September 15 – October 15 is a month long period to celebrate National Hispanic Heritage. Today, we recognize the need to learn more about these rich cultures and to celebrate all that they have given to our history and the arts. Will you pray with us?
God of all peoples and nations, Dios de todo el mundo —
We praise you for your creativity made manifest in the gifts of tribes, ethnicities and cultures across the world. Each one bears your mark of goodness and grace.
We especially praise you and thank you for your children with Hispanic heritage – the descendants of Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central and South America.
We find you in the beauty of their art, the joy of their song and their commitment to la comunidad.
We hear you in their call for a more just world – one of solidarity and liberation. We know you better because of the witness of their faith, may their faith and ours be bound together by your love in convivimiento — that spirit of unity, respect and empathy for which there is no substitute.
Keep all those with Hispanic heritage in your care, hold them in your love and make us fierce advocates and allies for welcome, inclusion and the common good.
We pray with Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, patroness of all the Americas.
Amen.
(published on the Catholic Health Association website)
Creator God,
We thank You for our wondrous diversity, for our cultures,
traditions and languages, for all the ways we celebrate our
humanity and praise Your divinity. We value all peoples,
and in this time, we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month.
May we remember in our churches the leaders, teachers,
and theologians that have been part of our Christian faith tradition.
May we continue to hear from diverse voices that speak the truth
of God’s love, peace and justice for all peoples. Guide is in ways of
new understandings to build a more inclusive church. In the name
of Christ Jesus, our Savior, Redeemer and Friend, we pray. Amen.
-Rev. Mindi Welton-Mitchell