Dedicated to Our Spiritual Sons - The Priests

H/T to Eucharistic Adoration for Our Priests

Fishers of Men

The Sacrament of Reconciliation

Anne Bender, a wonderful writer, blogged about an experience she had that relates to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. I can assure you that after reading her post, you would have words of thanks to God for this sacrament. You would also thank God for our priests whom God has appointed to minister it. Here's the blogpost.

Anne maintains a blog called Imprisoned in my Bones-Releasing my Inner Jeremiah.

Diabolical Attacks on Priests

The influence of the devil can never overcome the power of God’s grace. Jesus assures us of this when He tells Peter (Mt 16:18), “I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.” But the evil one, nonetheless, continues to tempt and test all of us during our life on earth.

Satanic attacks were commonplace in the life of Fr. John Vianney....

Read the rest here

EWTN To Air Monthly Holy Hour In Honor of Year for Priests

PRESS RELEASE

For Information, Please Contact:

August 26, 2009

Michelle Johnson

Director of Communications

EWTN Global Catholic Network

5817 Old Leeds Road
Irondale , Alabama 35210-2198 USA

(205) 795-5769 – Office

(205) 441-6248 ­– Cell

(205) 795-5781 – Fax

mjohnson@ewtn.com



EWTN To Air Monthly Holy Hour

In Honor of Year for Priests



Irondale, AL (EWTN) – You and your friends are invited to join EWTN on the First Friday of each month at 3 p.m. ET as we air a special Holy Hour in honor of the Year for Priests. This program, with the Franciscan Missionaries of the Eternal Word, will begin airing Sept. 4 and will end in June 2010.

Each Holy Hour will include a sermon by Father Miguel Marie M.F.V.A., as well as hymns and prayers specifically for priests. Keep checking our website, www.ewtn.com, for a new web page on the “Year for Priests,” which will be unveiled shortly. The mini-site will contain information on all of EWTN’s special programming during this Year for Priests (including videos, video clips, and promotional spots), prayers that will be used during the Holy Hour, news, papal documents, and a lot more!

Please join us the First Friday of each month during the Hour of Divine Mercy (and on the web every day) as we follow St. John Vianney’s admonition: “If you want good priests, pray for the ones you have…”

EWTN Global Catholic Network, in its 28th year, is available in over 150 million television households in more than 140 countries and territories. With its direct broadcast satellite television and radio services, AM & FM radio networks, worldwide short-wave radio station, Internet website www.ewtn.com and publishing arm, EWTN, is the largest religious media network in the world.

-end-

Have you ever encouraged a young man to consider the priesthood?

Call to Prayer and Sacrifice

You can take the poll at that site.

Meet Fr. Gary Secor

Meet Fr. Gary Secor, the former vicar for vocations. Though he is now the parish priest of Holy Trinity Church, he is still very much active with activities for the youth.

Just a few weeks ago, my daughter Ashley attended the Basic Christian Community Retreat in Hawaii (BCCH). Fr. Gary did a great job of giving inspirational talks to the youth. He basically encouraged them to retreat from the world and spend time in prayer. Fr. Gary has a joyful disposition, which the youth can relate to. It is most likely the reason why the youth in our diocese are drawn to him -- to listen to what this priest has to say at a time when the world can be a confusing place to live in.

So, here's Fr. Gary Secor.

Source: Hawaii Catholic Herald

Seminarians

Vatican to Prepare Document on Seminarians

The Vatican is aiming to prepare a "brief, forceful and very clear" document on the formation of seminarians as one of the elements to close the Year for Priests....

Remember to pray for all seminarians.

Daily Prayer for a Seminarian
Until his Ordination to the Priesthood

(Used by the Curé D'Ars Prayer Group Members)


O Jesus, Eternal High Priest,
I offer You through Your Immaculate Mother Mary,
Your own Precious Blood, in all the Masses throughout the world, as petition for graces for all seminarians, Your future priests, especially for......

Give them humility, meekness, prudence, and a burning zeal for soul. Fill their hearts with the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Teach them to know and love the church, that they may always and everywhere speak, act, and think with her, the glorious spouse of Christ.

