The morning after he becomes president of the United States, Donald Trump will hear prayers at Washington National Cathedral from more than two-dozen spiritual leaders of a wide variety of faiths.
The National Prayer Service, an inauguration tradition that has come to include clergy from many religions, will this year feature representatives of the Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Sikh, Baha’i, Navajo, Mormon, Greek Orthodox and many other faiths.
Some of the clergy, all of whom were announced as participants on Thursday, supported Trump during his campaign for president, such as prosperity gospel preachers Bishop Harry Jackson of Maryland and the Rev. Darrell Scott of Ohio.
Several come from the Washington area, including Priest Narayanachar L. Dialakote from the Sri Siva Vishnu Temple in Lanham, Imam Mohamed Magid from the All Dulles Area Muslim Society Center in Sterling, and Jesse Singh, the chair of the Sikh Associations of Baltimore.
Others come from churches across the country. Christian denominations represented at the jam-packed prayer service include the Catholic Church, the Greek Orthodox Church, evangelical churches and several leaders of the Episcopal Church, which hosts the inaugural service every four years in its seat, Washington National Cathedral.
Relatives of two of the most influential American religious leaders in history will participate: Alveda King, who is a niece of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and an antiabortion activist, and Cissie Graham Lynch, a granddaughter of evangelist Billy Graham.
Not everyone asked to participate in the service this year said yes – one rabbi wrote in The Post this week about declining the invitation because of his opposition to Trump’s values. The service will include two Jewish clergy: Cantor Mikhail Manevich from the Washington Hebrew Congregation, a neighbor of Washington National Cathedral, and Rabbi Fred Raskind from Temple Bet Yam in St. Augustine, Florida
The cantor and the imam’s role in the service will be the call to prayer, which they will lead along with the Rev. Canon Rosemarie Duncan from the cathedral. The rabbi, three pastors and Sajid Tarar, a Muslim man from Baltimore who prayed for Trump onstage at the Republican National Convention, will read biblical passages.
Others will read prayers for peace, the nation, those who govern and those who serve. There will not be a sermon.
Here’s the complete list of participants provided by the Presidential Inaugural Committee:
Hon. Carlyle BegayNavajo Nation
Rt. Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, Bishop of Washington Episcopal Church
Rt. Rev. James Magness, Bishop Suffragan for Federal Ministries, Episcopal Church
Rev. Randall Marshall Hollerith, Dean, Washington National Cathedral, Episcopal Church
Cantor Mikhail Manevich, Washington Hebrew Congregation
Rabbi Fred Raskind, Temple Bet Yam, St. Augustine Florida
Alveda KingPastoral Associate, Priests for Life, Atlanta, Georgia
Bishop Harry Jackson, Hope Christian Church, Beltsville, Maryland
Priest Narayanachar Dialakote, Sri Siva Vishnu Temple, Lanham, Maryland
Elder D. Todd Christofferson, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Imam Mohamed Magid, All Dulles Area Muslim Society Center, Sterling, Virginia
Sajid Tarar, Baltimore, Maryland
Pastor Greg Laurie, Harvest Christian Fellowship, Riverside, California
Dr. Jack Graham, Prestonwood Baptist Church, Plano, Texas
His Eminence Geron Archbishop Demetrios of America, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
Rev. Canon Rosemarie Logan Duncan, Canon of Worship, Washington National Cathedral, Episcopal Church
Dr. David Jeremiah, Shadow Mountain Community Church, El Cajon, California
Rev. Ronnie Floyd, Cross Church, Springdale, Arkansas
Dr. David Swanson, First Presbyterian Church, Orlando, Florida
Jesse Singh, Chairman of the Board of Sikh Associations of Baltimore, Maryland
Ian McIlraith, Soka Gakkai International – USA, Los Angeles, California
Anthony Vance, National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States
Cissie Graham Lynch, Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Charlotte, North Carolina
Pastor Ramiro Pena, Christ the King Baptist Church, Waco, Texas
His Eminence Donald Cardinal Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington, D.C. Roman Catholic Church
Rev. Darrell Scott, New Spirit Revival Center, Cleveland Heights, Ohio
(c) 2017, The Washington Post · Julie Zauzmer
