Last Updated on October 31, 2024 by Kittredge Cherry
A LGBTQIA+ prayer was written for All Saints Day by Q Spirit founder Kittredge Cherry and John De Witt, a gay Episcopalian in Melbourne, Australia.
Their “LGBTQIA+ Community Prayer of Thanks, Reflection and Courage” focuses on saints, but is suitable for use on All Saints Day (Nov. 1), Pride Month or at any time throughout the year.
Cherry is co-editor of “Equal Rites,” a collection of 50 LGBTQ liturgies by 30 spiritual leaders from diverse Protestant and Catholic traditions. De Witt was an administrator of the LGBTIQA+ Interfaith group “Faithfully Yours Australia” on Facebook. He passed away on Dec. 10, 2023. “May he rest with the saints that he celebrated in our prayer,” Cherry said.
LGBTQIA+ Community Prayer of Thanks, Reflection and Courage
We, the people of faith within in the LGBTQIA+ community, give thanks to the many saints, martyrs, and those religious institutions that have crystalized Christ’s teachings throughout centuries to today for our further growth and our inclusion.
We are grateful that they teach us love, respect, social justice and inclusivity for all humanity, that there be no marginalized, disenfranchised, harmed and abused persons left behind, and that we too are called to ensure all persons are to be loved and nurtured.
Let us and others reflect upon our past and current strife, tribulation, sacrifices and see celebration of solid advancements within those institutions that can provide us the needed springboard to overcome remaining discriminations for all.
Let us pray with thanks, for Christ’s teachings and for clarifications by many saints, martyrs and others, that we as LGBTIQA+ persons, are indeed a part of God’s glorious spectrum of creation.
Let us pray with thanks for the many that have bravely stood up for us in the past and those now working to get more faiths genuinely welcoming and meaningfully including us, making lives more enriched and celebrating all that is creation.
May we have the courage to stand up and speak out for not only our life dreams, but for those of others also in need. Amen.
Links related to LGBTQ Saints
Litany of Queer Saints from Q Spirit
Why we need LGBTQ saints by Kittredge Cherry
LGBTQ Saints Facebook group from Q Spirit
Calendar of LGBTQ Saints from Q Spirit
LGBTQ-friendly memorial for All Saints, All Souls and Day of the Dead
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This post is part of the LGBTQ Saints series by Kittredge Cherry. Traditional and alternative saints, people in the Bible, LGBT and queer martyrs, authors, theologians, religious leaders, artists, deities and other figures of special interest to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people and our allies are covered.
This article was originally published on Q Spirit in October 2020 and updated on Oct. 31, 2024.
Copyright © Kittredge Cherry. All rights reserved.
Qspirit.net presents the Jesus in Love Blog on LGBTQ spirituality.
