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Faith Events, Christian Prayers Integral in Trump's Inauguration: 'Lord, Bring Revival in America'

Talia Wise
01-16-2025

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On Monday, Jan. 20, Donald Trump will be inaugurated as the 47th president of the United States. And since winning the election, the president-elect has made it a point to put faith front and center.

Worship at Mar-A-Lago

Video footage circulating across social media reveals guests at Trump's Mar-A-Lago estate lifting up the name of Jesus. 

"Lord, bring revival in America," reads a caption posted by Pastor Travis Johnson. "God, we need you in America today."

This is not the first time praise has rung out from the president-elect's camp. 

As CBN News reported, a worship session even broke out at Trump's headquarters hours after he was elected into office. 

Opening the Inauguration in Prayer

Historically, prayer is a hallmark of Inauguration Day. And typically, the incoming president will select two to four faith leaders to deliver either the invocation or benediction. 

Trump, however, has selected six different faith leaders to lead the nation in prayer that day. 

Evangelist Franklin Graham and Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the archbishop of New York, have been tapped to provide the opening invocation on Monday, according to an inaugural committee spokesperson.

Graham spoke at the Republican National Convention (RNC) last year and prayed at Trump's first inauguration in 2017. 

Dolan also opened in prayer at the president-elect's first inauguration. 

Trump has also selected four faith leaders to offer a benediction during the ceremony. It includes: Rabbi Ari Berman, president of Yeshiva University; Imam Husham Al-Husainy, who serves the Karbalaa Islamic Center in Dearborn, Michigan; Pastor Lorenzo Sewell, who serves 180 Church in Detroit; and the Rev. Frank Mann, a priest from the Diocese of New York.

"I'm expecting a lot of joy," Berman said of Inauguration Day. "This is a time for the country to come together."

"Any new period brings a spirit of renewal and a sense of optimism, and I look forward to sharing that with my fellow Americans," Berman added.

Trump tapped Sewell for Inauguration day after the Detroit pastor hosted a campaign stop and roundtable discussion at his church. According to the pastor, the then-presidential candidate was impressed with how the church prayed for him. 

"He said that in the context of the prayer we prayed for him...the prayer was not scripted," Sewell told MLive.com. "Because the prayer wasn't scripted, it was impromptu, that was impressive to him because he said that he always asks pastors to pray for him but many of them feel taken off guard, many of them feel like they couldn't pray off the cuff, so to speak. He shook my hand and promised me, just said that 'At the inauguration, you'll be there.'"

The former drug dealer turned minister says this year's inauguration holds special significance because it is being held on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. 

"For me, the benediction or the blessing coincides with the dream, with King's dream, being fulfilled," he said. "That someone like me would have an opportunity to pray at the 47th president's inauguration surely fulfills King's dream."

Meanwhile, it's Rev. Mann's "unlikely" friendship with Trump that got him invited to take part in the big event. 

According to The Tablet, the retired Brooklyn diocesan priest came across the gravesite of Trump's parents and grandparents in Queens a few years ago. 

"It was slightly overgrown," Mann told the Tablet. "I thought this shouldn't be. This is a historic site. So, I went and bought a weed whacker and some decorations and fixed up the plot."

Mann sent the pictures to Trump. A few weeks later, the president asked Mann about the photograph and learned that the priest took care of the plot out of the kindness of his heart. He told Mann at the time that the two should "get together the next time he was in New York."

After Trump lost the election in 2020, he invited Mann to Trump Tower in Manhattan. The two have struck up a friendship and met periodically. 

"There are no airs about him. He has a great sense of humor. He's a regular guy," Mann told the Tablet.

"Being asked to offer the closing benediction is such an indescribable honor," Mann said of giving the benediction. "It's taken me longer than I thought to process having been chosen to be such a significant part of the inauguration's moment in history."

Faith-Focused Events

There will be many events celebrating the president-elect taking office days before Monday including balls, concerts, and receptions, but there are several faith events taking place that put the focus on praying for America to return to her Judeo-Christian values. 

The  "One America, One Light" prayer event will be hosted on Sunday, Jan. 19, according to a December Axios report. Attendees will join Trump in praying for our nation as he embarks on his second term as President. 

The service is one of several events for people who gave $100,000 or donated $200,000 for the inauguration could attend.

On that same day, worship leader Sean Feucht is hosting a "Revive 25" to commemorate the event. 

"Praise to King Jesus for a new day in America," Feucht wrote on X. 

The location of the event is still to be determined. However registration is open.

The day following the inauguration, the National Cathedral will hold a "Service for the Nation" -- an event scheduled for Jan. 20 no matter who won the election. 

Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde will preach at the interfaith service which is a break from its traditional inaugural prayer service. According to the cathedral's website, Tuesday's event will underscore the "breadth of religious expression in America."

"We are in a unique moment in our country's history, and it is time to approach this differently," said Rev. Randolph Marshall Hollerith, Dean of Washington National Cathedral, in October. 

"This will not be a service for a new administration. Rather, whichever party wins, this will be a service for all Americans, for the well-being of our nation, for our democracy, and the importance of the core values that must undergird our democracy," he continued.

"We need to find a way to heal what divides us, and prayer is an important part of that healing process," Hollerith added. 

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About The Author

Talia
Wise

Talia Wise has served as a multi-media producer for CBNNews.com, CBN Newswatch, The Prayer Link, and CBN News social media outlets. Prior to joining CBN News she worked for Fox Sports Florida producing and reporting. Talia earned a master’s degree in journalism from Regent University and a bachelor's degree from the University of Virginia.
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