A PRAYER FOR PRIESTS
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 - Thou knowest, dearest Lord --
The world -- the flesh are strong.
And Satan spreads a thousand snares
To lead them into wrong.
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 life of sacrifice For souls seems but in vain.
Keep them, and oh, 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.
IMPRIMATUR
+ Henry Joseph O'Leary, D.D., Archbishop of Bamonton
My Daily Prayer for Priests
O ALMIGHTY ETERNAL GOD, look upon the face of Thy Christ, and for the love of Him who is the eternal High-priest, have pity on Thy 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 Thee, lest the enemy prevail against them, so that they may never do anything in the slightest degree unworthy of their sublime vocation.
O Jesus, I pray Thee for Thy faithful and fervent priests; for Thy unfaithful and tepid priests; for Thy priests laboring at home or abroad in distant mission fields; for Thy tempted priests; for Thy lonely and desolate priests; for Thy young priests; for Thy aged priests; for Thy sick priests; for Thy dying priests; for the souls of Thy priests in purgatory.
But above all I commend to thee 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 Thy Body and Blood in Holy Communion; the priests who taught and instructed me or helped me and encouraged me; all the priests to whom I am indebted in any other way, particularly N.N. O Jesus, keep them all close to Thy heart, and bless them abundantly in time and in eternity. Amen.
Cum approbatione ecclesiastica
AN ACT OF OBLATION
O JESUS, humbled in the Eucharist to be the source and center of charity of the Catholic Church and the strength of souls, we offer Thee our prayers, our actions, our sufferings in behalf of Thy priests, to the end that each day may behold the wider extension of the Kingdom of Thy Sacred Heart. (An indulgence of 300 days once a day.)
IMPRIMATUR
+ Francis Cardinal Spellman, Archbishop of New York, 1951
A PRAYER FOR PRIESTS
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, we beseech Thee, O Christ, Eternal High Priest, that Thou keep hidden within the Wound in Thy Heart Thy priests whom Thou hast ordained to Thy Eternal Priesthood. Preserve them, protect them as the dispensers of the mysteries of God and keep them faithful in their mission as Thy expiatory victims for the sins of men. Together with Thee, O Christ, are they continually offered on Thy Altar on High in the sight of the Father, a propitiation of love rising as incense from men to God. Ever increase in Thy faithful priest-victims Thy power to draw all hearts into Thy Own that Thou mayest perfect Thy work of grace among the sons of God, whose inheritance is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Have pity, O Christ, on those of Thy privileged ones who have strayed from Thy Heart and torn open the Wound in Thy Side by their infidelity to Thee. Release upon them the torrents of Thy love and compassion, drowning their souls in Thy ocean of mercy that they may not escape. Draw them back into the fullness of the Life and the Light that is of God. Amen.
IMPRIMATUR
+ Henry J. O'Brien, D.D., Archbishop of Hartford, April 1, 1959
Divine and Eternal High Priest, let the life-giving waters of Thy love flow into the hearts of Thy priests and transform them into living images of Thee. By Thy grace make them true apostles of Thy Sacred Heart.
Save souls through Thy priests; accompany them through life. Give them the special grace of drawing sinners to Thy Sacred Heart, Refuge of sinners, that they may find forgiveness and salvation.
Sacred Heart of Jesus, I pray for the fulfillment of this promise which Thou didst make to Saint Margaret Mary: "I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts." May Thy Kingdom come to the hearts of men through the activity of truly saintly priests.
IMPRIMATUR
+ Francis Cardinal Spellman, Archbishop of New York, 1958
JESUS, Saviour of the world, sanctify Thy priests and sacred ministers. (300 days indulgence.)
MARY, Queen of the Clergy, pray for us; obtain for us many and holy priests. (300 days indulgence.)
PRAYER FOR PRIESTS
OUR LADY OF THE PRECIOUS BLOOD, watch over the living chalices of the Blood of Jesus. Amen.
