O King and Judge of the nations: We remember before you with grateful hearts the men and women of our armed forces, who in the day of decision ventured much for the liberties we now enjoy; grant that we may not rest until all the people of this land share the benefits of true freedom and gladly accept its disciplines; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, now and for ever. Amen.
Preface of Remembrance Day or Memorial Day
For by the sacrifice of your Son on the Cross, all who turn to him in the tribulation of war will find their peace with him in paradise.
Draft — AI-assisted research under editorial review.
This Memorial Day collect was composed for the Episcopal Church's 1979 Book of Common Prayer, where it appeared as a thanksgiving "For Heroic Service." It is a fresh 20th-century American composition with no Latin original and no pre-1979 Anglican antecedent; the ACNA 2019 BCP adopted it with four deliberate editorial refinements, most notably adding "King" to the address and supplying the traditional Trinitarian conclusion.