God of grace,
Watch over all refugees
Embrace them in the pain
Of their partings.
Into their fear and loss, send love.
Open our eyes that we might
see You in them.
Open our hearts that they might
See You in us.
Open our arms that we might
Welcome refugees to new homes.
As You stretched out Your arms
And invited everyone home.
Amen.
Exodus World Services
Lord God, no one is a stranger to you and no one is ever far from your loving care. In your kindness, watch over refugees and victims of war, those separated from their loved ones, young people who are lost, and those who have left home or who have run away from home. Bring them back safely to the place where they long to be and help us always to show your kindness to strangers and to all in need. Grant this through Christ our Lord.
Catholics Online
Lost in the tempests out on the open seas,
our small boats drift.
We seek for land during endless days and endless nights.We are the foam,
floating on the vast ocean.
We are the dust,
wandering in endless space.
Our cries are lost in the howling wind.Without food, without water,
our children lie exhausted
until they cry no more.
We thirst for our land,
but are turned back from every shore.Our distress signals rise and rise again,
but the passing ships do not stop.
How many boats have perished?
How many families lie beneath the waves?Lord Jesus, do you hear the prayer of our flesh?
Lord, do you hear our voice from the abyss of death?O solid shore, we long for you!
We pray for humankind to be present today!
We pray that hope be given us today,
from any land.
Jesuit Relief Services, Australia
Almighty and merciful God,
whose Son became a refugee
and had no place to call his own;look with mercy on those who today
are fleeing from danger,
homeless and hungry.Bless those who work to bring them relief;
inspire generosity and compassion in all our hearts;
and guide the nations of the world towards that day
when all will rejoice in your Kingdom of justice and of peace;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
An Invitation to Prayer
Compassionate God, make your loving presence felt to refugees, torn from home, family and everything familiar. Warm, especially, the hearts of the young, the old, and the most vulnerable among them. Help them know that you accompany them as you accompanied Jesus, Mary, and Joseph in their exile to Egypt. Lead refugees to a new home and a new hope, as you led the Holy Family to their new home in Nazareth. Open our hearts to receive them as our sisters and brothers in whose face we see your son, Jesus.
United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees
Father of the poor, God of love, you made us all your children; we praise You and thank You. Full us with a sense of justice. Help us in your work, to take the side of the lowly, to defend the newcomer, to welcome the stranger. Help us now to befriend the friendless, protect the weak children, and work for the rights of all. Lord, on our journey home, bring us together in peace, in justice, and in love, through Christ our Lord.
Prayer e-Book
Lord Jesus, when you multiplied the loaves and fishes, you provided more than food for the body, you offered us the gift of yourself, the gift which satisfies every hunger and quenches every thirst! Your disciples were filled with fear and doubt, but you poured out your love and compassion on the migrant crowd, welcoming them as brothers and sisters.
Lord Jesus, today you call us to welcome the members of God’s family who come to our land to escape oppression, poverty, persecution, violence, and war. Like your disciples, we too are filled with fear and doubt and even suspicion. We build barriers in our hearts and in our minds.
Lord Jesus, help us by your grace,
To banish fear from our hearts, that we may embrace each of your children as our own brother and sister;
To welcome migrants and refugees with joy and generosity, while responding to their many needs;
To realize that you call all people to your holy mountain to learn the ways of peace and justice;
To share of our abundance as you spread a banquet before us;
To give witness to your love for all people, as we celebrate the many gifts they bring.
We praise you and give you thanks for the family you have called together from so many people. We see in this human family a reflection of the divine unity of the one Most Holy Trinity in whom we make our prayer: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
US Conference of Catholic Bishops
God of mercy, help us to remember:
Our ancestors came across the seas!
Help us keep in my mind
Those who came long ago
And those who now come to our shores.As we face you in prayer, God of Compassion,
We remember our country’s words:
“Send them back” or “Stop the boats.”
Then we fear, not your anger
But the steady gaze of boundless love
and unlimited compassion
That impel us to hear Jesus’ command:
“Love one another, as I have loved you”
Or Pope Francis’ call to open our hearts
To a universal communion
Which excludes nothing and no one.Daring to step into such relationship, we pray
For those forced to leave family,
home and all they hold dear;
May they find safe passage and helping hands.We pray for an end to the wars and oppression
that forced them to leave;
We pray that those who welcome them
are blessed in abundance.And with deep humility
and a heart hungry for justice,
We pray for us Americans, citizens and leaders,
Open our eyes, our minds and our hearts
That we may see, understand and welcome
our brothers and sisters.May our change of heart penetrate to our beginnings
As strangers in this land.
May we allow those we displaced
– the First People of this land – to welcome us.
Then knowing, in humility, what it is to be welcomed,
We will know how to welcome
the strangers who come to our shores.This we ask in the name of Jesus your Son,
In whom we are no longer strangers. Amen.
A Prayer for Asylum Seekers
Lord,
No one is a stranger to you
and no one is ever far from your loving care.
In your kindness watch over refugees and asylum seekers,
those separated from their loved ones, those who are lost,
and those who have been exiled from their homes.
Bring them safely to the place where they long to be,
and help us always to show your kindness to strangers and those in need.
Prayer for Refugees
O God,
Open our eyes that we may see the needs of others;
Open our ears that we may hear their cries;
Open our hearts that we may feel their anguish and their joy.
Let us not be afraid to defend the oppressed, the poor, the powerless, because of the anger and might of the powerful.
Show us where love and hope and faith are needed, and use us to bring them to those places.
Open our ears and eyes, our hearts and lives, that we may in these coming days be able to do some work of justice and peace for you. Amen.
The Sabeel Center, Jerusalem
Almighty and merciful God, whose Son became a refugee and had no place to call his own;
look with mercy on those who today are fleeing from danger, homeless and hungry.
Bless those who work to bring them relief;
inspire generosity and compassion in all our hearts;
and guide the nations of the world towards that day when all will rejoice in your commonwealth of justice and of peace;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Sabeel Center, Jerusalem
O God:
You bring hope out of emptiness, energy out of fear, new life out of grief and loss.
As Mary returned to mourn yet found unspeakable joy, so comfort all who have lost their homes
through persecution, war, exile, or deliberate destruction.
Give them security, a place to live, and neighbors they trust to be, with them,
a new sign of peace to the world. Amen
The Sabeel Center, Jerusalem
Prayer for Refugees and Victims of War
Lord God, no one is a stranger to you and no one is ever far from your loving care. In your kindness, watch over refugees and victims of war, those separated from their loved ones, young people who are lost, and those who have left home or who have run away from home. Bring them back safely to the place where they long to be and help us always to show your kindness to strangers and to all in need. Grant this through Christ our Lord
Catholics Online
Prayer for Refugees
Dear Lord,
You know what it means to be a refugee. Let us be those people who bring comfort, food and water, and an encouraging word to those fleeing for their lives. Help us to remember your words, “whatever you did it unto these people who are the least of my brothers or sisters, you did it unto me.”
Click on these links for more prayers:
The Forward Movement of the Episcopalian Church