LORD JESUS, by the Precious Blood shed in Thy painful Scourging, shield with Thine own especial protection and that of Thine Immaculate Mother, all the ministers of the sanctuary, so that having renounced the goods of earth in order to belong entirely to Thee, they may every day offer and receive Thy Body and Blood with such pious dispositions as to enable Thee to find in their hearts "a paradise of delight." Our Lady of the Precious Blood, etc.
LORD JESUS, by Thy Precious Blood shed on the way to Calvary, take pity on priests who are victims of injustice, and who, like their adorable Model, receive in return for their devotedness, but crosses, trials and persecutions. Our Lady of the Precious Blood, etc.
IMPRIMATUR
+ Henry Joseph O'Leary, D.D., Archbishop of Edmonton
A PRAYER FOR ONE'S CONFESSOR
IN ASKING OF THEE, O my God, the graces of which I am in need, can I, without ingratitude, forget before Thee, him whom Thou hast chosen from among Thy ministers, to reconcile me to Thee by the sacrament of penance, justly called the second plank after shipwreck?
Deign, I beseech Thee, O my God, to adorn his soul with the virtues befitting the functions of the awful ministry with which Thou hast invested him. Grant him the faith of St. Peter, the charity of St. Paul, the firmness of St. Chrysostom, the evangelical liberty of St. Ambrose, the lights of St. Augustine, the piety of St. Bernard, the zeal of St. Charles Borromeo, the mildness of St. Francis of Sales, and the humility of St. Vincent of Paul.
Guide him Thyself, O Lord, in all his actions, that after having been here below a prudent and faithful dispenser of Thy mysteries, he may hereafter receive from Thy bountiful hands, the bright crown Thou hast promised in a blessed eternity, to the priests who shall have consecrated their lives to bring back their fellow creatures from the ways of error, and to conduct them in the paths of justice and peace. Amen.
IMPRIMATUR
+ Francis Patrick, Archbishop of Baltimore, November 9, 1859
THANKSGIVING AFTER CONFESSION
PRAYER FOR THE PRIEST
O LORD JESUS CHRIST, bless, I beseech Thee, Thy servant who has now ministered to me in Thy name.
Help me to remember his good counsel and advice, and to perform duly what he has rightly laid upon me. And grant him the abundance of Thy grace and favor, that his own soul may be refreshed and strengthened for Thy perfect service, and that he may come at last to the joy of Thy heavenly kingdom. Who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.
IMPRIMATUR
+ James Cardinal Gibbons, Archbishop of Baltimore, May 17, 1889
PRAYER FOR A DECEASED PRIEST
O LORD, we pray Thee that the soul of Thy priest, Thy servant N., which, while he abode in this world, Thou didst adorn with sacred gifts, may ever rejoice in a glorious place in heaven. Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
IMPRIMATUR
+ Francis Cardinal Spellman, Archbishop of New York, September 11, 1959
SAINT JOHN MARY VIANNEY.
PATRON OF PARISH PRIESTS
SAINT JOHN MARY, beloved Curé of Ars! Beg Jesus to send upon us the burning Spirit of love, Who so consumed thee with pastoral zeal for souls as to make thee a shining example of prayer and penance.
By thy example and intercession, obtain that we may be able to gain the souls of our brethren for Christ and with them attain to everlasting glory.
Dear Saint! We beg thee to obtain for priests a share of that extraordinary zeal and consuming charity which thou so efficaciously exerted in the sacred tribunal.
Pray the Holy Ghost to pour down upon priests the graces and the wisdom they need to direct, enlighten and inflame souls with love, that forsaking the paths of sin, they may perseveringly follow the road of righteousness which leads to the heart of God. Amen.
