In her March 17, 2020 “COVID-19 and Us” article in the Anglican Journal, our Primate,
Archbishop Linda Nicholls invites us to pray with her the following prayer each day:
God of compassion and mercy,
We lift our hearts to you in thanksgiving:
for your never-failing presence with us at all times, in all circumstances
for the gifts of this world that lift our hearts to see beauty and hope—the sun, moon and
stars; the promise of spring; the beauty of creation; the bonds of community in friends and
family and church
for the promise of Holy Week and Easter that nothing is stronger than your love for us
May our gratitude strengthen us in hope as we lift to you these for whom we pray:
All who are ill at this time with the COVID-19 virus
All health care workers sacrificially serving our communities
All in quarantine and self-isolation, especially those who are lonely and disconnected from
any to offer comfort
All who are homeless and vulnerable
All who continue to serve to provide food and shelter to those in need
All who are now unemployed due to closures and cancellations; those who are
underemployed or job insecure
All leaders who must make critical decisions at the right moment for the good of the whole
community that they may be strong, courageous and thoughtful
All families coping with quarantine or isolation and the fears children absorb
All refugees around the world, stranded with few supports and capacity to be socially distant
All areas of the world where the emergence of this virus will be an unbearable strain on
inadequate or inaccessible medical care
We pray for your healing grace to be at work in and through us; in and through the gifts of
medical science and in and through our parish communities. May your light and grace
continue to be known in the darkest of times through us. We pray with confidence and hope
in the name of Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen.
A Prayer of Thanksgiving for Lent
(From the Book of Alternative Services, Anglican Church of Canada, page 64, reproduced there from
“Praise God in Song. ©1979 by G.I.A. Publications, Inc., Chicago, Illinois. All rights reserved. )
Blessed are you, O Lord our God, the shepherd of Israel, their pillar of
cloud by day, their pillar of fire by night.
In these forty days you lead us into the desert of repentance that in
this pilgrimage of prayer we might learn to be your people once more.
In fasting and service you bring us back to your heart. You open our
eyes to your presence in the world and you free our hands to lead
others to the radiant splendour of your mercy.
Be with us in these journey days for without you we are lost and will
perish. To you alone be dominion and glory, for ever and ever. Amen.