Teach them generosity and detachment from wordly goods; but above all, teach them to know You and to love the One and Only Eternal Priest. good Shepherd of Souls, hear this my prayer for saintly priests.
Amen.

Prayer and picture of St. Lawrence courtesy of The Curé d'Ars Prayer Group

If a Priest...

If a priest is a saint, his people will be holy.
If a priest is holy, his people will be good.
If a priest is good, his people will be decent.
If a priest is decent, his people will be godless.

-Dom Jean-Baptiste Chautard

Thank you Fr. Daren

An Appeal for One Hour Eucharistic Adoration for Priests

As the spiritual moms know, we need to make a Holy Hour of Adoration for our spiritual sons, the priests.

Eucharistic Adoration for Priests is also asking their readers to make a commitment to one hour of adoration. If you can commit, please vote on their poll.

The Pope: To Evangelise There Needs to be Good Priestly Form

Fr. Bruno's Prayer for Priests dated 1925

Father Bruno’s PRAYER FOR PRIESTS 1925

O almighty and eternal God, look upon the face of Your Christ, and for love of Him who is the eternal High-priest, have pity on your 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 in them by the imposition of the Bishop’s hands. Keep them close to You, 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 You for Your faithful and fervent priests; for Your unfaithful and tepid priests; for You priests laboring at home or abroad in distant mission fields; for Your tempted priests; for Your lonely and desolate priests; for Your sick priests; for Your aged priests, for Your dying priests; for the souls of Your priests in purgatory.

But above all I commend to You the priests dearest to me: the priest who baptized me; the priest who absolved me from my sins; the priest at whose Masses I assisted and who gave me Your Body and Blood in Holy Communion; the priest who taught and instructed me or helped me and encourage me; all the priest to whom I am indebted in any other way, particularly . . . O Jesus, keep them all close to Your heart, and bless them abundantly in time and in eternity. Amen

Year of the Priests - Prayers for Priests New Site Added to the Sidebar

"When men want to destroy religion, they begin attacking the priest." - St. John Vianney

Year of the Priests - Prayers for Priests

• Pray for priests daily and especially before the Blessed Sacrament.

• Offer a Spiritual Bouquet for your parish priest and priests throughout the world.
- Make a commitment for a certain number of rosaries, chaplets, masses or hours of adoration.
- A specific number of days of fasting or abstaining from some particular food or activity.
- An offering of the sufferings or sacrifices you make in your daily life or work, for a particular week or month
or other period of time.
- An offering of the merits of a particular type of charitable or apostolic work that you perfo

• Pray for vocations to the Priesthood, Deaconate and Religious life

• Read about the vital role of priests in the life of the Catholic Church.

• Send a priest a thank you card for his dedication, sacrifice and ministry to your faith.

• Read about priests who shaped our Church and the world.

• Study the life of St. John Vianney, the Curé of Ars, who will be named patron saint
of the world’s priests during the jubilee year.

• Volunteer at your parish to support and encourage your parish priest

• Invite your priest to dinner to thank him for all he has done for you and your family

Prayer to implore the grace to safeguard chastity

For a priest to pray daily:

Lord Jesus Christ, spouse of my soul, delight of my heart and my soul, I fall on my knees before you, praying and fervently beseeching you to allow me to persevere and grow in the true faith each day. O sweet Jesus, grant that I may reject all impiety and that I may be a stranger to the carnal desires and earthly concupiscence which fight against my soul. Through your help, may I preserve my chastity unstained.

O most holy and immaculate Virgin Mary, Virgin of virgins and most beloved Mother, purify my heart and soul each day, and obtain for me a holy fear of the Lord and a particular distrust of my own strength.

St. Joseph, guardian of the virginity of Mary, keep my soul from all sin.

All of you holy Virgins who unceasingly follow the divine Lamb, be solicitous to me a sinner, that I may avoid sin in thoughts, words, actions or omissions, and that I may never be far from the most chaste heart of Jesus. Amen.

Source

In Adoration

Red roses on the front left situated beside the altar

where the Monstrance sits, was my inspiration

Adoration is a great way of praying for our priests.
Any type of prayer will do, even a poem such as this...



