A Prayer for Use on Invasion Day, June 1944

The prayer noted above was published by Henry St. George Tucker in the United Church Observer (1 June 1944). As Adam Rudy and others have noted, the Canadian churches were active supporters of the war effort against Germany and Japan. And with the long-anticipated invasion looming in Western Europe the churches took it upon themselves to pray for success on the beaches and beyond.

Note, however, the lack of wild jingoism and the presence of an attitude of humility - included within the prayer is a recognition of the Allies' sins, as well as the hope for a better future among all nations.

On this Remembrance Day may we remember and honour those who have come before us, and paid a high price for our liberty.

Below is the full page. (Sorry the image is crooked - I was unable to adjust the image.) 

For further reading on the church and the war, see Adam Rudy, "The Cause of Righteousness and Freedom: Canadian Protestant Churches and the Second World War," PhD dissertation, McMaster Divinity College, 2022. Sadly, there is no complete work on the Catholic churches in Canada for the period of the Second World War.