(100) Prayers For Priests
NOTES
1. This collection of Prayers for Priests was gleaned over a 12-month period, from mid-February 2003 to mid-February 2004. It was planned as a short one. But it grew and grew and is still expanding. Most of these prayers were posted to Franciscan_Spirit@yahoogroups.com by Nadine Mansour <nadine.mansour@mbnet.fi>.
2. Your best prayer is your own. However, if you wish to consult an example, do not read these 100 all at once; be selective. Reading several prayers may become boring. Choose only one -- at random if you wish -- and stay with it. Meditate on it, deepen it out. Choose another prayer at another time and do the same. Summarize each one in your mind. Compare them, decide which one you prefer.
3. Most of these prayers are general, for ALL priests in the world. As a member of a daisy, you may change this for your PARTICULAR priest and mention his name. Replace the plural by the singular (they, them, their become he, him, his).
1. A Prayer for Priests by John Cardinal
O'Connor, March 1995.
2. A Prayer for Priests by John Joseph Cardinal Carberry, Archbishop of St.
Louis, USA
3. A Prayer for Priests
4. A Parish Priest's Prayer to Mary Most
Holy
5. Prayer For Our Priests (Southwark
Laity Commission, 1993)
6. Prayer to the Virgin Mary for Priests
(John Paul II)
7. Prayer for Priests (Francis de Ruijte,
April 3, 2003)
8. Prayer for Our Priests (Francis de Ruijte, April 4, 2003)
9. A Priest's Prayer (Franis de Ruijte,
April 8-14, 2003)
10.
Prayer for Priests (Peter John
Cameron, O.P.)
11. Prayer for Priests
12. A Poem For Priests (Nadine Mansour,
August 9, 2002)
13. For Our Priests (poem) (Nadine Mansour, October 5, 2002)
14. God Bless You (poem) (Nadine Mansour) (January 1, 2003)
15. A Prayer for Priests
16. St. Thérèse's Prayer for Priests
17. Prayer for Priests (John F. Kinney,
bishop of the Diocese of St. Cloud, 2002)
18. Daily Prayer For Priests (St.
Therese of Lisieux)
19. Prayer for Priests (Cardinal
Cushing)
20. Prayers for Priests
21. The Beautiful Hands of Priests (poem
by an unknown author)
22. Prayer for Priests
23. Prayer for Priests (to Mary)
24. Prayer for Priests
25. Prayer for Priests
To continue, click on: (More) Prayers
for Priests
See also: Help Priests and Testimonies.
Lord
Jesus, we your people pray to You for our priests. You have given them to us
for OUR needs. We pray for them in THEIR needs.
We
know that You have made them priests in the likeness of your own priesthood.
You have consecrated them, set them aside, annointed them, filled them with the
Holy Spirit, appointed them to teach, to preach, to minister, to console, to
forgive, and to feed us with Your Body and Blood.
Yet
we know, too, that they are one with us and share our human weaknesses. We know
too that they are tempted to sin and discouragement, as are we, needing to be
ministered to, as do we, to be consoled and forgiven, as do we. Indeed, we
thank You for choosing them from among us, so that they understand us as we
understand them, suffer with us and rejoice with us, worry with us and trust
with us, share our beings, our lives, our faith.
We
ask that You give them this day the gift You gave Your chosen ones on the way
to Emmaus:
We pray to You, O Lord, with Mary, the mother of priests, for Your priests and for ours. Amen.
O
Jesus, our great High Priest, hear my humble prayers on behalf of your priests.
O
lovely Mother Mary, Mother of Priests, take to your heart your sons who are
close to you because of their priestly ordination and because of the power
which they have recieved to carry on the work of Christ in a world which needs
them so much.
O
Jesus, Eternal Priest,
purpled:
daily tinged
your
glorious: the
You who share the
"priestly obedience" (Hebrews 10:5-7; Luke 1:38) of your Son,
and who prepared for
him a worthy receptacle
by the anointing of
the Holy Spirit,
keep my priestly life
in the ineffable mystery
of your divine
maternity,
"Holy Mother of
God".
Grant me strength in
the dark hours of this life,
support me in the
exertions of my ministry,
entrust me to Jesus,
so that, in communion
with you,
I may fulfill the
ministry with fidelity and love,
O Mother of the
Eternal Priest.