In Adoration
By Easter Almuena

Wine-colored contours
In graceful stand
Elegant and poised
Yet soft and dainty

Bordered by flowerets
Looking like angels
Lime blades akin to guards
Held by vintage vase

All in pursuit
Of the Beloved’s gaze
In the quiet of a corner
While adoring

I sit in the same nook
To get a glimpse
Of the peaceful Bread
With its life beating in me

Red roses with entourage
Their beauty their prayer
And mine this poem
For Jesus in adoration
8/13/09

All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2013 Easter Almuena
Esther Gefroh and Easter Almuena formed the Spiritual Mothers Apostolate in our diocese in Febraury 2008. Approved by Bishop Larry Silva, we are a group of women devoted to praying for the priests and seminarians of our diocese.

For Catholic women belonging to our diocese and desiring to spiritually adopt a priest or seminarian, please contact Esther Gefroh at estherjoeysmom@gmail.com.

Prayer for Troubled Priests

Eternal Father, creator of all things, we reverence Your continued grace and presence in the priesthood of You only begotten Son, now shared by Him with men. In the weakness which You know, some of those called to participate in the priesthood of the eternal high priest have fallen from the heights to which they were summoned. Do not, we beg You, cast them forever from Your sight. Be mindful, rather, of their hearts as they were touched by Your grace in the beginnings of their priesthood. Restore to them by a flood of Your grace that generosity which they knew in life's morning. Amen.

Shared by Sue of Half the Kingdom

A Prayer for Priests and Missionaries

My dear 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. Inflamed with this zeal, may they snatch souls from the devil and lead them into the shelter of Your Heart, where they may glorify You forever. Amen.

Shared by Sue of Half the Kingdom

CRITICISM OF PRIESTS, Our Lord's revelation to Mutter Vogel

"One should NEVER attack a priest, even when he's in error; rather, one should pray and do penance that I'll grant him MY grace again. He alone fully represents Me, even when he doesn't live after My example!" (Page 29, Mutter Vogel's Worldwide Love, St. Grignion Publishing House, Altoting, Sough Germany (29.6. 1929).

When a priest fails, we should extend him a helping hand THROUGH PRAYER AND NOT THROUGH ATTACKS! I Myself will be his judge, NO ONE BUT I!" "Whoever voices judgment over a priest has voiced it over me; child, never let a priest be attacked, take up his defense." (Feast of Christ the King, 1937) "Child, never judge your confessor, rather pray much for him and offer every Thursday, through the hands of My Blessed Mother, Holy Communion (for Him) (18.6 1939). "Never again accept an out-of-the-way word about a priest, and speak no unkind word (about them) EVEN IF IT WERE TRUE! Every priest is My Vicar and My heart will be sickened and insulted because of it! If you hear a judgment (against a priest) pray a Hail Mary.: (28.6 1939)

"If you see a priest who celebrates the Holy Mass unworthily, then say nothing about him, rather tell it to Me alone! I stand beside Him on the altar!" "Oh, pray much for my priest, that they'll love purity above all, that they'll celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass with pure hands and heart. Certainly the Holy Sacrifice is one and the same even when it's celebrated by an unworthy priest, but the graces called down upon the people is not the same!" (28.2 1938)

Shared by Sue of Half the Kingdom

A Good Priest

A priest is a lover of God.
A priest is a lover of men.
A priest is a holy man because he walks before the Face of the All Holy.
A priest understands all things.
A priest forgives all things.
A priest encompasses all things.

The heart of a priest, like Christ's, is pierced with the lance of love.
The heart of a priest is open, like Christ's, for the whole world to walk through.
The heart of a priest is a vessel of compassion.
The heart of a priest is a chalice of love.
The heart of a priest is the trysting place of human and divine love.

A priest is a man whose goal is to be another Christ.
A priest is a man who lives to serve.
A priest is a man who has crucified himself, so that he too may be lifted up and draw all things to Christ.
A priest is a man in love with God.
A priest is the gift of God to man, and of man to God.
A priest is a symbol of the Word made flesh.
A priest is the naked sword of God's justice.
A priest is the hand of God's mercy.
A priest is the reflection of God's love.

by Baroness de Hueck Doherty

Shared by Sue of the Half Kingdom

Looking for Spiritual Mothers

My encounter with women who have a devotion of praying for our priests is quite amazing. But before I would have such an experience, I'd first ask God to lead the way.

