Below, find prayers written by members of The Episcopal Church’s Public Policy, Partnership, and Witness Division in collaboration with other Church Center departments. Episcopalians are invited to share and speak these prayers in congregations, small groups, and individually.
Join us each week as we share new prayers for the vulnerable among us facing challenges, fears, and threats. Find all weekly public witness prayers here.
For Civil Hearts and Listening Ears, 08.29.25
God of compassion, your Son Jesus spoke peace to the anxious and gave rest to the weary. In our own nation, public life is often spoiled by anger, division, and reckless words. Raise up leaders who shape their conduct after Jesus, and transform our discourse so that the public square may be marked by civility, fairness, and love. Teach us to use our words for the sake of the suffering, and renew in us the Spirit promised by Jesus—the Spirit who tames our tongues and prepares our minds for the good work you call us to do. Through Jesus Christ our redeemer. Amen.
For an End to Political Violence, 09.12.25
God of mercy and peace, we grieve for all lives lost to political violence. Comfort all families who have experienced such loss and those who experience threats of violence. Grant us self-control in political discourse, that anger and fear do not lead us into harm. Stir our hearts toward compassion, and bless us with the gift of understanding, that we may listen and not judge. Lord, guard us from the pride that built the Tower of Babel, and unite us in patience and humility—building together for the good of all. We trust in your justice and your steadfast love, through Jesus Christ our Prince of Peace. Amen.
For Speech Guided by the Spirit, 10.03.25
God of wisdom and truth, you give us the gift of speech to bless and to build. Freedom of speech, along with freedom of association and self-determination, are also foundational for religious independence and tolerance for all. We grieve when political pressure seeks to silence voices. Guard us from fear that stifles honest expression, and from speech that wounds needlessly. Teach us to speak and act with compassion, not in retribution; to listen with patience; and to discern wisely when words are meant to harm. Strengthen leaders to uphold freedom of speech with justice and mercy and guide your church to speak truth in love. Through Jesus Christ, your Living Word, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Thanksgiving for Peaceful Elections, 11.07.25
O God, our governor, who desires that all your children live in safety, we give you thanks for the recent elections held in peace throughout this nation. Grant that future elections may continue in safety, and that our civic life may be marked by fairness and justice. We pray for those elected this week to public office: Give them wisdom and strength to serve with integrity and compassion. Fill all who govern, and all people of this land, with a love of truth and righteousness for the sake of the common good. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, the source of all truth and righteousness. Amen.
For Seeing One Another as Human First, 3.27.26
Loving God, creator of all, who made every person in your image, we confess the misuse of our minds and tongues when we speak ill of other people. We confess that we have demeaned others and, even in frustration, have wished harm or forgotten their humanity. Teach us, through Jesus Christ, to love even our enemies and to see your image in every person. We lament a culture of contempt in our common life and discourse. Grant our leaders wisdom and restraint in speech, that they may lead by example. By your Holy Spirit, turn our hearts, and fashion us into a people marked by charity, truth, and mercy. Make your church a witness to reverence for every human life in word and action. Grant this, O God, through Jesus Christ our Lord, in the unity and power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
For an End to Violence in Our Political Life, 5.01.26
God of peace, whose Son said, “Put your sword back into its place, for all who take the sword will die by the sword,” we grieve the onslaught of political violence in this nation and around the world. Where gunshots ring out, make us bold in our proclamation of love. Where fearful, angry, or hurting people take up weapons, give us grace to act boldly together in nonviolence and with love. Do not let violence keep us from gathering in community, from speaking out for justice, and from living lives of radical hope. Fill our lives with this hope that we might be your hands and feet on the ground, caring for the vulnerable and spreading the good news of a kingdom where swords are beaten into plowshares and the wolf will live with the lamb. We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ, the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, who lives and reigns with the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
For Fairness in Elections and Representation, 5.15.26
God our governor, whose gifts to us spring from infinite love, we pray for elections and systems of representation that safeguard justice, participation, and the enfranchisement of all citizens. Help us to work for fair elections, and help us ensure that everyone can engage equally in the civic life of this nation, particularly Black Americans. Grant wisdom and integrity to lawmakers, guard against practices that unfairly marginalize the voices of voters and communities, and guide us all toward truth and reliable information, especially as we approach future elections and debates over representation. We know that our common life is based on our mutual responsibility towards one another. Let love for our neighbors guide our advocacy in the public square and shape our engagement with elections. We give you thanks that our ultimate hope rests not in earthly powers, but in your eternal Kingdom. Let this hope free us from despair and guide us as we seek the good of all. All this we ask through your Son Jesus Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever. Amen.
