MANILA, Philippines – The Catholic Church appealed for prayers as Severe Tropical Storm Kristine (Trami) lashes Bicol region and other parts of Luzon and Visayas.
In a post shared by Radio Veritas, the Diocese of Virac in Catanduanes requested the recitation of the following oratio imperata (obligatory prayer), a prayer for deliverance from Kristine.
Kristine, the Philippines’ 11th tropical cyclone this year, has affected around 382,300 people across four regions, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council as of 8 am on Wednesday.
Bicol is the region worst hit by Kristine, where nearly 378,800 or 99% of affected residents live.
Below is the full text of the oratio imperata:
Almighty Father,
We raise our hearts to You in gratitude
for the wonders of creation of which we are part,
for Your providence in sustaining us in our needs,
and for Your wisdom that guides the course of the universe.
We acknowledge our sins against You and the rest of creation.
We have not been good stewards of nature.
We have confused Your command to subdue the earth.
The environment is made to suffer our wrongdoing
and now, we reap the harvest of our abuse and indifference.
Global warming is upon us.
Typhoons, floods, volcanic eruptions, and natural calamities
occur in increasing number and intensity.
We turn to You, our loving Father, and beg forgiveness for our sins.
We ask that we, our loved ones, and our hard-earned possessions
be spared from the threat of calamities, natural and man-made.
We beseech You to inspire us all to grow
into responsible stewards of Your creation,
and generous neighbors to those in need.
Amen.
A prayer from Christian churches
Other Christians are also storming the heavens to seek protection against Kristine.
The National Council of Churches in the Philippines, the biggest alliance of Christian churches in the country, shared the following prayer on its Facebook page:
Dear God,
We lift you up our worries as heavy rain caused by Kristine (Trami) continues to flood our communities.
We long for your mercy, protection, and refuge once again, especially for the poor families who are heavily affected.
May Your grace and loving-kindness be felt in these challenging moments. And may Your Spirit guide us to care for our neighbors unconditionally.
Amen.
How are different religious groups responding to Kristine? Share photos or anecdotes in the faith chat room of the Rappler Communities app.
For general discussions on the tropical cyclone, visit our Project Agos chat room. – Paterno R. Esmaquel II/Rappler.com