I'd look around the church -- mostly after Mass -- and approach a woman I am led to speak with. I'd look in her eyes, the window to her soul, as I ask her if she'd want to spiritually adopt a priest.

Oftentimes, I'd get this look of excitement and joy. Then she'd say, "What a great apostolate!" "Yes, count me in!" Or "I would love to pray for a priest daily." Unsurprisingly, most of them would say, "I have already been praying for this priest and that priest. Yes, give me one and I will include him on my list of priests to pray for." God never ceases to amaze me!

We have this one particular Spiritual Mother who is quite elegant looking; she always dresses so nicely yet looks somewhat aloof. I was a bit hesitant in approaching her, but the Holy Spirit prompted me to speak with her. So I did. She was distant and rather cautious. I said my hello, introduced myself, and informed her of our apostolate.

She asked me first if I would share her information with others -- she was referring to her phone number and some whereabouts. I said, "Of course not." "And oh," she said, "I see you at church sitting with ________ (she mentions the name of a dear friend of mine who has a "title"), so yes, I think I can adopt a priest." I said I would give her a packet that contains the name of her Spiritual Son and prayers to pray for him.

That was over a year ago. This lady faithfully prayed for the priest assigned to her. After having discerned that it would be alright to visit him, she did just that.

She was overjoyed! She called me right away and told me of her encounter with her priest. Unfortunately, that priest's stay with our diocese terminated and he had to go back to the mainland. But this Spiritual Mother continues to pray for her Spiritual Son.

Twice, she sent him a package full of goodies found only on our islands.

Amazing what our God can do for his anointed priests!


More next time...
Easter A.

Prayer Before the Blessed Sacrament for Vocations

O God, Our Father, You have called us in Baptism, to follow Your Son through lives of living service to You and to one another.

Grant us Your assistance as we seek to live out our vocation in life. We pray especially for those who have answered Your call as priests, brothers, sisters, and deacons.

Keep them faithful in following Your Son, and dedicated in serving You, in their brothers and sisters.

Grant that many more men and women will be open to the challenge of dedicating their lives in the ministry of building Your Kingdom.

Jesus, High priest and Redeemer, we ask You to call men and women to Your service as priests and religious. May they be inspired by the lives of dedicated priests, brothers and sisters.

Holy Spirit, give to parents the grace of generosity and trust toward You and their Child, so that their sons and daughters may be helped to choose their vocation in life with wisdom and freedom.

We ask all of this through Christ, Our Lord.
AMEN

Thanks to Sue of Half the Kingdom

Prayer for Priests

This is one of my favorite prayers for priests.

Keep them, I pray You, dearest Lord, Keep them, for they are Thine - Your priests whose lives burn out before Your consecrated shrine.

Keep them, for they are in the world, Though from the world apart; When earthly pleasures tempt, allure, Shelter them in Your Heart.

Keep them, and comfort them in hours O loneliness and pain, When all their life 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.

Current Seminarians in the Diocese of Honolulu

Photo by Hawaii Catholic Herald

Diocesan seminarian count up to 7

At the end of the Mass for priests on the Feast Day of St. Jean Marie Vianney, we were introduced to some of the seminarians who will be leaving soon for their studies to the priesthood.

We were asked to support them financially and with lots of prayer. The following suggestions of Adopting a Seminarian is in addition to spiritually adopting them through the Spiritual Moms Apostolate.

2009 August ~ ADOPT A SEMINARIAN ~ 2010 August

Please adopt at least ONE SEMINARIAN. Pray for him daily. Include his "family & loved ones". If able, send Birthday, & special days wishes. Contact details provided later. Call 699-9761 We have 8 as of Aug. 4. 09. THANKS BE TO GOD.

