God of all mercy, in the beginning your Holy Spirit brooded over the waters of the deep and turned chaos into life: Send that same life giving Spirit, we pray, to the displaced people of the Gulf Coast, that they may be delivered out of the waters of their own chaos and brought into safety; provide them with adequate medicine, dry shelter, and warm food; stand watch with those who are still alive yet remain unrescued, that their lives may be spared and their perseverance may not be in vain; bless all who are working to bring relief and rescue, that their coming in and their going out may be safe, fruitful, and secure; and finally, hear us as we commend to you those souls who faced Hurricane Katrina but could not survive her torment. In our common humanity, we cry out "kyrie eleison" through Jesus your Son, the Christ of Compassion. Amen.