PRAYING FOR ALL IN NEED AND FOR IMMIGRANTS IN OUR MIDST: REFUGEE SUPPORT TEAM – NAUSET INTERFAITH ASSOCIATION OCTOBER 2026
2 1st ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEATH OF REV. KENNETH CAMPBELL
Father Campbell died at the very place of his birth 84 years prior, Cape Cod Hospital. His Funeral was celebrated in the same Church of the Holy Spirit (Orleans) in which he was ordained a priest for the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts 55 years prior. That ministry called him to other churches in Massachusetts, but we knew him here as the quintessential priest of this place, who knew well the needs and aspirations of all on the Lower and Outer Cape. With Rev. Sally Norris (Federated Church of Orleans) and Rev. Wesley Williams (United Methodist Church of Orleans), Ken founded the Nauset Interfaith Association. Over the next 24 years, he led it as president and then as treasurer. Those of us active in NIA invite all to pray for his family, for all who loved him, and for the poor andmarginalized to whom he dedicated NIA.
4 800th ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEATH OF ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI:
On this date in 1226, the deacon Francis of Assisi died. In his short life, the movement he founded – for a fresh incarnation of the perennial ideals of community and of evangelical poverty – spread through many lands of Europe. One way to honor his legacy this month is to pray his Canticle of Creation, in the material below. Composed late in his life, it celebrates our intimate relationship with all of creation. One can also sing a version of it, by going to “All Creatures of Our God and KIng.”
12 OUR LADY OF APARACEIDA: A national civic holiday in Brazil, this day recalls a local title for Mary, the Mother of Jesus. Its celebration extends into expatriate communities, such as in Hyannis. Brazilians everywhere remember the sacred story – fishing in a river in 1717, three men found a small statue of a woman. Bringing it to land, miracles took place as it was understood to be an image of Mary.19 24 Successive shrines (near Sao Paulo) built to house the image led to the 1980 dedication of the second-largest church in the world (45,000 capacity).
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COLUMBUS DAY: Historically, it’s a strong pro-immigrant holiday. In 1891, a New Orleans mob lynched 11 Italian immigrants. Italy protested in the strongest of terms, so the next year, President Benjamin Harrison proclaimed the first national Columbus Day. Hewas very explicit on this being a response to the murder of Italian immigrants.
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INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ DAY
Of course, many civic jurisdictions have changed the name and intent – eschewing Columbus as representing colonial power. Forlocal history and added playlists on local Wampanoag, see the videos of six years ago – google “eastham 400″, or go to https://easthamthefirstencounter.org . For broader-based reports and educational materials, see the UN website for the global “Indigenous Peoples’ Day” on August 9. https://www.unesco.org/en/days/worlds-indigenous-peoples
JAMAICA: NATIONAL HEROES DAY: On the third Monday of October, this holiday celebrates seven heroes of Jamaican history and often honors those considered to be living heroes in each locality. For others on Cape Cod, this listing reminds us to celebrate the presence of Jamaicans in our midst.
UNITED NATIONS DAY: On this day, 81 years ago, representatives of many nations signed the UN Charter. Barely two months after V-J Day, and five months after V-E Day, the desire for such a peace-keeping association was intense. Most or all of the faith traditions represented in NIA have worked for and prayed for a strong UN and all its agencies. The day can remind all to connect with the UN through its website – www.un.org . See also its important agencies and commissions, eg spend a few minutes appreciating the UN refugee agency, the High Commissioner of Refugees www.unhcr.org
25 OBSERVANCE OF THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE NAUSET INTERFAITH ASSOCIATION: A few days after 9/11, three pastors in Orleans joined a thousand other residents at Eldrege Park in a memorial prayer gathering. From that moment, they resolved to meet other religious leaders regularly for support and action. That group expanded, including lay leaders too. Eventually, it took on more organized forms and included congregations, their representatives, and community members committed to social justice work. Thus Nauset Interfaith Association, as it came to be known, was born from tragedy and trauma. May it ever evolve into an association of reconciliation, peace, and justice. The anniversary is being observed in two ways: On 9/11, association members participated in their towns’ remembrance gatherings.
On 10/25, at Brewster Baptist Church, 4:00pm, a social gathering will allow all members and friends to celebrate, by looking back and looking ahead.
SACRED SCRIPTURE
Leviticus 19: 32-36
Deuteronomy 24: 17-22
Earliest codes for holiness and wholeness.
Psalm 75 & Psalm 85
Songs for peace in our world
Psalm 121
Song sung by migrants, on the move
Matthew 25: 31-46
Welcoming the stranger as an essential mission of a Christian.