Seminarians @ Mount Angel Seminary, Oregon

ALFRED GUERRERO ~ St Teresa Co-Cathedral
~ Honolulu, Oahu

HUNG LE ~ St. Teresa Co-Cathedral
~ Honolulu, Oahu

EJ RESINTO ~ St Teresa Co-Cathedral
~ Honolulu, Oahu
DAVID SOARES ~ St. Teresa Co-Cathedral
~ Honolulu, Oahu

AHN VU ~ St. Teresa Co-Cathedral
~ Honolulu, Oahu

Seminarians @ St. Patrick's Seminary, Menlo Park, California
MAKANA AIONA ~ Resurrection of the Lord
~Waipo,Oahu

ANTHONY RAPOZO ~ Immaculate Conception Church,
~ Lihue, Kauai

Seminarian @ Sacred Heart School of Theology, Hales Corner, Wisconsin
NICK BROWN ~ St. Teresa Co-Cathedral
~ Honolulu, Oahu
Hosted by Blessed Sacrament Parish.Organized by Serra Club of Honolulu

P.S. Your donations will go towards the Seminarian Education Fund of the Diocese.

God Bless us all,
St John Vianney Pray for us
Blsd Junepero Serra, Pray for us
Our Lady, Queen of Apostles, pray for us.
Lleander Jung
Serra Club of Honolulu.

In the meantime, please keep all our seminarians in your daily prayers.

Plenary Indulgences for Departed Priests

With the passing of Frs. Duffy, Eikmeier and most recently Fr. Niland, it was a blessing to have Anne share the following on her blog:

Offering Your Plenary Indulgences for Departed Priests

Thank you dear Anne!

More Details - Fr. Jack Niland, OFM Cap. RIP

Diocese of Honolulu

It is with sadness that we mourn the death of Fr. Jack Niland, OFM.Cap., former pastor of Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish in Pearl City. He passed away peacefully on Wednesday, August 5th at 2:00 p.m., Eastern time, at St. Claire Friary, Yonkers, NY.

Although funeral services will be held on the mainland, please note the memorial service to be held at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Pearl City on August 12, 2009 @ 7:00 p.m.

We join together in praying for the repose of his soul and the comfort of his family and community.

Memorial Mass: Wednesday, August 12, 2009 at 7:00 P.M.
Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish
1525 Waimano Home Road
Pearl City, HI 96782

Fr. Jack is survived by his mother Catherine Niland of Sparkill, NY and his sister, Carole Gerondel.

Fr. Jack served as:
Pastor: Santa Rita Parish, Santa Rita, Guam
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Agat
Our Lady of Good Counsel, Pearl City, Hawaii
Vice Provincial of the Star of the Sea, Guam and Hawaii (6 years)

Prayer and condolences may be sent to:
Catherine Niland
c/o St. Clare Friary
110 Shonnard Place
Yonkers, NY 10730-2228

New Link Added to the Side Bar

Spiritual Mothers for Priests

Honolulu Spiritual Moms

Jane of Spiritual Mothers of Priests has done a nice job of sharing with her readers the story on how the Diocese of Honolulu Spiritual Moms Apostolate was founded.

You can read it for yourselves here

Mahalo Jane!

A Prayer for Priests - St. Therese of Lisieux

O Jesus, Eternal Priest, keep all Your priests within the shelter of Your Sacred Heart where none may harm them.

Keep unstained their anointed hands which daily touch Your Sacred Body. Keep unsullied their lips purpled with Your Precious Blood.

Keep pure and unearthly their hearts sealed with the sublime marks of Your glorious priesthood.

Let Your holy love surround them and shield them from the world's contagion. Bless their labors and abundant fruit, and may the souls to whom they ministered here below be their joy and consolation, and in Heaven their beautiful and everlasting crown. Amen.

O Mary, Queen of the clergy, pray for us; obtain for us a number of holy priests.
Amen.

Thanks to Sue of Half the Kingdom for sharing.

Q & A - Spiritual Motherhood

Fr. Mark answers questions on Spiritual Motherhood:

Spiritual Mothers of Priests: Your Questions

Happy Birthday Bishop Larry!

A very happy and blessed birthday to our dear bishop who celebrates his 60th birthday today, August 6th.

Rest in Peace Father Jack Niland, OFM Cap

Diocese of Honolulu

It is with sadness that we mourn the death of Fr. Jack Niland, OFM.Cap., former pastor of Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish in Pearl City. He passed away peacefully on Wednesday, August 5th at 2:00 p.m., Eastern time, at St. Claire Friary, Yonkers, NY. Funeral arrangements are pending.

