(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).
26. Prayer for All Church Leaders
27. Six Short Prayers for Priests
28. Novena Prayer for Priests
(Archdiocese of New Orleans)
29. A Prayer for Missionaries
30. Thanksgiving and Intercession for
Priests
31. Prayer for the Leaders of Your Flock
32. Prayer for Priests (St. Catherine of
Siena)
33. Prayer for Priests and Religious
34. Prayer for Priests (Bathurst, New Brunswick)
35. Prayer Suggestion for Priests
36. Emmaus Prayer for Priests
37. Prayer for Holiness in Priests
38. Prayer for Priests
39. Prayer for Holy Priests
40. St. Faustina's Prayer for Holy
Church anf for Priests
41. A Prayer for Our Priests
42. A Prayer for All Priests
43. Prayer for a Priest (Marisa Rossi)
44. Prayer for Priests
45. Prayer For Priests in Times of
Uncertainty
46. Prayer For Priests
47. Prayer for a Holy Church and for
Priests
48. Prayer for Priests (to Mary)
49. Prayer for Priests (St. Charles
Borromeus)
50. Prayer for Bishops, Priests,
Deacons, … Lay Ministers, …
To return to previous page - go to next page
See also: Help Priests and Testimonies.
26.
Prayer for
Lord
Jesus Christ, watch over those who are leaders in your Church. Keep them
faithful to their vocation and to the proclamation of your message. Teach them
to recognize and interpret the signs of the times. Strengthen them with the
gifts of the Spirit, and help them to serve their subjects, especially the poor
and lowly. Give them a vivid sense of your presence in the world and a
knowledge of how to show it to others. Amen.
27.
Six Short Prayers for Priests
1.
O Jesus, Savior of the world, sanctify your priests and seminarians.
2.
Lord Our God, in order to govern your people you willed to unite yourself to
the ministry of priests. Grant them the grace of accepting your holy will so
that, in their ministry and in their life, they may seek only your glory. We
ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the
Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
3.
O God, give us holy priests to celebrate the Sacrifice of Salvation, to give
sinners the consolation of pardon and thirsting souls the Body and Blood of
Jesus Christ. Amen.
4.
Lord, grant us many and holy priests.
5.
Grant us holy priests to console those who suffer, to remind all that we are
brothers, to bless our homes, our work, our fields so that your kingdom may
extend to all souls.
6.
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, grant your Church many and holy priests. Queen of
the Apostles, pray for us.
Source:
Posted on the Franciscan_Spirit mailing list on
28.
This prayer was used as a Novena in preparation for the Day of Prayer for the
Sanctification of Priests, which was on
Novena
Prayer for Priests
O
Mary, Mother of Jesus,
you
were with Jesus
at
the beginning of His life and mission.
You
stood beside Jesus when He was lifted on the cross
and
gave His life for all.
We
ask you now to be with our priests,
who
give themselves in service to God's people.
Intercede
for them that they may grow in holiness;
proclaim
God's word with courage;
celebrate
the sacraments with joy;
and
be among God's people as Jesus, the Good Shepherd, was.
We
offer this prayer to God the Father,
through
your intercession,
in
the name of your Son, Jesus,
and
through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Amen
Lord
our God,
loving
Father,
we
humbly pray to you
for
our beloved missionaries,
heralds
of the Gospel.
May
our prayers
reach
their hearts
that
they may feel our love,
our
strength,
our
faith.
May
our prayers
reach
their hearts
that
they continue
with
your zeal
the
mission
you
entrust them with.
May
their presence
in
their community
be
a reminder
of
your presence among us.
Amen.
30.
Thanksgiving and Intercession for Priests
Lord
Jesus, you have chosen your priests from among us and sent them out to proclaim
your word and 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 times of weakness, send your Spirit, and
help them to praise your Heavenly Father and pray for the 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 broken-hearted.
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.
Source:
Posted on the Franciscan_Spirit mailing list on
31.
Prayer For the Leaders of Your Flock
Father,
be with the leaders of your flock in their needs today. Help your bishops and
priests to interpret the Gospel message with clarity and urgency, witnessing in
their own lives to the teaching and example of Christ.
Fortify
and encourage those among them who are fearful and confused; be truly a Father
to those who have fallen away.
