Among the goals of the leadership formation program at Ascension Health,
St. Louis, is this: that participants will be able to create workplace environments
conducive to prayer and that they will be comfortable in leading prayer. At
a recent leadership formation retreat, executives from throughout the system
practiced composing and leading prayers. Below are some examples from that
workshop. These prayers were shared on an Internet e-learning site used by
the program participants. Thanks to Bill Brinkmann, Ascension's director,
leadership formation, for sharing these prayers with Health Progress
readers.
Good Morning, God:
Sometimes the demands of our daily lives are such that we forget to invite
you to guide us and to work through each of us as your instruments. Today, as
we gather to discuss our operating performance, we ask you to be present in
each of us. Help us to deliberate with openness, wisdom, and thoughtfulness.
Guide us as stewards of your ministry. Amen
Great and loving God:
Thank you for the guiding hand you placed upon each of us as we prepared for
and stood tall during our recent Joint Commission survey. Your love and wisdom
are apparent here, as it was and is reflected in the work of all of us who serve
the needs of the patients you entrust to us. Thank you for the gifts of each
other and the support and encouragement that were offered unfailingly among
all of your servants. We need to be joyful in our prayers of thanksgiving to
you to celebrate our accomplishment for these events. Remind us that you are
indeed a loving God who encourages joy in the workplace. Amen.
Dear God:
I have great tasks ahead of me today, and I know they are far beyond my understanding
or capability. So I must rely on you to give me the strength and ability to
perform that which needs to be done. I know that your grace is with me and that
whatever my need, your grace is sufficient to provide for this day. Amen.
Creator God:
We are all gathered here today with saddened, heavy hearts. We have lost a dear
friend and co-worker. We know she is happy, healthy, and singing with you. We
miss her greatly, her smile, the twinkle in her eye, and the caring way she
took care of others. God be with each of us as we continue our journey here
without her. Help us to carry her memories in our hearts. Be with each of us,
her family, and friends, and help us to feel your love and comfort during this
difficult time. Amen.
Gracious and loving God:
Grant to us the gift of self presence, so that we may also remember to take
at least a few minutes each morning to quietly remember you, and to prune our
tendencies toward over commitment and over involvement. Through this reflection
grant us sufficient perspective that we may see clearly how you would like us
to interact with each other, so that we bring our gifts of service, reverence,
integrity, wisdom, creativity, and dedication in a spirit of openness and compassion,
leaving behind our anxieties, our stress, our need to be right, our angers,
and our fears. Amen.
Loving God:
We ask you for guidance during this difficult transition that our ministry is
undertaking. With the sweet balm of your love, soothe the pain of those who
are suffering at this time. Let them know that their own ministry will continue
to thrive as you guide them to a new institution. Renew in us who remain the
ability to carry on. And lastly, help us to remember that every event has a
season, and that, in time, we will fully understand how this loss will aid the
mission of our ministry. Amen
Copyright © 2004 by the Catholic Health Association of the United States
For reprint permission, contact Betty Crosby or call (314) 253-3477.