We join together in praying for the repose of his soul and the comfort of his family and community.

Fr. Niland was one of the priests spiritually adopted in our diocese. May he rest in peace.

Photos - Mass in Honor of the Priests and Seminarians on Feast of St. John Marie Vianney

Father Vince - Benediction


Fr. Peter and some of the seminarians
Fr. Vince Inghilterra in the Recessional




Fr. Peter Dumag

The Serra Club of Honolulu sponsored a Holy Hour of Adoration and Holy Mass in Honor of our priests and seminarians in Hawaii, on August 4th, the Feast of St. John Marie Vianney.

Everyone in the Diocese of Hawaii was invited to come to Blessed Sacrament Church to for prayer of protection of our priests and seminarians.

The Most Blessed Sacrament was placed in the Monstrance for Adoration by Fr. Vincent Inghilterra, a military chaplain and spiritual director of the Our Lady of Peace Hawaii Prayer Group.

Since we were able to gain plenary indulgence, the many priests who were present were available for the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Five different Catholic groups in the Diocese of Honolulu, including the Our Lady of Peace Hawaii Prayer Group, lead the people in the Sorrowful Mysteries of the holy Rosary for the intention of vocations, .

Fr. Peter Dumag, Director of Vocations in the Diocese gave a very powerful homily on what a priest is and what a priest is not. Very briefly, a priest really dies to self. Everything he does is for the Church...for us. He is here as another Christ. He also touched on why celibacy is important to the priesthood. I just wish he had written down his homily so I could share it with all of you. I know my poor words do it no justice.

At the end of the celebration of Holy Mass, we all processed out to the statue of Our Lady with candles lit and there we prayed the Diocese of Honolulu Prayer for Vocations.

Please pray for our priests and seminarians.

Priest - an Outward Sign of Holiness

The following was shared by Sue of Half the Kingdom. I am sharing the email in its entirety.

It is amazing how wearing the cassock in the street reminds everyone who sees the priest of the presence of God. In all the different places where I have personally worn the cassock, it is always interesting to see how people notice the cassock and somehow change their conversation to include God, or religion, or at least check their language.

This is a reflection of the level of expectation that we have for our priests. We expect them to be holy. We expect them to embody holiness.

The priest is who we go to when we want our sins forgiven. It is he who brings us Our Lord at the altar rail. He is the one who teaches us with sermons and instructs us in the faith. When our marriage is falling apart, we turn to him for help. When our children fall away we go to him for encouragement, support and prayer. We ask him what is good for our children's education, how to find our vocation, and how to increase in sanctity according to our state in life.

We would not turn to the priest in these things if we didn't look up to him as a model of holiness. And when he is not that model and when he falls short of our expectations, we are disappointed. We feel almost robbed and betrayed.

The priest's job is not an easy one. He is the proxy of Our Lord, who stands in the place of Christ as he offers the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. When he forgives our sins, it is not he, but Our Lord who forgives them, and when his hand is raised in absolution it is the hand of Christ who absolves.

When he blesses, he is only blessing in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. When he preaches, it is through the inspiration of the Holy Ghost.

This close union between the priest and his Divine Master again includes the obvious requirement that the priest be holy. Just as a lawyer would be a useless lawyer if he did not know the law, or a parent, not worthy of the title, if they did not care for their child..

And while the ideal we expect is that our priests be holy, in reality we find that all too often we are disappointed. Holy priests are as few and far in-between today as they were in the day of St. John Vianney.

The holiness of our pastors directly reflect on the holiness of their flock. A holy priest will have a devout parish. A devout priest will have a mediocre parish. A mediocre priest will have a sinful parish, and a sinful priest will have a desolate parish. This coming year our Holy Father has dedicated to the priesthood, and there are several indulgences available for those who pray for priests throughout the year. [1]

This is a year of opportunity, and it is also a year of reminder of the obligation that we have to pray for our priests. The priest is always prompt to assure us of his prayers for us. How many hours does he spend behind the locked doors of the church, interceding for us before Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament! In all our needs we turn to him and he is always ready to spend time in prayer for us and to intercede for our needs before his Divine Master.