Bless
those who are involved in new responses to contemporary needs; guide those who
direct and foster dialogue with other Christians, with non-Christians and with
the secular city.
Assist
those who are trying to promote Christian values, that with zeal tempered by
prudence, and in the framework of lawful authority, they may help to build up a
truly Christian world for man.
Send
your Holy Spirit in a new outpouring, so that under these leaders chosen by
you, the entire People of God may progress in a harmonious cooperation towards
their final consummation in unity, truth and love by, with and in your Son
Jesus Christ. Amen.
Source:
posted on the Franciscan_Spirit mailing list on
32.
Prayer for Priests (St. Catherine of
[Father,]
I beseech You, direct the hearts and wills of the servants of Your Bride, the
33.
Prayer for Priests and Religious
O
Jesus, our great High Priest, hear my humble prayers on behalf of your
servants. Give them a deep faith, a bright and firm hope, and a burning love
which will ever increase in the course of their life. In their loneliness,
comfort them. In their sorrows, strengthen them. In their frustrations, point
out to them that it is through suffering that the soul is purified, and show
them that they are needed by the Church; they are needed by souls; they are
needed for the work of redemption.
O
Loving Mother Mary, Mother of Priests and religious, take to your heart your
children who are close to you because of the power which they have received to
carry on the work of Christ in a world which needs them so much. Be their
comfort, be their joy, be their strength, and especially help them to live and
to defend the ideals of consecrated celibacy.
Amen
34. Prayer for Priests (
Lord Jesus, Grand Shepherd of the flock, we pray that in the love and
mercy of your Sacred Heart you assist your priests pastors of the whole world.
We pray that you draw to your heart all the priest who have distanced
themselves from your way. Give to the lukewarm ones the desire of holiness and
to the fervent ones the desire of a still greater sanctity. United to your
Divine Heart and to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, we pray you to take our
request to your heavenly Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Imprimatur: Msgr. André Richard, c.s.c., bishop of
35.
Prayer Suggestion for Priests
O
Jesus, Eternal High Priest, live in (name a priest),
act
in him, speak in and through him.
Think
your thoughts in his mind, love through his heart.
Give
him your own dispositions and feelings.
Teach,
lead and guide him always.
Correct,
enlighten and expand his thoughts and behavior.
Possess
his soul; take over his entire personality and life.
Replace
him with yourself.
Incline
him to constant adoration and thanksgiving;
pray
in and through him.
Let
him live in you and keep him in intimate union always.
O
Mary, Immaculate Conception, Mother of Jesus and Mother of priests,
pray
and intercede for (name of priest).
Amen
36.
Emmaus Prayer for Priests
Lord
Jesus, hear our prayer
For
the spiritual renewal of priests.
We
praise you for giving their ministry to the Church.
In
these days renew them with the gifts of your Spirit.
You
once opened the Scriptures
To
the disciples on the road to Emmaus.
Now
renew your ordained ministers
With
the truth and power of your Word.
In
the Eucharist you gave the Emmaus disciples
Renewed
life and hope.
Nourish
priests with your own Body and Blood.
Help
them to imitate in their lives
The
death and resurrection they celebrate at your altar.
Give
priests enthusiasm for the Gospel,
Zeal
for the salvation of all,
Courage
in leadership,
Humility
in service,
Fellowship
with one another
And
with all their brothers and sisters in You.
For
You love them, Lord Jesus,
And
we love and pray for them in Your name. Amen
37.
Prayer for Holiness in Priests
Grant,
O Lord, that every hand laid upon you at the altar may be a friendly hand,
whose touch is tender and consoling as Joseph's was; that the lips which form
so many sacred words may never be profaned by frivolous or unworthy speech;
that priests may guard, even in the noisy streets of the city, the impress of
their noble functions, the bright token that they have but lately come down
from your holy mountain; and in their garments the fragrance of the altar, that
everyone may find them living memorials of you, accessible to all, yet more
than other men.
Grant
that they may contract from the Mass of today a hunger and thirst for the Mass
of the morrow, that the sacred anticipation be their last thought at night and
your tender summons their first awareness in the morning; that your priests,
filled with you and your good gifts, may give largely to the rest of men who
look to you. Amen.
