Amidst ceremony and tradition, the 60th U.S. Presidential Inauguration and a Washington National Cathedral service the following morning attended by President Donald Trump featured prayers for the nation and for elected officials.
The January 20 inauguration ceremony included prayers led by both evangelical and Roman Catholic clergy, while the prayer service held at the Episcopal cathedral had neither. Instead, the cathedral event, styled “A Service of Prayer for the Nation” began with a Native American invocation, and featured Buddhist and Hindu prayers, in addition to an Islamic call to prayer. The full service program is viewable here [1].
Mainline Protestant figures entirely absent from the inaugural program were prominent at the Episcopal cathedral service: United Methodist Baltimore-Washington Bishop LaTrelle Easterling led Prayers of the People while Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Metropolitan Washington Synod Bishop Leila M. Ortiz and Presbyterian Church USA National Capital General Presbyter John Molina-Moore offered prayers for those who govern.
Episcopal Diocese of Washington Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde preached, directly addressing the President from the pulpit.
Budde asked Trump “to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now.” The Episcopal Church bishop said that some gay, lesbian and transgender people “fear for their lives” and that immigrant children “fear their parents will be taken away.”
The bishop’s comments were provided to Religion News Service in advance, which published a story before the service concluded.
Budde has a history of direct criticism [2] of Trump. In a June 2020 interview following the President’s bible-waving appearance [3] before St. John’s Episcopal Church, Budde stated [4] “I’ve given up speaking to President Trump. We need to replace President Trump.”
Prayers offered by spiritual leaders from Jewish, Catholic, and Protestant traditions in the earlier U.S. Capitol ceremony sought God’s blessing over the nation and the incoming administration. New York Archbishop Timothy Cardinal Dolan and prominent American Evangelist Franklin Graham offered invocations. At the conclusion of Trump’s Inauguration, benediction prayers were led by Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman, Pastor Lorenzo Sewell, and Dolan.
In opening the prayers, Dolan [5] recalled God’s sovereignty and our dependence upon him for wisdom. The following is a transcript of his invocation.
“Be still and know that I am God, Supreme among the nations, Supreme on the earth. Let us pray.
Remembering General George Washington on his knees at Valley Forge; recalling Abraham Lincoln at his second inaugural: ‘With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right;’ remembering General George Patton’s instructions to his soldiers as they began the Battle of the Bulge eight decades ago: ‘Pray. Pray when fighting. Pray alone. Pray with others. Pray by night. Pray by day.’
Observing the birthday of the Reverend Martin Luther King, who warned: ‘Without God, our efforts turn to ashes.’ We, blessed citizens of this one nation under God, humbled by our claim that ‘In God We Trust,’ gather indeed this inauguration day to pray for our president, Donald J. Trump, his family, his advisors, his cabinet, his aspirations, his vice president; for the Lord’s blessings upon Joseph Biden; for our men and women in uniform; for each other, whose hopes are stoked this new year, this inauguration day.
We cannot err in relying upon that prayer from the Bible upon which our president will soon place his hand in oath, as we make our own the supplications of King Solomon for wisdom as he began his governance:
God of our fathers, in Your wisdom, You set man to govern Your creatures, to govern in holiness and justice, to render justice with integrity. Give our leader wisdom, for he is Your servant, aware of his own weakness and brevity of life. If wisdom, which comes not from You, be not with him, he shall be held in no esteem. Send wisdom from the heavens, that she may be with him, that he may know Your designs.
Please, God, bless America. Please mend her every flaw. You are the God in whom we trust, who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.”
Immediately following, Evangelist Franklin Graham delivered an invocation for President Trump highlighting God’s blessings, power, and control. Graham, who serves as president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, is among the more prominent American evangelical leaders, known for global tours preaching the Gospel. Beginning with a direct address to Trump, the following is a transcript of the prayer.
