The Deacon's Bench
Will this help? Here is part of the prayer composed for NOLA.com and the New Orleans Saints by Fr. Tony Ricard Director of Campus Ministry, St. Augustine High School, and New Orleans Saints Catholic team chaplain:
God of All Grace, on this sacred day, the Who Dat Nation comes before you giving all honor and praise to you. Standing proud on the gridiron of life, we are grateful for the many highs and lows of our journey in the National Football League.
As members of the New Orleans Saints family, we are owners, administrators, coaches and staff. We are players, trainers, reporters and fans. We are the Who Dat Nation and have vowed to be united through good times and bad.
More than any other NFL community, we know both the joys and pains of loving our team. We have been to the mountaintop as World Champions and wallowed in the deep valley of a single win season. We have packed a million Who Dats on our streets for a Super Bowl parade and yet have worn bags of shame on our heads when times were rough. Whether flying like beautiful pelicans or stinging like pesky mosquitoes, the one thing we have always done is stick together as one Who Dat Nation Under God.
Today, we cry out to you asking that you keep us united as one. The Who Dat Nation is hurting and needs your grace. It was your love that brought us to Super Bowl XLIV and it will be your love that will bring us back to the top of the league again.
Today, let us remember that we are the Who Dat Nation. We are strong. We are blessed. We are proud.
Right now, our team needs your strength and our unwavering support to resurrect their season. With your grace, the New Orleans Saints will rise like a phoenix from the ashes. They have all the pieces they need to be victorious. Now, they need your blessings.
Like the many saints in the kingdom of heaven, we cannot expect our players and staff to be perfect. None of your saints were perfect. Each dealt with their own human flaws and personal limitations. We have come to realize that a saint is just a sinner who fell down and got up. Well, like your heavenly saints, we need our New Orleans Saints to rise up from their troubles and claim their places of glory…
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