Invocation by Reverend Patrick J. Keating

We will now have today's invocation, which will be delivered by Reverend Patrick J.

Keating, Deputy CEO of Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens, and the CEO of Catholic Migration Services, which is located at 310 Prospect Park West in Brooklyn.

Almighty God, we pray that you send your blessing upon the members of the City Council.

We pray also for the dedicated staff of this illustrious chamber and all in government.

We pray for your protection upon the brave and dedicated women and men of the NYPD, the FDNY, and all first responders.

We pray for all civil servants and those who partner with the city, especially sober service providers.

And we also pray for all New Yorkers who strive to make our city a better place for all people.

During the Octave of Easter, a time when Christians remember the central mystery of our faith, namely the resurrection, we pray that the joy of this season might remind each of us to be concerned with the needs and to treat our sisters and brothers with mercy, love, and compassion.

We pray that all people of goodwill strive for the common good, as we each do what we can to uplift one another.

We are mindful of the passing of His Holiness Post Francis on Easter Monday.

The Holy Father graced the City of New York with a papal visit in 2015, a visit in which he focused on the 25th chapter of St.

Matthew's Gospel, reminding all of us of the need to feed the hungry, the need to care for the sick, the need to welcome the stranger, and the need to accompany those who feel abandoned and may be on the periphery of society.

For more than 125 years, Catholic Charities of Brooklyn and Queens, along with many other not-for-profits in the city of New York, have strived to feed the hungry, to care for the sick, to help the vulnerable, as well as to give hope to our neighbors.

We are mindful that we can only succeed by working together, especially with our partners in government.

We pray that this council continue to deliberate and focus their efforts to help and assist the most vulnerable forgotten in our city.

Throughout his ministry, Pope Francis reminded the world that every single person has value and dignity.

He called for the Jubilee year of hope, a time when our world, our nation, and our city needs hope.

We pray that all of us be agents of hope, that we may treat one another with respect and dignity, that we may raise one another up in mutual concern and in the realization that we all call to help one another.

Let us never forget that genuine kindness can truly change the world.

Lastly, we pray for those who are sick and those who have lost loved ones.

May your compassion uplift their hearts to focus on the hope that comes from your divine providence.

We ask this in all things to our Lord Jesus Christ, your son, in union with the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever.

Amen.