It’s being reported by multiple outlets that a deal to avert the fiscal cliff is “within sight.” The specifics are still a bit murky, but if the president and congressional leaders come to an agreement, let it not be said that prayer didn’t have something to do with it.

During a pro-forma session of the House of Representatives last Thursday (video of which can be found here) Congressional Chaplain Fr. Patrick Conroy offered the following prayer:

God of all creation, we give You thanks for giving us another day

As this Chamber lies silent still, we pray for hope, as many Americans experience anxiety about their future

Send a spirit of wisdom and good judgment upon the leaders of Congress, that they might forge a solution to assuage the concerns of their fellow citizens

Send us your spirit so that there might be peace on earth and goodwill among all men and women

May all that is done this day be for Your greater honor and glory

Amen

It is interesting to note that of the fifty-two chaplains who have overseen the House of Representatives, only two have been Roman Catholic priests: Fr. Daniel Coughlin (2000) and Fr. Patrick Conroy (2011).

Congressional Chaplains receive approximately five seconds of media coverage during their entire tenure, but the role they play, spiritually speaking, is enormous.

Fr. Conroy, by the way, was ordained a priest in 1983 and hails Oregon, where he was a teacher, adviser and coach at Jesuit High School in Beaverton. More info on him can be found here.