(Photo: Cardinal DiNardo and Bishop Aymond at the Texas Capitol, Christian R. González/Catholic Spirit)

Cardinal Dinardo will provide the opening prayer in the House on Tuesday, January 13, 2009, the first day of the Texas 81st Legislative Session. You can read the prayer below. The House has offered a concurrent resolution congratulating Cardinal DiNardo on his elevation to the College of Cardinals. You can read the resolution here.

Opening Prayer for the House and Senate

Almighty and compassionate Lord, you have revealed your glory to all nations and have care for all. We humbly thank you for this land, our state, a land rich in resources but above all rich in its many people. May we be a people mindful of your love and kindness. Save us from violence, discord and confusion, from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way.

God of power and might, wisdom and justice, through you authority is rightly administered, laws are enacted and judgment is decreed. Let the light of your divine wisdom direct the deliberations of this legislature and shine forth in all its proceedings and laws framed for our rule and governance.

May this House of Representatives seek to preserve the common good and continue to bring us the blessings of liberty and equality. Assist with your spirit of counsel and fortitude the Speaker and all representatives that their administration be conducted in right judgment and be eminently useful to the citizens of this State. May they encourage due respect for virtue and religion and execute laws with justice and mercy. May they have the strength and purpose to be accountable to the people and fulfill their roles with responsibility and their duties with honesty and ability.

We pray for the governor, for judges, elected civil officials and all others who are entrusted to guard our political welfare.

We above all commend to your unbounded generosity and compassion all the citizens of this State, that we may be blessed in the knowledge and sanctified in the observance of your holy law. May we be preserved in unity and in that peace the world cannot give. After enjoying the blessings of this life may we be admitted to those which are eternal.

We pray to you, who are our Lord and God, forever and ever. AMEN.

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, His Eminence, Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, Archbishop of Galveston-Houston, is delivering the invocation to the 81st Texas Legislature on January 13, 2009, and this occasion presents a fitting opportunity to congratulate him on his appointment as the first Roman Catholic Cardinal in the American South; and

WHEREAS, The son of Nicholas and Jane DiNardo, Cardinal DiNardo was born on May 23, 1949, in Steubenville, Ohio, and grew up in neighboring Pittsburgh; after earning his bachelor's and master's degrees in philosophy from The Catholic University of America, this gifted scholar went on to study theology in Rome at the Pontifical Gregorian University and the Augustinianum; he was ordained in 1977 and served in the Diocese of Pittsburgh as a parochial vicar, an assistant chancellor, and a professor at St. Paul Seminary; and

WHEREAS, An appointment to the Vatican Congregation for Bishops took Cardinal DiNardo back to Rome in 1984; six years later, he requested to return to pastoral duties in the United States, and the bishop of Pittsburgh eventually selected him to found the new parish of Saints John and Paul; in addition, he served as an assistant spiritual director at St. Paul Seminary and taught in the formation program for priests; and

WHEREAS, In 1997, Cardinal DiNardo was ordained bishop of the Diocese of Sioux City, Iowa; his achievements as a theologian, pastor, educator, and administrator led to his appointment in 2004 as coadjutor bishop of Galveston-Houston; the diocese gained the status of a metropolitan archdiocese later that year, and Cardinal DiNardo succeeded Archbishop Joseph Fiorenza on the Archbishop's retirement; on November 24, 2007, he was elevated to the College of Cardinals, a historic milestone for the archdiocese, which encompasses 10 counties and 1.5 million Catholics within its boundaries; and

WHEREAS, Cardinal DiNardo has won wide admiration throughout his career for his insightful sermons, deep compassion, and humble, engaging manner; in guiding the Galveston-Houston Archdiocese, he has made administrative appointments that reflect the area's diversity and has fostered a unity of faith among people of varied ethnic backgrounds; while shepherding a growing flock in South Texas, he also shares his expertise through the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops as an advisor to the National Association of Pastoral Musicians and as a member of the Ad Hoc Committee to Oversee the Use of the Catechism, and serves on the board of The Catholic University of America and with the National Catholic Partnership on Disability; and

WHEREAS, The inspiring spiritual leadership of Cardinal DiNardo has ushered in an exciting era for the Galveston-Houston Archdiocese, and his appointment as the first Roman Catholic Cardinal in the southern United States has gladdened the hearts of many people of faith; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the 81st Legislature of the State of Texas hereby congratulate His Eminence, Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, Archbishop of Galveston-Houston, on his elevation to the College of Cardinals and welcome him to the State Capitol.