Prayer offered for Kennedy at Capitol

(NECN: Washington, D.C.) – The hearse carrying the remains of Senator Edward M. Kennedy stopped near the steps of the Senate where thousands of people gathered Saturday evening to pay final respects to the senator from Massachusetts. Around 1,000 current and former congressional staff members gathered to honor Sen. Kennedy. Reverend Daniel Coughlin, chaplin for the House of Representatives, offered a prayer for the senator: “Though in the sight of people, Your servant, Senator Ted Kennedy suffered greatly and took on enormous tasks, Lord, You knew his hopes were unquenchable, full of immortality. You knew his strengths and his limitations. He knew You, Lord. He knew You could use anyone or anything to accomplish Your purpose and draw people closer together. Grounded in faith, fashioned by family values and once expanded to a world vision, contemplative leadership would draw staff and friends to new depths of human understanding. Embraced with compassion such a vision would inspire people to believe peace and justice will conquer violence and division and competition may be converted to collaboration. Although burned by the weight of his passing, Lord, help his co-workers and collaborators, raise the torch of his convictions and commitments for a new generation yet to be born or to all those still untouched by the social responsibility inherent in every aspect of human freedom. Faithful servant of the people and long-time spokesman for government by the people, go now to your place of rest and meet the Lord your God. We thank you, Lord, for the short time You have given us to work together, to be together. To You be all honor, power, glory and praise–now and forever. Amen.”