The Lord's Prayer in addition to
the Legislative Prayer
No proposal to ban prayer in Legislature
Earlier this year, the Ontario Legislature struck an all-party committee to review
some of the procedures used in the Legislature. Since then, for example, the
Legislature
Since John Robarts was Ontario Premier, and before man landed on the moon,
the following prayer has been read each day by the Speaker before the start of
each Legislative day:
"Oh God, our Heavenly Father, we come before You this day, asking Your
Blessing upon her Gracious Majesty, Queen Elizabeth, and upon Her
representatives in this Province. Give to each Member of this Legislature a
strong and abiding sense of the great responsibilities laid upon us. Guide us
here in our deliberations. Give us a deep and thorough understanding of the
needs of the people we serve. Help us to use power wisely and well. Inspire us
to decisions which establish and maintain a land of prosperity and
righteousness, where freedom prevails, and where justice rules. Amen."
After this prayer, the Lord's prayer is recited. The strident few who have
contacted my office had never visited the Legislature, nor heard its unique,
traditional and beautiful prayer. To a person, they all thought that only the
Lord's prayer was said, and that some misguided soul had proposed banning prayer
entirely. This is false.
- The Lord's prayer is recited at Mississauga City Council, but not at Peel
Regional Council;
- The Lord's Prayer It is not recited in Parliament nor in the Senate of Canada;
- Among Canada's provinces and territories, most have a prayer similar to
Ontario's;
- Roman Catholic Quebec has no prayer at all;
- Only New Brunswick and Ontario recite the Lord's Prayer in addition to
their own Legislative prayer.
After numerous requests, by all parties and over many years, for reform in
the Legislature's daily operations, the Legislature (not the Premier) has
established an all-party committee to look at the times the Legislature sits,
the order in which things are done, whether the Legislature should sit at night
and so on. One such issue is whether Ontario should recite the Lord's Prayer, in
addition to its traditional Legislative prayer. There is no proposal to change
or amend a single word of the traditional Legislative prayer.
If my constituents wish to contact me, and express their opinions, please do.
I'll make it easy, just
click here. You should, as Mayor McCallion often says, "do your homework."
Perhaps these thoughts will help. This issue is whether the Lord's Prayer is desired,
in addition to the traditional Ontario Legislative Prayer.
Posted or revised:
February, 2008