Our Beloved Mother, we ask you to plead with your Son in our behalf, so that spared from the calamities common to this area and animated with a true spirit of gratitude, we will walk in the footsteps of your Divine Son to reach the heavenly Jerusalem where a stormless eternity awaits us.
Amen.