“Mr. President, the last four years there were times I’m sure you thought it was pretty dark, but look what God has done. We praise him and give him glory. Let us pray.
Our Father and our God, thou has said, ‘Blessed is the nation whose god is the Lord.’ As the prophet Daniel prayed, blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and might are his. He changes the times and the seasons. He removes kings, he raises up kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.
Our Father, today as President Donald J. Trump takes the oath of office once again, we come to say thank you, oh Lord our God. Father, when Donald Trump’s enemies thought he was down and out, you and you alone saved his life and raised him up with strength and power by your mighty hand.
We pray for President Trump, that you’ll watch over, protect, guide, direct him, give him your wisdom from your throne on high. We ask that you would bless him and that our nation would be blessed through him. We also ask that you would bless and protect Melania, his first lady. We thank you for the beauty, the warmth, and grace that she shows not only to this nation, but to the whole world.
We thank you for Vice President-elect JD Vance and his wife Usha, and their young family. May he be a strength to President Trump to stand beside him to hold up his arms, like Aaron held up the arms of Moses in the midst of battle. The prophet Samuel reminded the people it was you who brought them up from the land of Egypt and he said now, ‘Stand still, that I may reason with you before the Lord.’ So Father, we take this moment to stand still to remember the great things that you have done for this nation.
Thank you for the protection, the bounty, the freedoms that we so enjoy. We remember to keep our eyes fixed on you and may our hearts be inclined to your voice. We know that America can never be great again if we turn our backs on you.
We ask for your help, and we pray all of this in the name of the Kings of Kings, the Lord of Lords, your Son, my Savior and our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Amen.”
Following President Trump’s inauguration speech, three spiritual leaders offered prayers of Benediction: Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman, Lorenzo Sewell, and Rev. Fr. Frank Mann.
Berman [6], president of Yeshiva University, prayed reminding America of its core values, its divine providence, and the American and Israeli hostages in the Middle East. The following is a transcript of his benediction.
“Let us pray. Almighty God, your prophet Jeremiah walked the streets of Jerusalem and blessed its inhabitants with the Hebrew words: בָּרוּךְ הַגֶּבֶר אֲשֶׁר יִבְטַח בַּה׳, Blessed is the one who trusts in God. Thousands of years later, this great nation, which adopted these words as its motto—In God We Trust—stands at a moment of historic opportunity. Americans are searching for meaning.
Our merciful Father, help us rise to meet this moment. Bless President Donald J. Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance with the strength and courage to choose the right and the good. Unite us around our foundational biblical values of life and liberty, of service and sacrifice, and especially of faith and morality, which George Washington called the ‘indispensable supports of American prosperity.’
Guide our schools and college campuses, which have been experiencing such unrest, to inspire the next generation to pair progress with purpose, knowledge with wisdom, and truth with virtue.
Hear the cry of the hostages, both American and Israeli, whose pain our President so acutely feels. We are so thankful for the three young women who yesterday returned home and pray that the next four years brings peace to Israel and throughout the Middle East.
Almighty God, grant all Americans the opportunity to realize our shared dream of a life filled with peace and plenty, health and happiness, compassion and contribution. Stir within us the confidence to rise to this moment, for while we trust in God, God’s trust is in us—the American people.
America is called to greatness, to be a beacon of light and a mover of history. May our nation merit the fulfillment of Jeremiah’s blessing that like a tree planted by water, we shall not cease to bear fruit.
May all of humanity experience your love and your blessing. May it be Thy will, and let us say, Amen.”
Immediately following, Lorenzo Sewell [7], a pastor from the non-denominational 180 Church in Detroit, gave a spirited benediction that drew heavily from Martin Luther King Jr. The following is a transcript of the prayer.
“Let us pray for our 47th president.
Heavenly Father, we’re so grateful that you gave our 45th and now our 47th president a millimeter miracle. We are grateful that you are the one who has called him for such a time as this, that America would begin to dream again.
