My brow is bent beneath a heavy rod! My face is wan and white with many woes! But I will lift my poor chained hands to God, And for my children pray, and for my foes. From The Prayer of the South by Fr. Abram Ryan Father Abram Ryan served as a chaplain for the Confederate army during the Civil War, but was revered and admired by North and South alike. He felt a longing to participate in defending his homeland, but saw first hand the moral and physical destruction of war. He prayed fervently for a peaceful end to the conflict. This is his story, the story of his faithful service to God’s children and his forgiving victory over the hate and cruelty that followed the war.