At the opening of the New Jersey State Senate's voting session on Monday, December 17, 2018, the Rev. Vicki Geer McGrath, Rector of All Saints', Millington, gave the invocation at the invitation of Senator Thomas Kean, Jr., himself an Episcopalian. Here is the text of her invocation:
Ladies and Gentlemen of the New Jersey Senate,
I am the Rev. Victoria Geer McGrath; I am the Rector (the priest) at All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Millington/Long Hill Township/the 21st Legislative District. Long Hill is the southern-most part of Morris County, and we are bounded by the Passaic River and the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. Part of All Saints’ outreach to our neighbors and fellow residents is our food pantry which supports hungry families and seniors. We also offer hospitality through community dinners for Veterans living in our community and from the V.A. facility in Lyons.
Thank you to Senator Thomas Kean, Jr. for the invitation – through the Secretary of State’s office - to appear before you today.
I bring greetings from the People of All Saints’ Church, from the People and Clergy of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark, and from our bishop The Rt. Rev. Carlye J. Hughes.
This is the season of light and celebration for so many religious faiths and cultures present here in New Jersey. Nearly all of those observances call us to be mindful of the loving-kindness of God, of the imperative to care with a generous heart for those who do not have enough, and of the vision of the common good for all that God has created.
In that spirit, let us pray.
O God, the fountain of wisdom, whose will is good and gracious, and whose law is truth: We beseech you so to guide and bless our Senators in this body assembled, who have offered themselves in leadership and public service, that they may look for truth and good will in hard conversations; may take such decisions and enact such laws as shall please you and benefit the welfare of the people of this State; and may, at this time of hurry, commotion, and stress, remember the words of the old hymn: “O hush the noise and cease your strife and hear the angels sing!”; and this we ask in God’s holy Name. Amen.
Adapted from “For Congress or a State Legislature,” Book of Common Prayer.