"Queen of
Apostles and Help of Priests".
Make me faithful to
the flock
entrusted to me by
the Good Shepherd.
You silently
accompanied Jesus
on his mission to
proclaim
the Gospel to the
poor.
May I always guide it
with patience, sweetness,
firmness and love,
caring for the sick, the weak,
the poor, and
sinners,
O "Mother, Help
of the Christian People".
I consecrate and
entrust myself to you, Mary,
who shared in the
work of redemption
at the Cross of your
Son,
you who "are
inseparably linked to the work of salvation".
Grant that in the
exercise of my ministry
I may always be aware
of the "stupendous and penetrating dimension
of your maternal
presence",
in every moment of my
life, in prayer, and action,
in joy and sorrow, in
weariness and in rest,
O "Mother of
Trust".
Grant, Holy Mother,
that in the celebration of the Eucharist,
and introduce us to
the redemptive mystery of your divine Son's offering.
O "Mother of Our
Savior".
O Mary, I earnestly
desire to place my person
and my desire for
holiness
under your maternal
protection and inspiration
so that you may bring
me to that "conformity with Christ, Head and Shepherd"
which is necessary
for the ministry of every parish priest.
Make me aware
that "you are
always close to priests"
in your mission of
servant
of the One Mediator,
Jesus Christ,
O "Mother of
Priests",
"Benefactress
and Mediatrix" of all graces. Amen
Source: Congregation
for the Clergy, Instruction "Priest, Pastor and Leader of the Parish
Community", August 4, 2002.
http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cclergy/documents/rc_con_cclergy_doc_20020804_istruzione-presbitero_en.html
Heavenly Father,
grant that our
priests
We pray that all those
whom they
seek to serve may see
in them
the love and care of
Jesus,
our Eternal High
Priest, who is Lord
for ever and ever.
Amen
Mary, Mother of the
Church,
(Southwark Laity
Commission, 1993)
6.
Prayer to the
Virgin Mary for Priests John Paul II)
O Mother of Christ,
O Mother of the
Church,
O Mother of Jesus
Christ,
7.
Prayer for Priests
2.
Inspire them with a deep sense of your Mystery which they touch, and about
which they speak.
3.
May they always remember that you have created all things in your image and
likeness; that everything has in itself a divine spark; that all things come
from you as their source and will return to you as their definitive and eternal
destination.
4.
When preaching or praying they say words which they do not entirely understand;
when blessing, forgiving, consecrating they do things of which they have no
power in themselves. May your priests always be mindful that they act in your
name, that the power they exercise comes from you alone and not from themselves.
5.
Grant them the gift of humility in their service; may they be strong in faith,
firm in hope, perfect in love, holy in you and sanctifying for your People.
6.
You have given to your priests a sacred vocation; purify them, sanctify them,
strengthen them.
7.
You have made them representatives of your only Son Jesus and given them
responsibilities towards your People, the Church; support them with your
strength.
8.
May they always be aware that you are with them and act in them. May they be
your instruments of love, reconciliation, spiritual renewal, sanctification.
9.
Your priests are human, weak, and sinners like all other people. You knew it
even before you called them to your service. Nevertheless, you destined them in
their place in your plan of love; be always with your chosen ones and help
them.
10.
May the gift of your grace renew them day after day. May your holy angel guard
and protect them.
11.
Bestow on them the joy of the Holy Spirit, to be a prophetic voice in the
world, to guide your People, to speak the words of the Good News of your
kingdom, to dispense the grace of the
New Covenant, to provide spiritual freedom, to be canals of your divine
mercy, pathways of your love and tenderness, collaborators of the eternal High
Priest.
12.
Make them men of prayer, commitment, adoration, intimacy with you, men who act
under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, stimulators on the way to salvation.
13.
I pray to you, Father, through Jesus the Messiah and in the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Amen.
(Francis
de Ruijte, April 3, 2003, at the eve of my 39th anniversary of
ordination; translated by the author, April 14, 2003)
8.
