During the legislative session, the 141 members of the House begin every day with a prayer. But unlike Congress, statehouses across the country and even the Maryland Senate, where the daily invocation is led by men and women of the cloth, the Maryland House has no clergy. Itโs the politicians who are the preachers, taking turns leading the chamber in its morning reflection.
Theyโve been doing it for about a decade after members complained that some of the invited clergy had offended with overly Christian prayers that sometimes veered into politically touchy subjects, such as abortion. The House leadership at the time decided that inviting religious leaders was more trouble than it was worth.
Since then, the House clerkโs office has been distributing a form at the beginning of the session asking members whether theyโd be willing to perform โDivine Services.โ About 50 sign up every year, according to the clerkโs office.
But before theyโre given the pulpit, the delegates are given a pamphlet โ โPublic Prayer in a Pluralistic Society: Guidelines for Civic Occasionsโ โ that instructs them to โshow respect both for public diversity and for the seriousness of prayer.โ
They are to use โinclusive terms for deity,โ meaning โMighty Godโ or โOur Makerโ is acceptable. So is โSource of all Beingโ and โCreator and Sustainer.โ But Jesus or Allah are serious no-nos.
โThe trick to the prayer is to make it secular and to avoid politics,โ said Del. Keiffer J. Mitchell Jr. (D-Baltimore). โWe want to hear a prayer. We donโt want to be preached to.โ . . .
Earlier this year, Del. Glen Glass (R-Harford County) walked the line, saying his prayer was โin J.C.โs name.โ Others have used โin your sonโs nameโ as a loophole.
In past years, that might have caused Del. Shane E. Pendergrass (D-Howard) to lift the lid of her desk and let it slam shut, which she used to do when pastors delivered prayers that were explicitly Christian.
Now, she said, the prayers are much more likely to be โinclusive.โ She said she is โgrateful for incremental progressโ and doesnโt slam her desk anymore. (The chamber has tightened the hinges on the lids so they wonโt slam.)
On Valentineโs Day, Del. Mary Ann Love (D-Anne Arundel) led a โLove prayer.โ And recently, Del. Stephen S. Hershey Jr. (R-Centreville) prayed on behalf of mothers, asking for forgiveness โfor whenever we said they didnโt understand us, and for when we didnโt try to understand them.โ
This year, Del. Heather R. Mizeur (D-Montgomery County) led a Navajo prayer, addressing the โGreat Spirit.โ Mizeur, who is not Native American, is a practicing Catholic and said she used the prayer to expose her colleagues to โthe importance of other spiritual traditions, our shared cultural heritage.โ. . .
Thereโs one thing, however, that delegates seem to agree on: The shorter the prayer, the better.
One morning, after the Pledge of Allegiance, Speaker Michael E. Busch (D-Anne Arundel) announced the name of the delegate who would be giving the prayer. The honorable gentleman was a no-show, so Busch decided to give the prayer himself.
โLord, bless this dignified House,โ he said. โAnd let them do your will in their work. Amen.โ
Fifteen words total.
โBest prayer ever!โ shouted a colleague.
via In delegates they trust: Md. House members lead secular prayer โ The Washington Post.