Right Reverend Jane Holmes Dixon
Bishop of Washington, pro tempore
Washington, DC
Sponsor: Rep. Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, (D-DC)
Date of Prayer: 10/11/2001
One Minute Speech Given in Recognition of the Guest Chaplain:
Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, the House is pleased to welcome the Right Reverend Jane Holmes Dixon who delivered the prayer this morning.
Bishop Dixon was named Bishop of Washington pro tempore, and will be the ecclesiastic authority during the search and transition for the eighth bishop of Washington. She has been suffragan bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington. She is a native of Winona, Mississippi, and only the second woman to hold the Office of Bishop in the Episcopal Church.
All were moved after hearing Bishop Dixon at the service at Washington National Cathedral a few days after the September 11 attack on our country. This wife, this mother, this grandmother, presides over the diocese of the District of Columbia and four Maryland counties. She became a priest in 1982 and has served in churches in Maryland and Virginia. She got her doctorate of divinity in 1993 from the Virginia Theological Seminary.
Bishop Dixon not only serves her church, she serves her community, she serves on the theology and urban affairs committees of the House of Bishops, she is president of the Board of the Interfaith Alliance. She is a member of a board of the Fair Housing Council of Greater Washington and a member of the Women's Forum of Washington, D.C. Bishop Dixon has been selected by the Washingtonian Magazine as one of the 100 most influential women in the Washington, D.C. area. Bishop Jane Holmes Dixon , churchwoman, citizen.
Opening Prayer Given by the Guest Chaplain:
Most gracious God, Creator and Ruler of the Universe, the one to whom there are many paths and to whom we call many days, we give You thanks this day for the men and women who serve our Nation in the House of Representatives.
We pray that as they make decisions for our welfare and enact laws for our country, You will guide them to perceive what is right and grant them both the courage to pursue it and the will to accomplish it.
In this time of great national tragedy, profound sadness, and indeed a fear among our people, touch us with Your compassion even as we contend against evil. Help us to know with certainty that love is stronger than hate, and as we make no peace with oppression, give us a devotion to justice and freedom here and throughout the world.
We pray also this day for George, our President, and for all our allies that they may be led to wise decisions and right actions for the welfare and peace of the world. Be especially with all who serve in the armed forces, defend them by day and night, strengthen them in their trials, and give them solace and courage as they offer their lives for freedom.
And we pray for our enemies. Lead them and us from prejudice to truth; and deliver them and us from hatred, cruelty and revenge.
Finally, I ask Your blessing on each and every one gathered here today. Comfort and keep them and make them ever mindful that You, O God, require us to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God. In Your most holy name we pray. Amen.
To learn more about Members who have sponsored a Guest Chaplain, please visit the Congressional Biographical Directory