For a while I have had a link on the sidebar, with the image of the beautiful holy card of Our Lady, Queen of the Clergy, to a page with a Daily Prayer For Priests.
I would be pleased and consoled if you all would choose to pray this prayer every day.
While this prayer had previous ecclesiastical approval many decades ago, I thought it advisable to submit the prayer, in a traditional form and with some slight changes of orthography, also to His Excellency Most Rev. Robert C. Morlino, Bishop of Madison. Bp. Morlino granted his approval for the prayer on 6 September 2018 so that it could be printed on cards for distribution:
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 and encouraged me; all the priests to whom I am indebted in any other way, particularly N. O Jesus, keep them all close to Thy Heart, and bless them abundantly in time and in eternity. Amen.
IMPRIMATUR
+Robert C. Morlino, Bishop of Madison, 6 September 2018
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Thank you, Father Z, for this beautiful prayer!! I will gladly commit to praying it everyday!
Thank you Father Z and Bishop Morlino! I want/need some holy cards with this. I would pay/donate money for them. I would be glad to pray this every day AND suggest it to our “Seven Sisters” prayer group for our priest, if I can obtain some cards. By the way I have not forgotten about the question about the private Mass chapel altars it is just genuinely a little difficult to have the right opportunity to ask.
Thank you Bishop Morlino and Father Zuhlsdorf, for this beautiful prayer and prayer card.
Can it be down loaded or purchase in bulk?
Doesn’t “clergé” in French include both Priests AND Bishops? Knowing how powerless good Priests are when stuck under the boot of a bad Bishop, shouldn’t we pray for Priests AND Bishops? Kind of like:
Mon Dieu, donnez-nous des évêques.
Mon Dieu, donnez-nous de saints évêques.
Mon Dieu, donnez-nous beaucoup de saints évêques!
[Bien sûr! Ainsi soit-il!]
Thank you, Fr. Z.
I have added this prayer to my weekly “Prayers For Priests” corner of my desktop.
Each week I place one or two thumbnail images of a priest who has had an impact on my life and as part of my daily routine, I pray a different prayer each day for them and their intentions.
As it turns out, you and Fr. John Ricardo were gracing my desktop a couple of weeks ago. Right before Archbishops Sample and Aquila!
[Thanks!]
I always felt that my thrust in life was to pray for all priests. I offer my daily Liturgy of the Hours, Rosary, Divine Mercy Chaplet, and Mass for this intention. I also pray this prayer daily:
O Lord Jesus Christ, Eternal High Priest and exemplar of priestly holiness and dignity, we are grateful to You for having chosen certain men for the ministerial priesthood by which You continue to instruct, admonish, forgive, nourish and strengthen Your Church.
We are sorely aware of the great need of priests in our time to be confirmed in their sacred calling so that they may continue confidently in their ministry of mediating Your graces to men and of representing them before Your august majesty.
Relying on the intercession of Holy Mary, Mother of priests, and of Saint Joseph, Her beloved spouse, we beg Your help for the priests who are the most troubled, tempted, discouraged and suffering.
May the noble and sacred office of the priesthood, which has too often been reviled and scorned, regain its admirable stature in the sight of all men for Your greater honor and glory, and for the sanctification and salvation of Your people.
Amen
From https://www.opusbono.org/
Beautiful! I’ll add it to my routine.
Thank you for this. I’ll add it to my daily prayers. Looking forward to the printed holy card.
Done. Thank you, Fr. Z.
*Also, I’m making sure to add Fr Boniface Ramsey to my prayers. Can you imagine the hell he’s been put through all these years trying to get the attention of his superiors re: McCarrick?
Huge News Breaking-
CNS posts Vatican letter proving Viganò claim that Vatican knew of McCarrick sex abuse in 2000.
Our parish priest, Fr. Darren Connall, presented this prayer last year and asked that we pray for him, our bishop Fr. Thomas Daly, and all other priests of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes and the priests of the Diocese of Spokane.
I look forward to getting the holy card.
Peace and God bless,
A prayer also for the bishop who ordained him would be appropriate (it’s standard among the Orthodox), as the bishop never ceases to be a priest.
Odd question here, but one where I know I am not alone. I was baptized as a Missouri Synod Lutheran, but entered the Church as an adult. Praying for “the priest who baptized me” doesn’t really fit, ok to just skip that phrase?
Gregg, same here, of course.
Ha, approved on the sixth of September. That’s my ordination day. I’ll take that as a nudge of the divine Providence and translate it in Dutch.
Anybody want to join me in saying a daily rosary preceded by this prayer? As much as I try I often fail to pray the rosary daily (I usually don’t “feel” spiritual comfort from praying it, but I know feelings don’t matter & that countless saints have asserted how very efficacious it is). Knowing other people were doing it together in spirit, for the common goal of praying for our priests & bishops, would give me more of a kick in the rear end to Just Do It.
The image with maniple in-hand is not lost on the observant.
Mary: I did, and do, my duty; dear priest of the Christ-child: do yours.
Done:
Almachtige, eeuwige God, zie naar het Gelaat van uw Christus die de eeuwige Hogepriester is. Heb, omwille van uw liefde voor Hem, medelijden met uw priesters. Gedenk, God van mededogen, dat zij maar zwakke en breekbare mensen zijn. Stook in hen de genade op die in hen is neergelegd door de handoplegging van hun bisschop. Houd hen steeds dicht tegen U aan, zodat de vijand niet machtig kan worden over hen. Dat zij nooit ook maar iets mogen doen dat hun verheven roeping onwaardig is.
Jezus, ik bid U voor uw trouwe en ijverige priesters; voor uw ontrouwe en lauwe priesters; voor uw priesters die zwoegen thuis of ver van huis in afgelegen missiegebieden; voor uw priesters in bekoring, voor uw eenzame en verlaten priesters; voor uw jonge priesters en uw oude priesters; voor uw zieke en uw stervende priesters en de zielen van uw priesters in het vagevuur.
Vooral beveel ik u aan de priesters die mij het meest dierbaar zijn: de priester die mij doopte en de priesters die mij mijn zonden vergaven; de priesters die voor mij de Mis opdroegen en die mij uw Lichaam en Bloed gaven in de heilige Communie; de priesters die mij onderwezen, mij hielpen, mij bemoedigden; alle priesters waar ik wat dan ook maar aan te danken heb, vooral N. Jezus, draag hen allen aan uw Hart en zegen hen overvloedig in tijd en eeuwigheid. Amen.