John Carroll wrote this prayer around the year 1800.
As Election Day approaches in the United States, the polarized rhetoric and partisan vitriol emanating from the news networks and on social media is sure to reach a fever pitch. In these times of division, strife, and momentous change in our country, it is even more important for American Catholics to be humble witnesses for peaceful and constructive dialogue, no matter what our political leanings. We should pray for our country, its political leaders, and its government institutions.
The following is an abridged form of the “Prayer for the Government of the United States of America,” composed about the year 1800 by John Carroll, the first Catholic bishop of the newly independent United States.