For Dignity, Accessibility, and Participation for People with Disabilities, 6.5.26
God of life, who makes a way out of no way and chooses people whom the world may overlook, including those living with disabilities, to be your ambassadors and mouthpieces, we grieve the potential budget cuts threatening disability rights programs. We pray for those in the disability community who fear losing access to community-based programs, accessible voting, and employment support. May this nation be a place where disability services remain strong in every community, and where people with disabilities, their families, and their allies have the tools they need to protect their rights and participate fully in society. Be with all advocates and grant wisdom to Congress and all who shape public policy that they might ensure this country invests in equal protections for all people, for we know our flourishing is interdependent. We ask this through Jesus Christ, who makes a way where none seems possible and leads us together into abundant life, now and forever. Amen.
For Diverse Representative Bodies that Reflect their Constituents, 6.19.26
God of justice, whose son drew near to those left on the margins, we pray that representative bodies of all kinds will reflect the constituencies they represent. We are grieved by efforts to make voting burdensome or inaccessible for many voters, especially Black communities and other communities historically targeted for disenfranchisement. Keep voting sites free from intimidation, threats, and fear. Guard the public square from propaganda that spreads distrust and discourages people from casting their ballots. Strengthen the advocates who demand a voice for these communities. Grant all local, state, and national authorities the wisdom to ensure fair and safe elections throughout this country. May our nation, whose people are made in your image and reflect many cultures, be just and peaceable, and all for your glory. Grant this through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
For Those Who Serve Our Elections, 9.11.26
God of service, whose Son Jesus Christ came among us not to be served but to serve, we give you thanks for those who take on the ordinary and often unseen work that makes it possible to vote: poll workers and volunteers, clerks and election officials, and all who support participation in government. As election officials prepare for elections across the country and continue the difficult work of recruiting and preparing the thousands of people needed to staff polling places, inspire people to offer their time in service of others. Protect those who have faced threats, harassment, or intimidation for carrying out their duties. Grant that all who are entrusted with election administration would act with integrity, that they may fulfill their responsibilities faithfully, impartially, and according to the law. Give them patience amid disagreement, courage in the face of hostility, and respect for every person they serve. Teach us to recognize faithful public service as a contribution to the common good. We ask this in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ, who looked beyond the divisions of his time and welcomed those whom others regarded with suspicion. Amen.
For Disagreement Without Contempt, 9.18.26
God of truth, whose Son taught us to speak with courage and to love even those who oppose us, we pray for our common life in times of political division. Guard us from propaganda and deliberate falsehood, from words meant to humiliate rather than persuade, and from anger that turns disagreement into contempt. Give integrity to candidates, leaders, commentators, and all who shape public debate, that they may speak truthfully and resist exploiting fear for advantage. Teach us to disagree without dehumanizing, to listen without surrendering our convictions, and to debate difficult questions with honesty and respect. When we are tempted to see political opponents as enemies, remind us that they are our neighbors. By your Holy Spirit, make our words instruments of understanding rather than division, and give us the courage to seek truth together, even when we disagree. Through Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh. Amen.
For Those Captured by Fear and Falsehood, 9.25.26
God of truth, whose Son sets us free from all falsehood and leads us to your universal embrace, we pray for those whose fear is being exploited by lies and propaganda on the internet. We grieve when political anxieties are warped into racist hate and violence. We lament when immigrant, minorities, and other communities are made scapegoats for our fears, and when falsehoods spread faster than our willingness to seek the truth. Protect those targeted by hatred and intimidation, and give courage to those who stand beside them. Lord, give us the grace to seek justice without scapegoats. Keep us from the sin of collective blame and teach us to be just stewards of peace as we welcome the stranger and hold each other accountable. Where social media inflames us with distortions of the truth, make us your truth-tellers. Where hatred threatens to divide communities, make us interrupters with good news of peace. Pour out your Holy Spirit upon us and set us free. We ask this through your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