PRAYERS
THE CANTICLE OF CREATION October 4, 2026 is the 800th anniversary of the death of Francis of Assisi. Over the lasttwo years of his life, he composed this poem in four segments:
I. The first segment allows us to first and fully praise God, the Creator.
II. Then follows the main section, praising God through all of creation, where we live as brother and sister to all.
III. The third segment was added later by Francis, after he saw a local dispute (the mayor versus the bishop) and worked for reconciliation and peace.
IV. The final segment was added by Francis a few days before his own death.
I. ——————————————————————————
Most high, all-powerful, all good, Lord!
All praise is yours, all glory, all honor
And all blessing.
To you alone, Most High, do they belong.
No mortal lips are worthy
To pronounce your name.
II.
——————————————————————————–
All praise be yours, my Lord, through all that you have made,
And first my lord Brother Sun,
Who brings the day; and light you give to us through him.
How beautiful is he, how radiant in all his splendor!
Of you, Most High, he bears the likeness.
All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Moon and Stars;
In the heavens you have made them, bright
And precious and fair.
All praise be yours, My Lord, through Brothers Wind and Air,
And fair and stormy, all the weather’s moods,
By which you cherish all that you have made.
All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Water,
So useful, lowly, precious and pure.
All praise be yours, my Lord, through Brother Fire,
Through whom you brighten up the night.How beautiful is he, how gay! Full of power and strength.
All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Earth, our mother,
Who feeds us in her sovereignty and produces
Various fruits with colored flowers and herbs.
III. ————————————————————————————-
All praise be yours, my Lord, through those who grant pardon
For love of you; through those who endure Sickness and trial.
Happy those who endure in peace,
By you, Most High, they will be crowned.
IV. ————————————————————————————-
All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Death,
From whose embrace no mortal can escape.
Woe to those who die in mortal sin!
Happy those She finds doing your will!
The second death can do no harm to them.
Praise and bless my Lord, and give him thanks,
And serve him with great humility.
PRAYING FOR THE UNITED NATIONS
Preamble of the United Nations Charter (1945)
“We the Peoples of the United Nations determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war,
which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind, and to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights,
in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small,
and to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties
and other sources of international law can be maintained and to promote social progress and better standards of life
in larger freedom, and for these ends to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbors,
and to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security,
and to ensure, by the acceptance of principles and the institution of methods,
that armed force shall not be used, save in the common interest, and to employ international machinery
for the promotion of the economic and social advancement of all peoples, have resolved to combine our efforts to accomplish these aims.”
Prayer for Uniting of Nations:
O loving and gracious Creator
Your love embraces all members of the human family,
Your care extends to the least of those among us,
To all our brothers and sisters in every part of the earth.
You call us to mature love and concern for the entire human community,
You call us as individuals, as a nation, as a united community of nations.
Let us hear this prayer in our hearts and respond with faith and good will.
God of compassion,
Walk alongside all of your global stewards,
who work to create a more just and peaceful world.
Equip the United Nations community with a sense of urgency and humility
That lets your will be done.
Teach the world’s leaders to forgive,
To extend welcome across borders.
Show the world a new path beyond greed, oppression and division.
Bless all our efforts toward uniting peoples and nations.
Bless the United Nations
As it strives to be an authentic community,
As it witnesses to the needs of all, to the rights of all,
including mother Earth.
Grant us the wisdom and grace
To become a true global family
And witness your Reign on this earth. Amen
(Sisters of Charity NGO at UN)
AT ELECTION TIME – PRAYING FOR IMMIGRANTS AND JUSTICE CHRISTIAN PRAYER
Let us pray for the breaking in of God’s reign in our world today,
especially for our immigrant brothers and sisters.
Where the US budgets for war on immigrants and for prisons to hold them,
while Christ says, “Put away your sword…”
Where the US tears spouses apart and separates them from their children,
while Christ says, What God has joined, let no one separate…”
Where many in our country say “Send them back. Let them starve,”
while Christ says, “I was hungry… and I was thirsty…”
Where many in our country hold hatred in their hearts for immigrants,\
while Christ says, “Love your neighbor as yourself…”
Where immigrants are held captive by fear of deportation,
while Christ came to proclaim liberty to captives…
Where many in our society are blinded by fear of immigrants
and imprisoned by ignorance of the gifts they offer,
while Christ proclaimed recovery of sight to the blind, release to prisoners,
Your reign come, your will be done. Amen
(Archdiocese of Chicago)
A JEWISH PRAYER
Open our eyes to see the image of God in all candidates and elected
officials, and may they see the image of God in all citizens of the earth.
Grant us the courage to fulfill the mitzvah of loving our neighbors as
ourselves, and place in our hearts the wisdom to understand those who do
not share our views.
As we pray on the High Holidays, “May we become a united society,
fulfilling the divine purpose with a whole heart.”And as the Psalmist sang, “May there be shalom within your walls, peace
in your strongholds. For the sake of my brothers and sisters and friends, I
will speak peace to you.” (Psalms 122:7-8)
(T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights)