Prayer at the beginning of the program
at Benedictine College to honor Dr. Wangari Maathai '64
January 28, 2007

by Sister Thomasita Homan, OSB

Welcome Home, Wangari!
Welcome to all…

In the Rule of St. Benedict (53:4) we read, “First of all [you] must pray together and thus be united in peace,” and so we pray.

O ever-present and gracious God,
we pray with profound gratitude for Wangari Muta Maathai, our Mary Jo,
who in 1960 arrived in Atchison with hope, eager to learn;
today, over 40 million trees later, we come with celebration, eager to learn from her.

May we celebrate the seasons of hope, the commitment, the endurance,
the sun and rains that have brought us to this day.

Wangari once reminded villagers that “tree planting is only an entry point,” may we plant trees that stretch us to venture boldly beyond that entry point…
- may we, like Wangari, embrace the words of Benedict,
“Let peace be your quest and your aim”

- may we hear the pain of our planet and its people—and respond,
even when the risk is demanding,
-may we remain “stubbornly hopeful” in pursuing peace and justice for all people.

Bend your ear to us, O God,
Bless and give strength, tall hope, and great joy to Wangari and to her family,
bless the women and men who work in the Green Belt Movement, the Nobel Peace Committee, and all who work for peace
bless Wangari’s classmates and friends, our extended college community, the St. Benedict’s abbey community, the sisters of Mount St. Scholastica, and all present.

We are caught, O God, in joyful sounds of praise and thanksgiving,
and pray with the psalmist:
…you shall go out in joy,
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
shall break forth into singing,
and all the trees of the woods shall
clap their hands.

Amen.