PRAYER REQUEST: Cancelled priests

I lately have had notes from lay people and from priests about priests who are being cancelled… by their bishops.

I grant that in every case there can be circumstances, details that are not public.

That said, this seems to be happening more frequently now.

Word about these situations gets around and it is incredibly demoralizing.   I recently had a chat with a young man who has a strong sense of his priestly call.  But he has seen what is happening to priests.  He made a determination that he would be crazy to seek ordination for his diocese and is, instead, going to join one of the traditional religious groups.   I said, “Amen.”

As one of the brethren, I ask that you say often, daily at least, the prayer for priests which I link on the sidebar of this blog.  Perhaps you could bookmark it or print it out and keep it with you.  Maybe keep a copy in your car so that you could say it at a long light, or when waiting to pick someone up.   Perhaps put a copy in your hand missal.

Priests are among the most vulnerable members of the church, as a matter of fact.   Bishops seem to be applying “tall poppy syndrome” rather than trying to work something out with them.

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 cancelled 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

 

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

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7 Comments

  1. Julia_Augusta says:

    I memorized this prayer so I can pray it anywhere anytime. I’m praying for all canceled priests, especially those who don’t have parishioners and online followers who can set up a GoFundMe account for their support. I am also praying for the bishops. Shouldn’t we pray for them, most notably, the ones hostile to the Tridentine Rite and the teachings of the Church through the centuries?

    Catholics should have a store of memorized prayers, preferably in Latin. Pater Noster, Ave Maria, Apostles Creed, Anima Christi, Magnificat, Memorare and more.

  2. JustaSinner says:

    I say a prayer to St Michael instead as these good priests are in the dark ones cold war. St Michael, defend them in battle!

  3. GregB says:

    The Church hierarchy appears to have a gift for giving faithful Catholics the Uriah the Hittite treatment.

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  5. iamlucky13 says:

    I need to print a copy out a copy of that prayer to add to the little booklet that came with my combat rosary.

    After each confession, once I’ve completed my penance, I try to remember to say a prayer for the priest who ministered the sacrament. I always feel a bit clumsy about the words, but the first intention of the prayer is thanksgiving for the priest, and the second is basically exactly what this prayer really powerfully conveys.

  6. mo7 says:

    If the faith we hold dear is the faith that was being preached by the canceled, isn’t our church canceling us laity too? Aren’t they telling us directly that we are not welcome, that the real faith doesn’t exist in the church anymore? Must we hold the true faith in secret behind gritted teeth?

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