Father Erich Rutten participates in blessing ceremonies for 35W bridge

Father Erich Rutten participates in blessing ceremonies for 35W bridge

Father Erich Rutten, director of Campus Ministry at the University of St. Thomas, participated in a ceremony Monday morning that was held to dedicate and bless the new Interstate 35W bridge in Minneapolis.

Father Erich Rutten

The bridge, which collapsed a little more than a year ago, will reopen to traffic at 5 a.m. Thursday. One of the speakers at Monday's ceremony, U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters, said, "These lanes will forever be sacred because of the 13 people who lost their lives here."

Members of eight faith traditions were part of the blessing ceremony Monday morning. Rutten represented the Catholic faith in his role as the chair of the Commission on Ecumenism and Interreligious Affairs for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

Here is the prayer offered by Rutten:

O God,

You are never far off from those who serve you;

with fatherly protection you always guard

those who trust in you.

By your grace, be the guide going before

those who use this bridge

and be the companion to sustain them on their way.

By your favor protect them from adversity,

so that they may arrive safely at their destination

and accomplish what they set out to do.