It is important that we pray, but hard to know what or how to pray, especially in such difficult circumstances. The following prayers are intended to give us a way to pray both for the peaceful repose of those who died, and also for those effected by this dreadful event. If you do not have access to this, you could also just pray the psalm by itself, or even more simply, the Jesus Prayer: Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
40-Day Prayer for the City of Bend
Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ, our God, have mercy on us. Amen. Glory to thee, our God, glory to thee.
O heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, who art everywhere present and fillest all things, treasury of blessings, and giver of life: come and abide in us, and cleanse us from every impurity, and save our souls, O good one.
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal: have mercy on us. (thrice)
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
O Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us. Lord, cleanse us from our sins. Master, pardon our transgressions. Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities for thy Name’s sake.
Lord, have mercy. (thrice) Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Our Father, who art in heaven: hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
Through the prayers of our holy father, Lord Jesus Christ, our God, have mercy on us. Amen.
Lord, have mercy. (twelve times)
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Come, let us worship God our King. Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ, our King and our God. Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ himself, our King and our God.
Psalm 90 (91)
He that lives in the help of the Most High shall abide in the shelter of Heaven’s God, and shall say: Thou art my helper and refuge, O, my God;
I put all my hope in him, He shall free me from hunters’ snares, from every terrifying word. His shoulders shall bend down over thee, under his wings shalt thou have hope, his truth a shield surrounding thee. Thou shalt not fear the night’s terror nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the thing moving in the darkness nor the midday demon of catastrophe. A thousand shall fall at thy side, ten thousand at thy right hand, but it shall not come near thee. But with thine eyes shalt thou comprehend, and see the rewards of sinners. For thou, O Lord, art my hope.
Thou hast made the Most High thy refuge. No evils shall come close to thee, nor any scourge draw near thy home, for he shall put his angels over thee, to guard thee on all thy ways. In their hands they shall bear thee up, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. Thou shalt tread upon asp and basilisk, thou shalt trample the lion and the dragon. Because he has set his hope in me, I will deliver him; and I will shelter him, because he has come to know my name. He shall call out to me and I shall hear, in affliction I am with him, I shall lift him up and glorify him, With length of days I will satisfy him, I will show him my salvation.
Lord, have mercy. (thrice)
O God of spirits and of all flesh, who hast trampled down death and overthrown the devil, and given life unto thy world: do thou the same Lord, give rest to the souls of thy departed children: those of our beloved city, those slain in violence, who finished the course of their lives without repentance and had no opportunity to be reconciled with the Church and with their enemies; those who took their own lives in madness of mind; those for whom there is none among the believing to pray for them; those who were not vouchsafed Christian burial; and for the children of God [names], in a place of brightness, a place of refreshment, a place of repose, whence all sickness, sorrow, and sighing have fled away. Pardon every transgression which they have committed, whether by word or deed or thought, for thou art a good God and lovest mankind. For there is no man who lives yet does not sin; for thou only art without sin; thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy word is truth.
For thou art the resurrection, and the life, and the repose of thy children [names] who have fallen asleep, O Christ our God, and unto thee do we send up glory, together with thy Father, who is without beginning, and thy most holy, good, and life-giving Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ, our God, have mercy on us.
Thank you Fr. for being so kind and thoughtful in sharing this prayer on your website. Our prayers are with the departed.
This kind of event is so extreme, so far outside of our normal prayers, that it can be hard to know what or how to pray. Psalm 90 is very often used (that is, historically in the Church) in contexts of driving out evil and confirmation of the authority of Christ. And when it comes to deaths, there is little in our culture that helps us know how to pray for those who have died, again, especially in such extreme situations.