Invocation for the Maryland Senate

God of truth and love,
send your blessing upon the Maryland Senate,
upon all its members and those they represent.
Through your kindly spirit, guide its deliberations,
now and in the days ahead.
May its work be rooted in your law, written on all human hearts
and animated by that charity which flows from your divine life.
Let its proceedings always be shaped
by concern for human dignity, especially vulnerable human life,
and by the common good of all Marylanders, especially the young.
Help those who hold high office in this Free State
to protect human freedoms and to use well and wisely the gifts
which, in your Providence, you have bestowed upon our beloved State.
We make this prayer in Thy Holy Name. Amen.

Archbishop William E. Lori

Archbishop William E. Lori was installed as the 16th Archbishop of Baltimore May 16, 2012.

Prior to his appointment to Baltimore, Archbishop Lori served as Bishop of the Diocese of Bridgeport, Conn., from 2001 to 2012 and as Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Washington from 1995 to 2001.

A native of Louisville, Ky., Archbishop Lori holds a bachelor's degree from the Seminary of St. Pius X in Erlanger, Ky., a master's degree from Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Emmitsburg and a doctorate in sacred theology from The Catholic University of America. He was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Washington in 1977.

In addition to his responsibilities in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, Archbishop Lori serves as Supreme Chaplain of the Knights of Columbus and is the former chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty.