InterAksyon.com
The online news portal of TV5
MANILA, Philippines - Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle on Thursday asked Catholics to pray for deliverance from calamities as non-stop monsoon rains pour on Metro Manila and nearby provinces.
Tagle ordered all priests to relay the oratio imperata, a mandatory prayer for special intention on top of the ritual prayers during masses.
"The Archbishop of Manila His Excellency Most Rev. Luis Antonio G. Tagle requests that we pray kneeling down the following Oratio Imperata in our Masses," his letter said.
Tagle, who is currently in the United States and would be back on Friday, said that the prayer must be uttered after the Post-Communion Prayer, Holy Hours, celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours, and the praying of the rosary.
Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines secretary Monsignor Joselito Asis, on the other hand, said that the faithful can pray this again for good weather.
The prayer was first said in the Diocese of Legazpi in 2009 after the province of Albay was severely damaged by a series of super typhoons.
Asis said the prayer is needed, considering the damage the continuous rains brought to various parts of the country.
The prayer
Almighty Father, we raise our hearts to You
in gratitude for the wonders of creation of which we are part,
for Your providence in sustaining us in our needs,
and for Your wisdom that guides the course of the universe.
We acknowledge our sins against You and the rest of creation.
We have not been good stewards of Nature.
We have confused Your command to subdue the earth.
The environment is made to suffer our wrongdoing,
and now we reap the harvest of our abuse and indifference.
Typhoons, heavy rains and floods occur in increasing number and intensity.
We turn to You, our loving Father, and beg forgiveness for our sins.
We ask that we, our loved ones and our hard earned possessions
be spared from the threat of calamities, natural and man-made.
We beseech You to inspire us all to grow
into responsible stewards of Your creation,
and generous neighbors to those in need.
Amen.
Past prayers
During the past years, the Catholic Church has released an oratio imperata for deliverance from calamities during El Nino crisis and another in its campaign against the Reproductive Health Bill.
To recall, typhoon “Gener” killed at least 53 people while the three-day heavy rains resulted in the death of 19 others.
Social Welfare and Development Secretary Corazon Juliano Soliman said 149,050 people are holed up in 294 evacuation centers and 244,424 others outside the temporary shelters.
In Metro Manila, 16,503 families or 77,918 people were affected by continuous rains and flooding. There are 68,372 temporarily billeted in 107 evacuation centers.
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