IMPRIMATUR
+ Francis Cardinal Spellman, Archbishop of New York, 1951
PRAYER FOR PRIESTS
O JESUS, Eternal Priest, keep these Thy holy ones within the shelter of Thy Sacred Heart, where none may touch them. Keep unstained their anointed hands, which daily touch Thy Sacred Body. Keep unsullied the lips purpled with Thy Precious Blood. Keep pure and unearthly the hearts sealed with the sublime mark of Thy glorious Priesthood. Let Thy holy love surround them and shield them from the world's contagion. Bless their labors with abundant fruit, and may those to whom they minister be their joy and consolation here below, and in heaven their beautiful everlasting crown. Amen.
IMPRIMATUR
+ Jacobus Eduardus, Archbishop of Chicago
SEND FORTH, O Lord, laborers into Thy harvest.
(Roman Missal) (500 days indulgence.)
A plenary indulgence once a month on the usual conditions, if this prayer is said every day IS. P. Ap., Nov. 22, 1934].
LORD, grant unto Thy Church saintly priests and fervent religious. (300 days indulgence.)
FOR PRIESTS
LORD JESUS, great High Priest who upon Calvary and at the table of the Last Supper prepared for the sacrifice of the Mass, I beg Thy blessing upon those priests whom Thou hast chosen to carry on Thy priestly work.They are human, but they must occupy a divine
office. They must stand as Thy substitute before the eyes of the people. Their hands must be pure enough to draw Thee down from heaven and strong enough to lift the people to Thy heights. They must speak the truth with courage. Their lives must be Christlike, their mercy and tenderness modeled on Thine. I pray that Thou, who in the Eucharist depend on them, will give Thy priests the graces that they need.
Give to young men a compelling vocation to serve Thee.
Give to priests the desire to do well their work, Thy work. Make us respectful, reverent, appreciative toward them. Grant them the grace to be priests not unworthy of Thee, our High Priest. Amen.
IMPRIMATUR
+ Francis Cardinal Spellman, Archbishop of New York, June 30, 1951
PRAYER TO BE SAID BY THE LAITY
O JESUS, eternal High Priest, Good Shepherd, Font of Life, who by a special favor of Thy most tender Heart hast given to us our priests in order to accomplish in us those holy ideals with which Thy grace inspires our hearts, let Thy mercy, we beseech Thee, come to the aid of our priests.
Grant them, O Jesus, lively faith in their works, unshakeable hope in their trials and fervent charity in their intentions. May Thy word, radiant with eternal Wisdom, become through continual meditation, the never-failing nourishment of their interior life; may the examples of Thy Life and Passion be renewed in their conduct and sufferings for our instruction and as a light and consolation in our sorrows.
Grant, O Lord, that our priests, free from all earthly attachments and solicitous for Thy glory alone, may persevere to their last breath in the fulfillment of duty and in purity of conscience. And when in death they deliver into Thy hands a task well done may they have in Thee, Lord Jesus, their Master on earth, the eternal reward of the crown of justice in the glory of the Saints. Amen.
(An indulgence of 1000 days IS. P. Ap., July 17, 1956].)
IMPRIMATUR
+ Francis Cardinal Spellman, Archbishop of New York, 1951
FOR PRIESTS
LORD JESUS CHRIST, Eternal High Priest, it is Thy holy Will to associate with Thyself in Thy priestly office other men to whom Thou dost entrust the most sublime of all human ministries. Have pity, most kind Jesus, on all the priests of holy Mother Church. Give them a love for Thee so great and warm, that it may fill their whole beings with fervor and zeal, and make even the most difficult tasks easy and light for Thy love.
Have pity in particular, dear Lord, on all those priests who are spent and weary, discouraged or desolate, or who labor under some special trial, temptation, or sorrow. Visit them with Thine efficacious graces and consolations. Kindle their hearts with the fire that burns in Thine own most Sacred Heart. Teach them the methods of Thine apostolate, as Thou didst teach the favored twelve whom Thou didst choose to be Thine apostles.
