Casting back on his day in his nightly examination of conscience, Hopkins accused himself of a snorting, sour, unspiritual tone to some of his conversations, prayed for those who'd died, were injured, or lost loved ones in the shipwreck, but thanked God for the beauties and contrarities of nature, the tonic of outdoor exercise, and the cheer and solace of his Jesuit brothers.

NPR: Excerpt: 'Exiles'

Some dropped to their knees and prayed.

CNN: After a final day together, miners begin to disband

Andrew's Church, where some of the Mayflower's passengers prayed before they began their 3, 000-mile voyage.

WSJ: Thomas Fleming: An English Thanksgiving, 1942

There were some people who are not as lucky as me, I prayed for them too.

CNN: Tsunami tragedy: Your e-mails

Jessica Ennis, the victorious, mixed-race heptathlete, and Mo Farah, the long-distance champion and Muslim who arrived from Somalia as a child (and who prayed on the track after he won the 10, 000 metres) may have some therapeutic influence on attitudes to race and immigration.

ECONOMIST: Bagehot