Tonight when I watch the RNC I will be holding two things: a) a glass of wine, and 2) the Rosary of Modern Sorrows. I have a large collection of rosaries that have been given to me by my husband, Priests, friends, and some I picked up because I wanted to support the people that made them. Why I want a glass of wine should be obvious, but the Rosary of Modern Sorrows is different. I like it because it represents what I think are the issues we need to address to make America a better and more equitable community. 

I will pray this rosary for all people that have turned a blind eye to caging children, denying access to refugees, or discrimination against those who are LGBTQ. I pray for those that don’t understand Black Lives Matter, believe people chose poverty, and refuse to see the harm that is being done to our environment. 

Rosary of Modern Sorrows

We pray for the lives of women and their children, born and unborn, and the unjust societal structures that steal hope, healthcare, and economic security from these, our most vulnerable mothers.

We pray for mother earth, our fragile environment, the animals, land, and oceans entrusted to our stewardship and care.

We pray for immigrants, refugees, Dreamers, and all who seek a life free from violence and the threat of death and abuse. May we imagine ourselves in their place, knowing we would do anything to secure safety for ourselves and our families.

We pray for those discriminated against because of the color of their skin. We pray for those who are caught in the school-to-prison pipeline, trapped by corporations that gain financially from incarceration. We pray for our innate biases, that we may recognize these and then choose to move beyond them. We pray for awareness of the attitudes and structures that remain from our history of slavery.

We pray for a welcoming of LGBTQ people by all churches, temples, mosques, and synagogues. We pray for LGBTQ couples, their children, and extended families. We pray that they may be supported and loved, with full acceptance as people truly created in the image of God, a creation that God saw as “good”, and who deserve to live every aspect of life to the fullest.