Keep them from sin, comfort them in every affliction, give them health and vigor of body and soul, that they may do effectively the work Thou givest to them. Remind us to pray for them often. Help us to cooperate with their efforts. Make it the ambition of every Catholic to aid, by prayers and words and deeds, in the apostolic work of saving souls, the greatest of all human activities, and which drew Thy Divine Majesty from heaven to earth. Grant, sweet Jesus, that all who are Thy priests on earth may come, holy and pure, to the glory of Thy heavenly kingdom, with all their faithful flocks, to rejoice in the vision of Thine Eternal Loveliness, Who, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, livest and reignest, one, all-loving God, world without end. Amen.
IMPRIMATUR
+ Albert G. Meyer, Archbishop of Milwaukee, Nov. 7, 1956
A PRAYER FOR PRIESTS
O MY GOOD JESUS, teach me always to see Thyself in the Priest. I know that he has been set over me to direct me and to help me to save my soul. I know that Thou wilt never find fault with me if I obey him in everything in order to do Thy Holy Will. Teach me to love and to respect him always. Do Thou protect him and be near him in his great work of saving souls. Keep him from harm. Help him to bring many souls to Thee and thus to win for himself a glorious crown in heaven. Amen.
IMPRIMATUR
†Patrick Cardinal Hayes, Archbishop of New York, Feast of the Assumption, 1932
A PRAYER
O JESUS, eternal High Priest, divine Sacrificer, Thou who in an unspeakable burst of love for men, Thy brethren, didst cause the Christian priesthood to spring forth from Thy Sacred Heart, vouchsafe to pour forth upon Thy priests continual living streams of infinite love.
Live in them, transform them into Thee; make them, by Thy grace, fit instruments of Thy mercy; do Thou act in them and through them, and grant, that they may become wholly one with Thee by their faithful imitation of Thy virtues; and, in Thy Name and by the strength of Thy spirit, may they do the works which Thou didst accomplish for the salvation of the world.
Divine Redeemer of souls, behold how great is the multitude of those who still sleep in the darkness of error; reckon up the number of those unfaithful sheep who stray to the edge of the precipice; consider the throngs of the poor, the hungry, the ignorant and the feeble who groan in their abandoned condition.
Return to us in the person of Thy priests; truly live again in them; act through them and pass once more through the world, teaching, forgiving, comforting, sacrificing and renewing the sacred bonds of love between the Heart of God and the heart of man. Amen.
(An indulgence of 300 days once a day. A plenary indulgence on the usual conditions, if the daily recitation of this prayer is continued for a month [Pius X, Rescript in his own hand, March 3, 1905, exhib. Feb. 13, 1911; S. P. Ap., May 17, 1927].)
IMPRIMATUR
+ Francis Cardinal Spellman, Archbishop of New York, 1951
OFFER SATURDAY FOR PRIESTS
DIVINE SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST, Who hast entrusted the whole work of Thy Redemption, the welfare and salvation of the world, to priests as Thy representatives, I offer Thee through the hands of Thy most holy Mother, all the prayers, works, sacrifices, joys and sorrows of this day for the sanctification of Thy priests. Give us truly holy priests who seek nothing but Thy greater glory and the salvation of our souls. Bless their words and prayers at the altar, in the confessional, in the pulpit, in all their work for the young, the sick and the aged. Do thou, O Mary, Mother of the High Priest, protect all priests from dangers to their holy vocation. Obtain for me a true spirit of faith and humble obedience so that I may ever behold the priest as the representative of God and willingly follow him in the Way, the Truth and the Life of Christ. Amen.
IMPRIMATUR
+ Thomas E. Molloy, S.T.D., Bishop of Brooklyn, 1941
A PRAYER FOR PRIESTS
SANCTIFY TO THYSELF, O my Lord, the hearts of Thy priests, that, by the merits of Thy sacred humanity, they may become living images of Thee, children of Mary, and full of the fire of the Holy Ghost, that they may guard Thy house, and defend Thy glory, and that through their ministry the face of the earth may be renewed, and they may save those souls which have cost Thee all Thy blood. Amen.
IMPRIMATUR
+ Francis Cardinal Spellman, Archbishop of New York, December 15, 1954
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