Prayer for Our Priests
Heavenly
Father,
I
come to pray to you for our priests:
our
priests working in parishes or residence of retired people,
our
priests teaching at the seminary or at the university,
our
priests working in the diocesan offices,
our
priests in foreign missions,
our
religious priests.
Heavenly
Father,
I
glorify your holy name,
I
praise you,
I
thank you
for
these men whom you have given us as spiritual leaders,
these
men responsible for our Christian communities, our parish activities.
Heavenly
Father,
I
know that, just like us, they have their questions, their doubts, their hesitations.
They
say before their ordination and again after it:
"Do
I really have this vocation?"
"Am
I truly at the right place?"
"Will
I be able to preach, for I am shy?"
"Shall
I be able to pray my divine office with the load of activities?"
"Am
I not following a human ambition?"
Be
with them, Father, support them, give them your strength, your Holy Spirit.
Heavenly
Father,
our
priests say they are unworthy of your calling.
And
they are right, for no one is worthy of it.
Yet
you have chosen them for the common good.
Inspire
them, calm their hesitations, encourage them.
Let
them know that they can always count on you,
that
your love surrounds them,
that
you are never far from them.
our
priests sometimes find their tasks heavy. They may get discouraged.
They
wonder if they can respond to all the demands we ask from them.
Be
yourself their strength, their inspiration, their assurance.
Give
them a prayerful heart for they need this intimacy with you, for themselves and
for others.
Heavenly
Father,
our
priests are not angels.
Some
of them have even their tough sides.
All
of them have times of fatigue, of impatience, their dark hours.
Be
yourself their light.
May
your Holy Word lead them day by day.
Speak
to them in their meditations and their moments of reflection.
Heavenly
Father,
our
priests sometimes suffer of solitude. They feel alone in their ministry.
It
may seem to them that they can hardly endure this heavy weight on their
shoulders.
May
the offering of our weekly day and our prayers --
to
which we have committed ourselves as petals of Daisies --
relieve
and help them somewhat.
But
may your grace and strength especially be their consolation. Their source of
strength, their support anda their joy.
Thank
you, heavenly Father, for these men who are our priests.
May
our prayers accompany them also every day.
Hear
our prayers, hear their prayers.
May
we always give you thanks for these spiritual leaders whom you send us.
Amen.
(Francis
de Ruijte, April 4, 2003, 39th anniversary of my ordination; translated
by the author, April 14, 2003)
I
come to pray to you in all simplicity, trust and frankness,
like
a son speaking to his father,
for
you truly are my heavenly Father,
the
best father of all fathers, in whom I can place all my confidence.
Father,
God of all goodness,
to
you all glory, praise and power.
In
your unfathomable wisdom and infinite liberality,
you
wanted me to become a priest --
and
so I did.
Father,
God of all goodness,
as
a young man I was thinking about my future in your presence
and
I asked myself two questions:
Who
is more important, the shepherd who leads or the sheep that follows?
And
I chose to be a leader.
Next,
what is the most important area to work in?
And
I opted for the the spiritual sector.
So
I worked towards the priesthood.
Father,
God of all goodness,
I
wanted to become a pilot to fly an airplane.
But
it is as if you said:
"You'll
'fly' to a spiritual destination, to an airport of eternity."
I
don't understand it, but it is better that I don't ask too many questions
and,
instead, follow your plan.
Father,
God of all goodness,
I
have come at ordination after many years of hard study and also serious
reflection.
I
saw many of my classmates leave the seminary.
Yet
they were smarter and more capable.
And
I, less competent, unworthy, remained…
Father,
God of all goodness,
in
the beginning I was much afraid about what to do with all the confidences I
would receive, especially in the sacrament of reconciliation.
But
you have given me a special gift, for which I truly do thank you:
on
leaving a session, I forgot everything, as if it did not even exist.
Father,
God of all goodness,
another
great fear I had was to be able to pray my breviary, the daily office --
I
mean to pray and not merely recite --
these
psalms and other scripture texts which are your Word speaking to us.
Of
course, my prayer and way of praying have evolved.
I
thank you in particular that it has not become something done in a hurry,
but
rather an occasion to meditate, to deepen out your Word, a communion between
the two of us.
For
this too, Father, my heartfelt thanks.
