In Memoriam: Sago, West Virginia Mining Disaster

Please pray for our courageous coal miners. Many were my relatives. My first priestly assignment was to the Shenandoah, Pa coal region. There I learned this prayer for miners dedicated to Saint Barbara, Patron Saint of Miners: "As I now descend into the dark bowels of the earth, I beseech thee, sweet Barbara, that I be kept safe from harm, for it liketh me not that I rush unbidden into God's presence."

"O Lord after I have worked my last day and come out of the earth and have placed my feet on Thy footstool, let me use the tools of prudence, faith, hope and charity. From now on till I will be called to sign my last pay roll, make all the cables in the machinery strong with Thy love. Supply all the gang ways, slopes, and chambers with the pure air of Thy grace and let the light of hope be my guidance, and when my last picking and shoveling is done, may my last car be full of Thy grace and give me the Holy Bible for my last shift, so that Thou, the General Superintendent of all the collieries can say: "Well done, thou good, faithful miner come, and sign the pay roll and receive the check of eternal happiness." Amen"

We remember O God the Miners.
We remember the miners departed this life.
We remember the hard work they did each day.
We remember the nobleness of their work.
We remember their work benefitted many people.
We remember the pain suffered by their families.
We remember the friends who were lost in the mine.
We remember the widows and the children left behind.
We remember the fathers and the brothers who are gone.
We remember the silence created by their absence.
We remember the hurt in our hearts and minds.
We remember the difficulty of living without them.
We remember the world is better because of them.
We remember the many who came to mourn.
We remember the immense horror of the time.
We remember the lasting memorials established.
We remember the befitting eulogies that were spoken.
We remember people coming together to help.
We remember Sago being etched in time.
We remember the continuous outpouring of grief.
We remember the genuine expressions of love.
We remember men who gave their all for others.
We remember valiant men who gave their lives.
We remember those who worked heroically.
We remember the many who suffered greatly.
We remember our suffering Lord upon the Cross.
We remember the great darkness of Holy Friday.
We remember to have hope even when it hurts.
We remember we are better because of the miners.
We remember to pray even on the darkest day.
We remember the Light of the glorious Resurrection.
We remember because we never want to forget.
We remember the departed because they loved us.
We remember the miners because we loved them.
We remember because Jesus Christ loves them.
We remember because Jesus Christ loves us.

We carry with us memories of Sago, West Virginia.
We carry with us memories of strong men.
We carry with us remembrance of their faces.
We carry with us thoughts of their labors.
We carry with us images of their great pain.
We carry with us the nobility of their cause.
We carry with us commitment to remember.
We carry with us their desire for a better life.
We carry with us their bond with the union.
We carry with us the brotherhood they shared.
We carry with us the unbroken link of love.
We carry with us the desire to help each other.
We carry with us an interest in justice for labor.
We carry with us the torch they lit to follow.
We carry with us the light they shine in our hearts.
We carry with us their resolve for a better world.
We carry with us the unity that comes from tragedy.
We carry with us the purpose for a greater cause.
We carry with us the knowledge that God is at work.
We carry with us the sense God will show the way.
We carry with us prayer for our departed miners.
We carry with us prayer for our departed friends.
We carry with us prayer for the well-being of families.
We carry with us prayer for miners everywhere.