DACA recipients are Americans in every practical sense — educated here, working here, raising families here, rooted in communities here. The policy uncertainty they have lived under for years represents a unique form of suspended existence: belonging in practice but not in law. Fran Pratt’s litany takes that reality seriously.
Pratt is known for writing liturgical prayers that are simultaneously beautiful and unflinching — prayers that don’t soften the truth of what they’re addressing. This litany for Dreamers is no exception. It invites congregations into genuine intercession: not the comfortable kind, but the kind that actually names what is at stake for real people.
God, we are all searching for something —
Mostly we’re searching for a meeting with you.
But some of us are searching for a better life;
For an end to poverty;
For an end to oppression;
For full bellies and a place to rest;
For meaningful work;
For safety and opportunities for our children.
So many of your servants were dreamers:
Abraham, Jacob, Moses, David, Esther, and many more,
Who left their homelands in search of more and better —
Even Christ himself, who was forced to find refuge in a foreign land.
So many of our own ancestors and founders were dreamers:
Men and women who set out toward the unknown
Who faced dangers and impossible odds
Looking for a home.
Grant us compassionate hearts:
Belief in your abundance,
Belief that there is enough good to go around,
Belief that you love all and provide for all,
Belief that any sacrifices we make will be seen by you,
Belief that precedes loving action,
Belief in the welcome you offer,
Belief in the welcome we must extend.
And help us, as we live out the dream of the Promised Land,
To listen well,
To do justly and love mercy,
To humbly serve you and our neighbors.
Amen
Written by Fran Pratt, poet, songwriter, and liturgist.