We pray that we would fulfill the true meaning of our creed: that we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. We pray that you use our president so that we may live in a nation where we will not be judged by the color of our skin but by the content of our character.
Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus, we are so grateful today that you will use our 47th president so we would sing with new meaning:
My country, ’tis of thee,
Sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.
Land where my fathers died,
Land of the pilgrims’ pride,
From every mountainside, let freedom ring.
And because America is called to be a great nation, we believe that you will make this come true. So, let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania. Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado. Let freedom ring from the curvaceous hilltops of California.
But God, we’re asking you not only that. Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia. Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee. Let freedom ring from every hill and every molehill in Mississippi, from every state, every city, every village, and every hamlet.
And when we let freedom ring, we will be able to speed up that day when all of your children—black men and white men, Protestant and Catholic, Jew and Gentile—will be able to sing in the meaning of that old Negro spiritual:
Free at last! Free at last!
Thank you, God Almighty, we are free at last!
If you believe that where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty, come on, put your hands together and give your great God great glory.”
Lastly, Rev Fr. Frank Mann [8], a retired priest from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, led a benediction focusing on collaboration, unity, and praying God will use America’s leaders to protect the vulnerable. The following is a transcript of his prayer.
“Almighty and eternal God, we gather here today in reverence, joined in our shared hopes and dreams for our beloved nation.
In this sacred moment of the inauguration of President Donald J. Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance, we turn our hearts to You, seeking Your divine assistance and abundant blessings upon this pivotal moment in history.
We come before You with profound gratitude for the many gifts You have bestowed upon our land. Thank You for the freedoms we cherish, for the strength of our communities, and for the resilience of our spirit.
As our president and vice president embrace their newly appointed roles, we humbly implore that Your everlasting love and wisdom will envelop them. Grant them the clarity of mind to navigate the challenges that lie ahead and the compassion to serve all citizens with fairness and integrity.
May their hearts be filled with a giving spirit and sincere understanding for those whom they represent. May they be beacons of hope in times of uncertainty and prophetic voices in defending the dignity of all created life.
We pray for a spirit of collaboration to flourish in our government and across our nation, fostering an environment where dialogue and heartfelt listening will prevail over division or discord. May each decision made by our president and vice president reflect the values of justice and peace.
As we embark on this new chapter, we also seek Your comfort, O God, for those who feel lost or disheartened. In this time of transition, may Your light shine upon them, reaffirming their belief in a brighter tomorrow.
May we all strive to lift one another, supporting our fellow citizens with kindness and empathy, recognizing that together we can overcome any adversity. Grant us the strength to endure, the courage to face our fears, and the clarity to see the light that remains even when clouds of uncertainty may gather.
Inspire our new leaders to be champions for the vulnerable and advocates for those whose voices are often silenced. May they pursue policies that promote the well-being of all, seeking to build bridges that will foster unity and belonging.
As we stand witness to this inauguration, we hold fast to our faith in the goodness of each of us and the possibility of change. We trust that, with Your guidance, O God, our nation can move forward to a future filled with promise, prosperity, and understanding.
And finally, we lift our hearts in gratitude for the beloved parents of President Trump. Without Mary and Fred Trump, this day would never be the miracle that has just begun. From their place in heaven, may they shield their son from all harm by their loving protection and give him the strength to guide our nation along the path that will make America great again.
Let us go forth now with these words of President Trump emblazoned on our hearts: ‘As long as we have pride in our beliefs, courage in our convictions, and faith in our God, then we will not fail. We stand tall. We stand proud. Because we are Americans, and Americans kneel to God and to God alone.’
Amen.”
More from IRD:
DC Riots and Bishop Mariann Budde’s Selective Episcopal Outrage [2]
DC Episcopal Bishop Critical of Trump to Pray at Democratic Convention [9]
Religious Left Calls for ‘Third Reconstruction’ at Inaugural Prayer Service [10]