As we edge toward many a graduation, I thought you might appreciate some graduation prayers.
Here is an invocation and benediction that I will be offering this year:
Invocation
Holy Divine One, whom we know by many names,
Today we gather to celebrate the accomplishments of the outgoing class of 2026. We honor the years of work that have gone into reaching this mark and give thanks for the family, teachers, friends, coaches, mentors, and staff that have supported them on their way. As we watch them each receive their diplomas and move their tassels from the right to the left, we ask that you bless each one of them. May they know their own belovedness and potential. Let us with glad hearts recognize and praise these accomplished young adults on this auspicious day of graduation. AMEN
Benediction
As our time concludes here today, and each of you graduates head out onto new adventures, receive this blessing:
May the culmination of your time at [insert school name] be not the end of your [school name] story, but the grounding from which you will continue to develop and grow.
May the ideas and ideals that you’ve learned here provide you with the foundational tools that you need for tomorrow.
May you continue to thrive and grow, recognizing evermore your role and responsibilities in an interdependent world.
May you each be brave enough to imagine and live into a world where all have what they need and where all care for each other and the world itself.
May God bless you and keep you.
Go with the blessing of God upon you, now and forevermore.
Here is what I offered last year:
Invocation
God of the heavens and the earth and all there within and without,
We gather here on this day to celebrate the lives of these students who are graduating today.
As we hear of their accomplishments and watch them receive their diplomas, we ask you to bless them. Bless them as they begin their journey into an even wider world. Bless their family and friends who have supported them along this journey. Bless this place and this day.
May your Holy Spirit be a gentle prescence throughout this ceremony this morning. AMEN
Benediction
As we go from this place
and you, newly graduated, begin to explore the next chapter of your life,
May you remember your time here at [school name] and in [town name] fondly.
May it give you the strength and fortitude to stand up for what is right and good.
May it offer you the wisdom to lean in with curiosity
and the ingenuity and creativity to build bridges of connection.
May you live into the character that you developed here
always looking out for
and standing up for
those who are in need.
Go with the blessings of God upon you
and be the change you hope to see in the world.
Peace be with you.
God bless.
And here is what I offered in my first year here. This was one of my very first acts in my newest setting:
Invocation
Holy God, who is known by many names,
as we gather here to celebrate the accomplishments of these students,
we ask for your blessings.
May our time together be rich with meaning.
May we listen intently with open ears and open hearts that we might notice stories of courage, perseverance, creativity and kindness.
May we recognize each individual and also the community which has surrounded and supported them.
Through our time together today,
may we be filled with hope for the future
and be inspired to go back into the world bringing with us all the goodness we witness and partake in today. AMEN
Benediction
As we end our time together today, I ask for God’s blessing upon all the students, their families and friends, the teachers and staff of Brewster Academy, and the wider supporting community of this institution.
May the grace of the Holy One be upon you all.
May the Spirit lead you out into the world and encourage you to be bold.
May you not shrink back from the enormity of the troubles of this world
but instead be empowered to know that you are just what the world needs in this time.
May you be courageous and creative in developing your dreams.
May you be kind and compassionate in all of your interactions.
May you find mentors who will continue to press you in your pursuits and others who will share in your passions.
May you continue to learn and create, daring to share your full self with this world,
and may the world receive your gifts with joy and appreciation.
Go with God’s blessings creating love, peace and justice wherever you go.
And may we all trust that the world will be better place because you all are in it. AMEN
Traveling mercies upon you all.
One thing that I found helpful in writing these was reviewing the school’s website to search out their mission and vision for their students and looking for other values that the school held up as important.
NOTE: All rights are reserved for these prayers. Permission is given for use in educational or religious setting with citation.
Wandering and Wondering 