Father,
God of all goodness,
today,
after a number of years of active ministry,
I
acknowledge that your way was the right one, the best one,
although
I must admit that I have not always been totally faithful to your will,
and
I ask you for forgiveness for it.
I
try to repair and to be more fervent.
Father,
God of all goodness,
one
day, I have asked to take up further studies in Holy Scripture,
but
the Provincial refused it saying: "You don't need it."
On
the other hand, some time later, I was allowed to study Franciscan
spirituality.
These
two sources -- the Bible and Franciscan documents --
have
been a great spiritual profit and joy to me.
After
nearly 50 years of Bible reading
and
about 25 years of reading Franciscan sources,
I
thank you for this spiritual enrichment and in particular for the Protestant
couple who initiated me to daily Bible reading.
Yes,
Father, you are love and goodness, generosity and mercy,
and
I want to express my gratitude all the days of my life.
Father,
God of all goodness,
may
your grace preserve me from becoming a robot priest,
or
an ecclesiastical functionary,
or
merely to "do my job" because I know nothing else to do.
Keep
me also from all compromise and subterfuge of the world.
Father,
God of all goodness,
please
preserve me also from all routine, in particular during the celebration of Holy
Eucharist,
where
we so often repeat the same formulas.
Let
these liturgies rather become true prayer and genuine spiritual nurrishment for
all of us who partake in them.
Father,
God of all goodness,
as
I am called upon to preach,
may
I clearly proclaim your Gospel,
not
as a museum piece, as something of the past,
but
as Good News for today's lives.
May
your Holy Spirit inspire us, guide us, direct us every day
in
our actions, our thinking, and our decision-making.
Father,
God of all goodness,
teach
me to carry my cross
before
the cross carries me.
Like
Simon of Cyrene, may I be able to help my brothers to carry their burdens.
Like
Veronica, may I be able to dry the tears of those who weep.
Father,
God of all goodness,
you
expect from us a life of holiness according to your heart and genuine charity
towards every person.
I
therefore ask you, Father, to assist me in all kinds of activities:
encouraging
sick people in hospitals;
supporting
the solitary aged in their residences;
hleping
poor, hard-working, generous families that find it hard to meet both ends;
being
a listening ear to those who need to talk and share;
counseling
those who seek meaning of their lives;
teaching,
training, animating;
educating
your people in faith and in your fatherly love for all your children;
being
a stimulating presence to the movements that are active in our area;
being
your instrument of consolaltion and mercy, of liberation and openness wherever
the need is felt;
being
your messenger of love and hope, of solace, life, and joy;
making
hearts discover your presence and action in them;
energizing
the weak;
promoting
adoration of your holy name;
doing
good like your Son Jesus did and in union with him;
erasing,
or at least diminishing, evil;
sowing
the seed of your kingdom everywhere;
being
like a key so that people can enter into it;
reminding
myself always that I am not acting in my own name but in your name and that the
glory and honor belong to you alone;
being
a chant of alleluia to your glory wherever I pass.
Father,
God of all goodness,
be
at my side
to
avoid what is false, lying, and hypocrisy;
to
fight selfishness, stubbornness, rivalry, fatigue, lazyness, fickleness,
for
I am myself my worst ennemy.
Be
also at my side, Father,
to
persevere in virtue, prudence, patience,
to
become really a man of prayer and adoration,
always
under the guidance of your Holy Spirit.
Father,
God of all goodness,
people
are inclined to put us on a pedestal.
Their
signs of respect are acceptable; but we are no better, no smarter, no wiser
than they.
Often
I feel so weak, so little, and I commit errors.
May
you alone always be my strenth, my inspiration.
May
I always opt for your viewpoint rather than my own of that of the world.
After
all, I am only a little poor priest.
May
I always remain a priest living in poverty and humility, hidden, as you want me
to be.
Father,
God of all goodness,
may
I always follow the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, the Paraclete,
in
my decisions, in my thinking and desiring, in projects and commitments.
For
nothing is valid and lasting without him.
May
my ears and heart always be wide open to his interior, discreet voice.
May
I constantly be docile and obedient with all my heart, ready to respond
according to your plan.
Father,
God of all goodness,
people
often ask us to prayer for their intentions and their needs.
