UPDATE:
ORIGINAL TEXT HERE
From a priest in the UK…
We have printed the Vocations Prayer you recommended for our parish in three designs and we say it at Mass every Sunday, and I also use it at Benediction during the week. I believe it has already begun to bear some fruit. Thank you!
This is great news.
Nice designs.
Folks, this isn’t hard.
However, may I recommend NOT changing the “thee”s and “thou”s? In my opinion, it rings better with the original language.
That said, I am eager to know what happens in the places where this prayer is implemented and used for a solid period of time.
Where might I find the whole prayer intact on your blog? I would like to have some cards printed up for our chapel/church?
I like “Thee” and “Thou” also, in part because “you” (based on phonics alone) is a silly-sounding word. As someone has pointed out, one of the many offenses of the dreadful “On Eagle’s Wings” is that its first lyric is “yoo hoo.”
Our Bishop had implemented saying a vocations prayer in every parish in the diocese, and there was lots of fruits and vocations were going up… Sadly, many parishes stopped after a while, and now vocations have gone once again gone down.
Beautiful prayer card designs! The typeface in particular reminds me of the cards shared during a Jesuit friend of mine’s ordination in 1963.
https://i.pinimg.com/564x/bc/4f/3b/bc4f3b783168db84d75120b15a3a5158.jpg
“I recommend NOT changing the “thee”s and “thou”s? In my opinion, it rings better with the original language”
Hear, hear!
I have always understood “thee” and “thou” to be the informal, or intimate address. I love that it sounds formal to my modern ear, and yet grammatically implies the intimate relationship God has chosen to have with us.
Ok I saw it , sorry for that….
Hail Mary. Full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus…
How I squirm when I hear:-
Hail Mary. Full of grace. The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women…etc, etc.
Here’s how its written in the back of my Bible:
God our Father
In baptism you called us by name
and made us members of your people, the Church
We praise you for your goodness,
we thank you for your gifts.
Father, bless your Church with love.
Raise up dedicated and generous leaders
from our families and from your friends
who will serve as sisters, priests, and brothers.
Send your spirit to guide and strengthen
those you are calling to serve
your people, following the example of
your Son, Jesus Christ,
in whose name we offer this prayer.
Amen.
Why are Deacons omitted from prayers for Vocations?
[Note the date of the prayer.]