WASHINGTON — A Mormon apostle asked God to grant his grace and favor to President Trump and all of the nation's leaders during the presidential inaugural prayer service on Saturday morning at the Washington National Cathedral.
Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints offered the prayer for civil leaders, one of two dozen prayers and readings presented during the service by Jewish, Muslim, Catholic, Native American and evangelical representatives and other spiritual leaders.
Trump and Vice President Mike Pence attended the interfaith service. Trump shook hands with Elder Christofferson after the event.
"O, Lord, our Heavenly Father, whose glory is in all the world," Elder Christofferson prayed. "We commend this nation to thy merciful care, that, being guarded by thy Providence, we may dwell secure in thy peace.
"Grant to Donald John Trump, president of the United States, and to all in authority, thy grace and favor," he continued. "Give them wisdom and strength to know and to do thy will. Endue them with thy heavenly gifts. Fill them with the love of truth and righteousness, and make them ever mindful of their calling to serve this people in thy fear; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end."
The prayer was unusual to Mormon ears.
In fact, the Washington Post — in a story headlined in part with a phrase from his prayer — "Grant Donald Trump … thy grace and favor" — noted that Elder Christofferson "read a prayer adapted from an Episcopal text read at George Washington’s inaugural service rather than a Mormon text."
Mormons rarely use prepared texts for prayers. Elder Christofferson also ended the prayer in the name of Christ, but the wording was unconventional for a Latter-day Saint.
The reason is that he used the exact same prayer given 12 years ago to the day at the second presidential inaugural prayer service for George W. Bush. The speaker that day was Bishop G.E. Patterson, presiding bishop of the Church of God in Christ in Memphis, Tennessee.
Patterson adapted the prayer both from the "Book of Common Prayer 1979" and from "A Prayer for our Civil Rulers," which was read at President George Washington’s inaugural prayer service in 1789.
Elder Christofferson inserted Trump's name. He also made one alteration typical of Mormon prayer; he changed you and your to thee and thy.
And, yes, he did use the word "endue." It is an archaic form of endow.
"There was a wide variety of faiths represented, and it was an honor for us to be included," Elder Christofferson said in a news release. "I felt the church was recognized and honored and that the prayers for the nation were heartfelt — that our leaders would be wise and Spirit-guided. It was a wonderful unity of spirit, unity in behalf of our leadership and for the good of the country."
The faith leaders prayed or read from the Bible or other holy texts during the service.
They included the Hon. Carlyle Begay, Navajo Nation; the Rt. Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, bishop of Washington, Episcopal Church; the Rt. Rev. James B. Magness, bishop suffragan for Federal Ministries, Episcopal Church; the Rev. Randall Marshall Hollerith, dean, Washington National Cathedral, Episcopal Church; Cantor Mikhail Manevich, Washington Hebrew Congregation; Rabbi Fred Raskind, Temple Bet Yam, St. Augustine, Florida; Alveda King, pastoral associate, Priests for Life, Atlanta; Bishop Harry Jackson, Hope Christian Church, Beltsville, Maryland; priest Narayanachar L. Dialakote, Sri Siva Vishnu Temple, Lanham, Maryland; and Imam Mohamed Magid, All Dulles Area Muslim Society Center, Sterling, Virginia.
Others who participated were Sajid Tarar, Baltimore; Pastor Greg Laurie, Harvest Christian Fellowship, Riverside, California; Jack Graham, Prestonwood Baptist Church, Plano, Texas; His Eminence Geron Archbishop Demetrios of America, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America; the Rev. Canon Rosemarie Logan Duncan, canon of worship, Washington National Cathedral, Episcopal Church; David Jeremiah, Shadow Mountain Community Church, El Cajon, California; the Rev. Ronnie Floyd, Cross Church, Springdale, Arkansas; David Swanson, First Presbyterian Church, Orlando, Florida; Jesse Singh, chairman of the Board of Sikh Associations of Baltimore; Ian McIlraith, Soka Gakkai International, Los Angeles; Anthony Vance, National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States; Cissie Graham Lynch, Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Charlotte, North Carolina; and Pastor Ramiro Pena, Christ the King Baptist Church, Waco, Texas.