How
good it is to learn that some persons also pray for us, for we have needs too:
the
Daisy Movement is a great comfort, these little groups of seven persons praying
for priests.
I
thank you for them and I thank them for being my petals praying for me, each
one his day of the week.
It
is a marvelous gift of your goodness, a beautiful encouragement received from
your grace.
Help
me never to deceive them,
but
rather, on account of them, to be more faithful and more committed.
Father,
God of all goodness,
one
day I'll come to the end of my earthly trip.
Give
me then the humility and flexibility to let go of all projects
and
to come to you to throw myself in your arms, Father,
with
my guardian angel at my side.
Father,
God of all goodness,
I
pray you through Jesus, your beloved Son,
and
in the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete.
To
you who are Three and One
belong
all glory and honor for all eternity.
Amen.
(Francis
de Ruijte, written partly in English and partly in French, translated by the
author,
April
8-14, 2003)
10. Prayer for
Priests
(Peter John Cameron,
O.P.)
Divine Savior Jesus
Christ, who has entrusted the whole work of your redemption, the welfare, and
salvation of the world to priests as Your representatives, through the hands of
your most holy Mother and for the sanctification of your priests and candidates
for the priesthood, I offer you this present day wholly and entirely, with all
its prayers, works, joys, sacrifices, and sorrows. Give us truly holy priests
who, inflamed with the fire of Your divine love, seek nothing but Your greater
glory and the salvation of our souls. And you, Mary, good Mother of priests,
protect all priests in the dangers of their holy vocation and, with the loving
hand of a Mother, also lead back to the Good Shepherd those poor priests who
have become unfaithful to their exalted vocation and have gone astray. Amen.
(Posted on
Assisi-L@listserv.nd.edu on
April 16, 2003 by Linda M. O'Brien <lin-dan2@juno.com>
11. Prayer for Priests
Eternal God,
please bless our
priests,
who represent you on
this earth.
Make them more
greatly aware of the grace
that you pour out
through them
when they minister
the sacraments,
and help them to fall
more deeply in love with You
after each and every
Mass that they celebrate.
Please strengthen our
priests,
who shepherd your
flock,
when they are in
doubt of their faith,
that they may be
examples of your Truth
and guide us always
on the path to you.
We ask these things
of You our Eternal Priest.
Amen.
Today I am praying
for every Priest
From North, South,
West and East
May God grant them a
special good health
And keep them pure
and give them strength
They pray, they
suffer, but never complain
When we confess our
sins they strain
We see Our Jesus in
their eyes
They don't deserve
except paradise
They guide us and
they always try
To support and
comfort when we cry
Please, Lord, be
their shelter and their cover
And Bless them always
and forever.
13.
For Our Priests
(poem)
(Nadine Mansour,
October 5,
2002)
Dear God protect and
take good care
Of our priests from
everywhere
They sacrifice
and their time share
O please, help them their
cross to bear.
Be it morning or be
it night
They are present when
time is right
If they are called
for help they run
To annoint and bless,
that is not fun.
They are human, yes,
I can tell
Loving, caring and
keeping us well
Trying to cheer us
when we are sad
By being around they
make us glad.
Bless their heart and
bless their health
Keep them happy and
grant them strength
They are our support
when we have none
They are our fathers
when ours have gone.
(Nadine Mansour,
January 11,
2003)
A small prayer that
is the least
To our lives you
bring serenity
Dear Lord, look upon
them closely
Keep them for us
strong and healthy
Richer with Your Love
and wealthy
Always present to help
and care
For our souls and our
welfare.
We thank you for our
faithful priests and bishops, whose spiritual fatherhood and example of
fidelity, self-sacrifice, and devotion is so vital to the faith of your people.
May our spiritual fathers be guided by the examples of Saints Peter and Paul, all the Apostles and their saintly successors. Give them valiant faith in the face of confusion and conflict, hope in time of trouble and sorrow, and steadfast love for you, for their families, and for all your people throughout the world. May the light of your Truth shine through their lives and their good works.
Assist all spiritual
fathers, that through your Grace they may steadily grow in holiness and in
knowledge and understanding of your Truth. May they generously impart this
knowledge to those who rely on them.
