We hold space for all that Father's Day may mean to us.

We have a holy obligation to bring about paradise on this earth; each generation helps us do that.

We bless today all the masculinities with us and within us.

Sometimes it feels like Father’s Day is more about enshrining a myth than it is about facing the realities of fatherhood.

We cannot begin to find ourselves without love.

In the days ahead, many of us will gather with family and friends, people with whom we may have long and complicated relationships. It helps to prepare. Let us enter into the spirit of prayer or meditation. Dear Spirit, Great Mystery that has blessed us with Life, help us to feel grateful....

Tell me the story of my birth, and help me understand how you were changed the day I entered the world. Help me know love, deep in my bones.

"When it comes to our children, we do not have the luxury of despair. If we rise, they will rise with us every time, no matter how many times we've fallen before. I hope you will remember that the next time you fail. I hope I will too. Remembering that is the most important work as parents we can...

Dear Moppies, Maddies, and Babas; men who have given birth, women whose children still call you Daddy, queer parents of all genders and none, There isn’t a holiday set apart for us. We’re reminded of that twice a year. But I see you. I see you next to your wife’s hospital bed, snuggling your...

I believe in the radical idea that men have the full human capacity to nurture.

Today—and on all other days—may we give thanks for the fathers, papas, pop-pops, dads and daddies who represent for us the steadfast presence that holds us in love and launches us into the world, whether we encounter it when we are small or already grown. May we be mindful of those for whom this...

Our words for the chalice lighting were written from the perspective of Jessica Star Rockers. Perhaps her specific memories will elicit your own. She writes, "Every Sunday morning growing up my father would take us to mass at St. Peter’s Catholic church....

We recognize and honor today every dad who stood as their child shouted at them in anger or frustration. Every dad who tried to understand their child’s clothing choices, new hairdo, or new tattoo. Every dad who suddenly realized their child might be right and was willing to listen, and every dad...

Each of us has gifts and wounds from those who fathered us. This is inevitable; even the best fathers in the world disappoint their children sometimes. Otherwise we wouldn’t be able to grow up. But I know that some wounds are deeper than others. Some people’s hearts have been broken by their...

I invite you into a period of quiet meditation. Close your eyes if you wish, and get comfortable in your seat. Think about the father-figure you carry in your heart. I invite you to remember the gifts and the wounds you received from that person or persons. If any feelings come up, just breathe...

On this Father’s Day, we recognize the vast spectrum of experience and the often-complicated feelings that surround such a celebration. We honor those fathers and father figures in our lives who have loved, supported, encouraged and instructed us, and we seek to share these gifts with others. We...

Blessed is the person who feeds and warms, washes, and comforts a child and soothes them in illness. For they shall be called caregiver. Blessed is the person who gives shelter and food, clothing, toys, books and tools. For they shall be called provider....

Today is Father's Day, a day in which we honor and offer gratitude for our fathers, in whatever form or fashion they come into our lives—biological fathers, stepfathers, adoptive and foster fathers, grandfathers, spiritual fathers, and all of the uncles, brothers, and friends who, whether they...

My son has sent me a “Build-A-Bear.” Dressed in the latest digital camouflage ACUs.* (Build-A-Bear hasn’t yet caught up with multicam.) It came with a note in my eight-year-old’s handwriting: “Press left paw for I love you and I miss you.” Sure enough, when I press the left paw, my...

Holidays are complicated, especially the ones named after roles. Human relationships are messy, including relationships with people who are honored by holidays. For a lot of people, Father’s Day brings up feelings of grief for fathers who were lost, or who couldn’t be there, or who chose not to...

Forgive me dear father For all the trouble I caused The missed curfews The missed classes Your unfulfilled dreams for me Forgive me dear father But your dreams are not my dreams Forgive me dear father And I will forgive you For missed moments That you sacrificed So that one day I could follow my...

Ground of all being, Great Nurturing Spirit, This morning especially, we give thanks For beautiful days right in between spring and summer, For flowers and green trees and freshly cut grass and lazy lakeside afternoons, For the sound and sight and heart-swell of being together in this place made...

For sleepless nights awaiting the curfew-breakers For anxious hours as a driving instructor For hours spent on sidelines, cheering And watching school plays, sometimes “resting our eyes,” For the pressures of bread-winning And “wait ‘til your father gets home.” For teaching moments and...

On Father’s Day we honor those people who have been teachers, confidants, and friends. We acknowledge that it is not biology that makes a parent, But love and attention. For those of us that have lost a father, or a child, we hold their memories in our hearts....

My dad died 28 years ago. I still have some of his things: A red plaid Pendleton bath robe. (I look like Dad in that thing now.) An old Sears table saw bought used in 1950. I still use it, (but for rough cuts only). An old grinding wheel, noisy as sin, but sharpens mower blades in no time....

Let us praise those fathers who have striven to balance the demands of work, marriage, and children with an honest awareness of both joy and sacrifice. Let us praise those fathers who, lacking a good model for a father, have worked to become a good father. Let us praise those fathers who by their...