In the name of God, may this
prayer be heard:
Great God who wanted to be worshipped and served by those who
came before us, we present ourselves to You in this voyage we
have undertaken for Your glory and to engage in the activities
of the vocation to which it has pleased Your Providence to call
us to earn a living and be worthy of a place in Heaven. We
worship You as Our Sovereign Lord. Since You are the Lord and
Sovereign of heaven and earth, the winds and the sea, order
Your creatures to be favourable to us, You who preserved Noah
from the depths of the flood, who guided the children of Israel
safely through the Red Sea, who helped Saint Peter walk on water
without drowning, who protected Saint Paul from three shipwrecks,
deliver us from storms and thunder. Grant us a good voyage and a
generous return so that we may continue to give You thanks in
our churches and with our families.
If we deserve to be punished for our sins, we offer You Your
Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, who looked with great favour upon
seafarers. See Him on the cross for our trespasses and have
mercy on your poor servants who do not want to trespass against
You any longer.
Most Blessed Virgin Mary, Star of the Sea, You who watch over us,
we place ourselves and everything we do in Your hands, and firmly
intend to pray to You every day.
Angels of God, blessed spirits to whom God has given power over
the seas, guide this vessel and our lives. We pay our respects
to you, to whom God has given such a noble commission. We respect
your power. Protect us from anyone who may wish to attack us.
Give us good weather throughout our trip and keep the waters
free of signs of God's anger.
Blessed Saint Berthelot, 6
a pilot from Honfleur, under whose protection this vessel and
those in it place themselves. May you be their protector and
intercessor before God. We beseech you to show us the way and to
kindly take our interests to heart so that as we strive to
remain on the path to salvation we may succeed.
Amen.
Prayer written by Jean Marin Le Roy as a
preface to his log, which was deposited at the admiralty registry
in Honfleur on November 5, 1754
Archives départementales du Calvados, Archives municipales
de Honfleur, Série 2 ii, Amirauté de Honfleur, VIII,
Journaux de navigation, 365, Voyages à Terre-Neuve et
à Saint-Domingue, 1754.
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