Through Christ, our
Lord. Amen.
16
. St. Thérèse's Prayer for Priests
0
Holy Father, may the torrents of love flowing from the sacred wounds of your
divine Son bring forth priests like unto the beloved disciple John who stood at
the foot of the cross; priests, who as a pledge of your own most tender love
will lovingly give your divine Son to the souls of men.
May
your priests be faithful guardians of your Church, as John was of Mary, whom he
received into his house. Taught by this loving Mother who suffered so much on
Calvary, may they display a mother's care and thoughtfulness
towards your children. May they teach souls to enter into close union with you
through Mary who, as the Gate of Heaven, is specially the guardian of the
treasures of your divine Heart.
Give
us priests who are on fire, and who are true children of Mary, priests who will
give Jesus to souls with the same tenderness and care with which Mary carried
the Little Child of Bethlehem.
Mother
of sorrows and of love, out of compassion for your beloved Son, open in our
hearts deep wells of love, so that we may console Him and give Him a generation
of priests formed in your school and having all the tender thoughtfulness of
your own spotless love.'
17.
Prayer for Priests
(John
F. Kinney, Bishop of the Diocese of
St. Cloud)
Praise
to you, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
for
in your infinite love
you
care for your people
by
the ministry of priests.
May
their faithful service
bring
lasting good to your Church
and
great happiness to them.
Help
them to do what is right,
that
by their teaching and living
we
may grow in the knowledge of your love.
As
our priests instruct your people,
enlighten
them with the wisdom of Christ the Teacher.
As
they preach your Word and celebrate the sacraments,
sanctify
them with the holiness of Christ the High Priest.
As
they face weakness, suffering and discouragement,
strengthen
them with the grace of Christ the Life-Giver.
As
they work for peace, unity and healing in your Church,
uphold
them with the courage of Christ the Reconciler.
Giver
of all good gifts,
make
the ministry of our priests
a
spiritual offering pleasing to you,
through
Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
+
Bishop John F. Kinney
Bishop
of the Diocese of
St.
Cloud
Imprimatur
given
March
19, 2002
©
2002 Diocese of
St.
Cloud. All rights
reserved.
18.
Daily Prayer For Priests (St. Therese of Lisieux)
O
Jesus,
I
pray for your faithful and fervent priests;
for
your unfaithful and tepid priests;
for
your priests laboring at home or abroad in distant mission fields.
for
your tempted priests;
for
your lonely and desolate priests;
For
your young priests;
for
your dying priests;
for
the souls of your priests in Purgatory.
But
above all, I recommend to you the priests dearest to me:
the
priest who baptized me;
the
priests who absolved me from my sins;
the
priests at whose Masses I assisted and who gave me Your Body and Blood in Holy
Communion;
the
priests who taught and instructed me;
all
the priests to whom I am indebted in any other way
(especially
…).
O
Jesus, keep them all close to your heart,
and
bless them abundantly in time and in eternity.
Amen
Source:
http://www.rockvoc.org/main/Families/prayer_for_priests.htm (Rockford Diocese,
Office of Vocations); also as second part of prayer # 3 in:
Chalice of Strength, pages 14-15.
Detroit,
Michigan: Crusade for Priests, 1996, where Cardinal Cushing is named
as author. (www.opusangelorum.ord).
19.
Prayer for Priests (Richard James Cardinal Cushing, Archbishop of Boston,
1895-1970)
O
Almighty, Eternal God, look upon the Face of your Son and for love of him, who
is the Eternal High Priest, have pity on
your priests. Remember, O most compassionate God, that they are but weak and
frail human beings. Stir up in them the grace of their vocation which is in
them by the imposition of the bishop's hands. Keep them close to you, lest the
enemy prevails against them, so that they may never do anything in the
slightest degree unworthy of their
sublime vocation.
Source:
prayer # 3, first part in: Chalice of
Strength. Crusade for Priests,
Detroit,
Michigan, 1996, page 14 (www.opusangelorum.org).
20.
Prayers for Priests
Lord
our God, You guide Your people by the ministry of priests.
Keep
them faithful in obedient service to You
that
by their life and ministry they may bring You glory in Christ.
We
ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
Who
lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
21.
