A Prayer Service After a Tragedy

How do we teach after a tragedy? What is the best way to pray for the victims of a tragedy?

People respond in so many different ways. Our students may not know how to respond especially if the tragedy affected them personally or affected their community.

Our goal in the wake of a tragedy is to cultivate compassion.

Compassion means literally to suffer (passion) with (com) someone. A compassionate response is to feel the pain of others and share it with them. It is through compassion that we can help those who suffer find healing.

As Christians, the natural response to a tragedy is to feel compassion for the victims and their families. That compassion leads us to pray on their behalf. It is an experience of charity, first “charity” as the virtue of love and then “charity” in the form of donations of time or treasure if helpful. No matter what we do to act in response, it must always come from a place of compassion.

Sometimes students need help in responding appropriately. I explain this further in this video:

I wish I had a better tool to help cultivate compassion. After a long time searching online, I couldn’t find the perfect prayer. There probably isn’t a perfect prayer. In the wake of this week’s tragedies, I found these two prayers that might be helpful:

• Sad, tired, and angry: A prayer in the face of gun violence (Fr. James Martin, S. J.)
• Prayer in a Time of Tragedy (Association of the Miraculous Medal)

The following prayer service is meant to be used in class or to at least inspire some ideas for your own form of prayer after a tragedy. Remember, the purpose is to cultivate compassion in our students. That’s the goal. The more compassion they feel, the more they will respond like the Christians they are meant to be.

Prayer Service After Tragedy

[Download the printable version here.]

Sign of the Cross 

Presider: 

Lord, we gather in your name today after the tragic events in __________. Our hearts go out to the victims and all those who have experienced loss.

Reader: 

A reading from the Gospel according to Luke.

[Read the parable of the Good Samaritan: Luke 10:29-37. Find it here on the USCCB website.]

Presider: 

We pray for all those who lost their lives during this tragedy. We pray for [insert the names of people who have died and state their names slowly, pausing and praying for each individual person]. May they find peace in your heavenly kingdom.

We pray for their families who are suffering pain from the loss of a loved one. May they find comfort and courage to face this pain in your loving presence.

We pray for the first responders and those who helped during and immediately after the tragedy. May their work be an inspiration for us all to act like the Good Samaritan in service to others.

We pray also for those responsible for this tragedy. May the Lord’s justice and mercy lead them to repentance.

Let us end by joining together in praying the words that Jesus taught us:

Our Father 

Amen

[Download and print.]