Naglabas ng Oratio Imperata o panalangin para sa ulan ang Archdiocese of Cebu araw ng Miyerkules sa gitna ng tumitinding epekto ng El Niño.
Inilabas ni Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma ang panalangin na dadasalin sa lahat ng simbahan ng arkidiyosesis.
Ang Oratio Imperata ay isang panalangin na binubuo ng isang obispo kapag may kalamidad.
Inilabas ang dasal ilang araw lamang matapos isailalim ang buong lalawigan ng Cebu sa state of calamity dahil sa El Niño na sumira na sa mga pananim at nagdudulot ng kakulangan sa suplay ng tubig.
Samantala, tinatapos na ng Cebu Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) ang validation para sa mga pinakaapektadong lugar ng tagtuyot sa lalawigan.
Layon nitong makabuo ng listahan ng mga lugar na magiging benepisyaryo ng emergency response efforts ng PDRRMO kabilang ang pamamahagi ng water storage equipment, cash for work and food for work programs.
Narito ang Oratio Imperata para sa ulan ng Archdiocese of Cebu:
Most Gracious and Most Merciful God,
Creator, Source and Giver of all things,
Most powerful in heaven and on earth,
We give You honor and glory.
We thank You
For our home – the earth;
For our light – the sun, moon and stars;
For our solace – our family and friends, our community, our neighbors.
United as Your children, we come to You, pleading,
Shower us with rain, provide us with water that we need.
Father, Your children are begging to survive,
Hear us, we desire to live.
Prolonged drought is depriving us of the fruits of our toil;
Low water supply means hunger and thirst for most of us;
El Niño continues to threaten our relationship with one another.
O Lord, this is a very hostile phenomenon that we beg for You to end.
At this time of looming catastrophe, dear Lord, dwell in our hearts.
Teach us to be more generous; bring out the best in us;
Turn our eyes and ears toward the needs of others, especially the poor.
Move us to share more, care more, serve more and love more.
Holy God, You sanctify this earth to be our sacred abode.
Grant us courage to take in hand the sufferings of the environment;
Grant us might to save and protect the beauty of nature.
Grant us wisdom to restore whatever we have destroyed.
O Loving God, behold on us, Your beloved children
Feel us, feel for us;
Let heaven cry and its tears be our blessed rain.
Have mercy on us Lord, have mercy.
We beg you,
Most Gracious and Merciful God,
Please, let it rain. Amen