The Beautiful Hands of a Priest (poem by an unknown author)
We
need them in life's early morning,
We
need them again at its close;
We
feel their warm clasp of true friendship,
We
seek them when tasting life's woes.
At
the altar each day we behold them,
And
the hands of a king on his throne
Are
not equal to them in their greatness;
Their
dignity stands all alone;
And
when we are tempted and wander,
To
pathways of shame and of sin,
It's
the hand of a priest that will absolve us,
Not
once, but again and again.
And
when we are taking life's partner,
Other
hands may prepare us a feast,
But
the hand that will bless and unite us
Is
the beautiful hand of a priest.
God
bless them and keep them all holy,
For
the Host which their fingers caress;
When
can a poor sinner do better
Than
to ask Him to guide thee and bless?
When
the hour of death comes upon us,
May
our courage and strength be increased,
By
seeing raised over us in blessing
The
beautiful hands of a priest.
22.
Prayer for Priests
Lord
Jesus, Chief Shepherd of the flock, we pray that in the great love and mercy of
your Sacred Heart you attend to all the needs of your priest-shepherds
throughout the world. We ask that you draw back to your Heart all those priests
who have seriously strayed from your path, that you rekindle the desire for
holiness in the hearts of those priests who have become lukewarm, and that you
continue to give your fervent priests the desire for the highest holiness.
United with your Heart and Mary’s Heart, we ask that you take this petition to
your heavenly Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
23.
Prayer for Priests (to Mary)
O
Blessed Lady of the Tears, we entrust and consecrate the priesthood to your
Immaculate Heart! During this time of
trial and suffering, we pray that you renew the priesthood by making priests
holy in imitation of the Heart of the Good Shepherd. We pray in reparation for the sins of the
priesthood and we pray for all victims of their sins. Grant, O Lady of the Tears, an outpouring of
the Holy Spirit on the priests that they may be authentic witnesses of your Son
Jesus Christ Our Lord. May we wipe away
your tears by comforting your Immaculate Heart by praying the rosary and
adoring the Heart of Jesus your Son in the Most Holy Eucharist present in every
Catholic Church in the world. Give all priests and seminarians a deep love and
devotion to Jesus in the Eucharist and to you, their loving Mother. Grant that every priest and seminarian will
daily spend one hour with Jesus in the Eucharist and daily pray your most holy
rosary! Grant all priests and seminarians the gift of purity, the gift of
chastity and the gift of the divine love of your Son. May they proclaim the truth without fear,
with love and with courage! We ask all
of our prayers through the Tears which you shed at the foot of the cross of
Jesus Christ your Son who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit!
Amen!
24.
Prayer for Priests
Eternal
God, please bless our priests, who represent you on this earth. Make them more
greatly aware of the grace that you pour out through them when they minister
the sacraments, and help them to fall more deeply in love with you after each
and every Mass that they celebrate. Please strengthen our priests, who shepherd
your flock, when they are in doubt of their faith, that they may be examples of
your Truth and guide us always on the path to you. We ask these things of you
our Eternal Priest. Amen.
25.
Prayer for Priests
Lord
Jesus, you have chosen your priests from among us and sent them out to proclaim
your word and to act in your name. For so great a gift to your Church, we give
you praise and thanksgiving. We ask you to fill them with the fire of your
love, that their ministry may reveal your presence in the Church. Since they
are earthen vessels, we pray that your power shine out through their weakness.
In their afflictions let them never be crushed; in their doubts never despair;
in temptation never be destroyed; in persecution never abandoned.
Inspire
them through prayer to live each day the mystery of your dying and rising. In
time of weakness send them your Spirit, and help them to praise your heavenly
Father and pray for poor sinners. By the same Holy Spirit, put your word on
their lips and your love in their hearts, to bring Good News to the poor and
healing to the brokenhearted. And may the gift of Mary, your mother, to the
disciple whom you loved, be your gift to every priest. Grant that she who
formed you in her human image, may form them in your divine image, by the power
of your Spirit, to the glory of God the Father. Amen.
O
Mary conceived without sin pray for us who have recourse to you.
O
Mary conceived without sin pray for us who have recourse to you.
O
Mary conceived without sin pray for us who have recourse to you.