The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minn., is calling on Catholics in his diocese to recite a special prayer during mass to promote passage of an anti-gay marriage amendment to the Minnesota state constitution.
“Much rides on the success of our struggle to defend marriage,” said Twin Cities Archbishop John Nienstedt, who made the plea in a letter posted on the archdiocese’s website.
To help assist in the strengthening of our state-wide efforts to defend marriage in our civil constitution, I am pleased to offer to your community of faith the enclosed prayer.
Heavenly Father,
Through the powerful intercession of the Holy Family, grant to this local Church the many graces we need to foster, strengthen, and support faith-filled, holy marriages and holy families.
May the vocation of married life, a true calling to share in your own divine and creative life, be recognized by all believers as a source of blessing and joy, and a revelation of your own divine goodness.
Grant to us all the gift of courage to proclaim and defend your plan for marriage, which is the union of one man and one woman in a lifelong, exclusive relationship of loving trust, compassion, and generosity, open to the conception of children.
We make our prayer through Jesus Christ, who is Lord forever and ever. Amen.
Nienstedt has also asked Catholics of the Archdiocese to “embrace Fridays as a particular day of prayer and sacrifice for the success of this most current struggle to defend marriage with our civil constitution.”
It’s the latest effort by Minnesota church leaders urging Catholics to support passage of the proposed amendment, which calls for a constitutional ban on gay marriage.
Never Miss a Beat
Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights.
In October, Nienstedt urged church pastors to form ad-hoc committees in their parishes to “marshal resources” and “vigorously organize and support a grass-roots effort to get out the vote to support the passage of this amendment.”
Last year, Nienstedt mailed 800,000 Catholic households a DVD defending marriage as between one man and one woman.