38. Prayer for
Priests
O Jesus, by your most
loving heart, I implore you to inflame with zeal for your love and glory all
the priests of the world, all missionaries and those whose office it is to
preach your word, that on fire with holy zeal, they may snatch souls from the
devil and lead them into the shelter of your Heart, where forever they may
glorify you. I especially remember those
priests who have absolved me of my sins in the Sacrament of Confession, and
those who have given me Your Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity as nourishment for
my soul in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist. Amen.
39.
Prayer for Holy Priests
My
Dear Jesus, you desire that we pray the Lord of the harvest that He send
zealous laborers into His harvest. Deign to raise up in your Church, and
especially in this diocese, numerous and holy priests who, taking your Divine
Heart as their Model, will, in the exercise of their holy priesthood, promote
the glory of your heavenly Father and the salvation of those souls whom you
have redeemed with your Precious Blood. Give us truly holy priests who,
inflamed with the fire of your Divine love, seek nothing but your greater glory
and the salvation of souls.
O
Mary, Queen of the clergy, pray for us; obtain for us a number of holy priests.
40.
Saint Faustina's Prayer for
O
my Jesus, I beg You on behalf of the whole Church: Grant it love and the light
of Your Spirit and give power to the words of priests so that hardened hearts
might be brought to repentance and return to You, O Lord.
Lord,
give us holy priests; You Yourself maintain them in holiness. O Divine and
Great High Priest, may the power of Your mercy accompany them everywhere and
protect them from the devil's traps and snares which are continually being set
for the souls of priests. May the power of Your mercy, O Lord, shatter and
bring to naught all that might tarnish the sanctity of priests, for You can do
all things. I ask You, Jesus, for a special blessing and for light for the
priests before whom I will make my confessions throughout my lifetime. Amen.
Source:
Posted on the Franciscan_Spirit mailing list on
Keep them, I pray Thee, dearest Lord,
keep them, for they are Thine --
Thy priests whose lives burn out before
Thy consecrated shrine.
Keep them, for they are in the world,
though from the world apart;
when earthly pleasures tempt, allure --
shelter them in Thy heart.
Keep them, and comfort them
in hours of loneliness and pain,
when all their lives of sacrifice
for souls seems but in vain.
Keep them, and o remember, Lord,
they have no one but Thee,
yet they have only human hearts,
with human frailty.
Keep them as spotless as the Host,
that daily they caress;
their every thought and word and deed,
deign, dearest Lord, to bless.
Our Father, Hail
Mary, Glory Be
Eternal
Father,
I
lift up to You all the priests of the world.
Sanctify
them. Heal and guide them.
Mold
them into the likeness and holiness of Your Son, Jesus, the Eternal High
Priest.
May
their lives be pleasing to You.
In
Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.
43. Prayer for a Priests
This prayer was dictated to Marisa Rossi by Our Lady.
O Almighty God,
accept this servant of yours, [name]
let him be always yours,
let him always offer a powerful witness
and be a powerful example
for the souls You have entrusted to his pastoral care
and who truly want to change
and want to walk along the path
marked out by your Divine Son
and enlightened by the light of the Holy Spirit.
Mary, Mother of the Eucharist,
be for this priest a mother and master,
a refuge and support,
consolation and companionship.
Amen
44. Prayer for Priests
God
our Father, you reveal your omnipotence in the superabundance of your mercy,
poured forth into the world through the sacred wounds of your Son and our
Redeemer.
We
ardently pray that your sacred ministers may be clear reflections of your
mercy. May they, with every word and deed of their life, illumine humanity,
disoriented by sin, and bring it back to you, who are Love.
We
ask this, Father, through your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen.
45. Prayer For Priests In Times of Uncertainty
Lord Jesus Christ,
as you gazed down from the Cross in Your bitter agony
upon the beloved and faithful Apostle, Saint John,
Your anguish was increased
by the desertion of the traitor and the other Apostles.
In spite of this desertion Your love embraced them
and all those consecrated men who would forsake You.
We, therefore confidently beseech You now
to rain abundant grace on shepherds who have gone astray.
Where there is present groping uncertainty,
let there be light;
where there is present overshadowing gloom,
let there be joy;
where there is present mounting struggle,
let there be peace.
Guide, O Lord, the straying shepherds back to the fold,
[especially Father N. ]
and assist them to walk surely and lovingly in Your sight,
for only in union with You
will the shepherd find true light, joy and peace.
