Hours before the new session is slated to begin at the Capitol, legislators, their families and Gov. Mark Dayton gathered for a morning prayer service at the Cathedral of St. Paul.
Several dozen people attended the event, which featured speeches from religious leaders of several different faiths and music performed by the Minnesota Teen Challenge Choir, a group made up of people recovering from chemical dependency.
"It says a lot to us here today ... that you want to be grounded in the Lord," said Father David Hennen, the Senate Chaplain and a priest at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Buffalo.
Rabbi Sim Glaser, with Temple Israel in Minneapolis, noted that "making laws is no less than a divine task," as evidenced by the number of laws that fill biblical texts.
"It took God twenty six generations to understand that humanity requires very specific legislation to survive," Glaser said of the time between the creation of Adam and the Bible.
Lt. Col. John Morris, chaplain for the Minnesota National Guard, said greatness is often thrust upon people in war and civilian life -- as it will be with this group of legislators.
"I think we've got the right set of leadership, the right set of leaders at the right time to face the tremendous challenges we have," Morris said.
The speeches were separated by songs and occasional speeches from members of the choir. One member, Stacey, choked up as she recalled her battle with methamphetamine addiction and how the Minnesota Teen Challenge Choir turned her life around.