Give to all priests inspiration in time of doubt,
patience in time of adversity,
fortitude in time of weakness,
that with Your love ever pressing them on,
they may lead others ever closer to You.
Amen.
46.
Prayer For Priests
Receive,
Holy Father, this Immaculate Host, the Spirit of Sacrifice. O my God, pour it in its plenitude over your
priests. It is their glory as well as their duty to consume themselves for
souls; to be victims, to live, to suffer often the scorn, contempt and
injustice of persecution. May they contemplate what they say each day at the
altar, "This is My Body." May they apply it to themselves, "I am
no longer me, I am Jesus, in Jesus crucified. I am as the Bread and Wine, a
substance consecrated which has ceased to be itself."
O
my God, I burn with the desire of the sanctification of your priests. I desire
that the hands that touch you be loving and gentle; and that tho lips which
pronounce at the altar the Words so sublime do not lower themselves to trivial
formulas. May they keep within them the attitude of their noble function. May
everyone find them simple and great like the Host, accessible to all and
superior to others.
O
make that they carry from the Mass of today the thirst of the Mass of tomorrow.
May they pour themselves out on what they do; may they have the grace to
communicate it in its fullness to others.
47.
Prayer for a
O
my Jesus, I beg You on behalf of the whole Church: Grant it the love and the
light of Your Spirit and give power to the words of priests so that hardened
hearts may be brought to repentance and return to You, O Lord.
Lord,
give us holy priests. You Yourself maintain them in holiness. O Divine and
Great High Priest, may the power of Your mercy accompany them everywhere and
protect them from the devil's traps and snares which are continually being set
for the souls of priests. May the power of Your mercy, O Lord, shatter and
bring to naught all that might tarnish the sanctity of priests, for You can do
all things. I ask You, Jesus, for a special blessing and for light for the priests
before whom I will make my confessions throughout my lifetime. Amen.
Mother
of our Redeemer, in this era dedicated to you, with great joy we call you
blessed. You believed in the Word of God the Father and declared yourself His
handmaid, and so, through you, the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us. We
salute you as Mother, our Mother, the Mother of the Church. With what great
love you must have watched over the infant Church and what motherly solicitude
encouraged the apostles as they committed themselves to carry on the work of
Your Divine Son on earth. Make the Church ever to be the sign and instrument of
intimate union with God.
To
you, our Mother, we entrust in a special way our Bishop and the priests of our
diocese. To them has been given a special sharing in the priesthood of Your
Divine Son. He has chosen them to be ministers of His Word and Sacraments. Ask
Him to fill them with zeal, to keep them faithful and joyful in His service,
conscious of the fact that they care and so bring glory to the Father and honor
to the Church.
Holy
Mother, increase the ranks of our priests by inspiring our young people to be
more generous in their response to serve Jesus in the priesthood and in
religious life.
Sustain all of us, O Virgin Mary, on our journey of faith and obtain for us the grace of eternal salvation.
0 Holy Mother of God, pray for the priests your Son has chosen to serve the Church. Help them, by your intercession, to be holy, zealous, and chaste. Make them models of virtue in the service of God's people. Help them be pious in meditation, efficacious in preaching, and zealous in the daily offering of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Help them administer the Sacraments with love and joy. Amen.
50.
Prayer for Bishops, Priests, Deacons, Brothers, Sisters,Lay Ministers and
Seminarians
Lord
Jesus, hear our prayer for the spiritual renewal of bishops, priests, deacons,
brothers, sisters, lay ministers and seminarians, especially those of our own
diocese. We praise you for giving their ministry to the Church. In these days,
renew them with the gifts of Your Spirit.
You
once opened the Holy Scriptures to Your disciples when You walked on this
earth. Now renew Your ordained and chosen ones with the truth and power of Your
Word.
In
the Eucharist you gave Your disciples renewed life and hope. Nourish Your
consecrated ones with Your Own Body and Blood. Help them to imitate in their
lives the death and resurrection they celebrate around Your altar.
Give
them enthusiasm for the Gospel, zeal for the salvation of all people, courage
in leadership and humility in service.
Give
them Your love for one another and for all their brothers and sisters in You.
For You love them, Lord Jesus and we love and pray for them in Your Holy Name.
Amen.
(With
ecclesiastical approval)