A few years ago the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter formed an auxilliary branch united to the Fraternity called the Confraternity of St. Peter. Members may join from any walk in life, from religious and priests to laity in any trade or vocation. And the members dedicate a little of their time each day to pray for the success of the work of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, for the sanctification of priests, and for many holy vocations to the priesthood. Now with over 2000 members worldwide the Confraternity has become a powerhouse of prayer united to pray for the support of the Fraternity.

The prayers requested of the members of the Confraternity are minimal, so that as many members as possible may be able to join. Besides these prayers, opportunities are given for members to advance on the path of virtue and holiness by enriching themselves in the spirituality of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, a spirituality centered on the Mass and sanctifying ourselves by uniting our daily lives to the spiritual riches found in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

To this end recollections are given and some apostolates of the FSSP offer evenings of recollection once a month. Also each year a pilgrimage is planned, and in the future retreats are envisioned.

Last year the Confraternity went to Rome to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter, while at the same time the pilgrimage encompassed Benedictine shrines in honor of Pope Benedict, who has so gracioulsy extended the Latin Mass throughout the world by the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum.

This year a pilgrimage within the United States has been envisioned, and we will be taking the path of the Mission Churches in California. As we go from church to church and admire the seeds of faith that pioneer missionaries spread in our country, it will not only be a pilgrimage but also a retreat, and conferences will be given on the importance of sacrifice in order to live and increase in our faith. Differing from the conventional closed-wall retreat we are used to, this will be more of a "mission of Missions" where we will combine the spiritual benefits of a pilgrimage with the spiritual enrichment of a retreat. We will see what trials and difficulties these missionaries suffered to bring the Faith to us, as we also meditate on the fact that sacrifices are necessary to grow that seed of faith in our own souls.

Finally it should be mentioned here that just as any event of the Confraternity, this is not for members only, but everyone is invited to join the members of the Confraternity on this pilgrimage. It will certainly be an opportunity to increase our spiritual lives, both for members of the CSP as also for everyone else who would like to join us.

With the year of the priesthood that we are now entering, we should examine ourselves and ask ourselves if indeed we pray for our pastors as we should. Or do we forget to pray for them? Or worse - do we overlook the fact that they need prayers, and oftentimes are more busy praying for our needs than for their own? We need to pray for our priests. We need to spend a little of our time each day praying for these men who spend their every moment of every day for the good of our souls.

May God grant us many holy priests. If every priest in this world was as holy as the Cure of Ars, we would no longer recognize the world we live in. It would be a different place.

For more information about the Confraternity of St. Peter or if you are interested in the Pilgrimage of the California Missions our website is http://www.confraternityofstpeter.org/
The Confraternity of St. Peter or by calling 916-223-3112.
_______________________________________________
To respond to this email, subscribe, or unsubscribe, please contact Dr. Frank:
drfrank@abortiontruths.net
Thank you.

Prayer of St. John Vianney for Parish Priests

PRAYER OF ST. JOHN VIANNEY
CURÉ D'ARS
For Parish Priests

Dear Saint John Vianney,
your childhood dream was to be a Priest,
to win souls for God.
You endured years of toil and humiliation
to attain the Priesthood.
You became a priest truly after God's own heart,
outstanding in humulity and poverty;
prayer and mortification.
Totally devoted to the service of God's people.
The Church has exalted you as model
and patron saint of all Parish priests,
trusting that your example and prayers
will help them to live up
to the high dignity of their vocation
to be faithful servants of God's people,
to be perfect imitators of Christ the Saviour
Who came not to be served but to serve,
to give His Life in ransom for many.

Pray that God may give to His Church today
many more priests after His own Heart.
Pray for all the priests under your patronage,
that they may be worthy representatives
of Christ the Good Shepherd.
May they wholeheartedly devote themselves
to prayer and penance;
be examples of humility and poverty;
shining modelss of holiness;
tireless and powerful preachers of the Word of God;
zealous dispensers of God's Grace in the Sacraments.
May their loving devotion to Jesus in the Eucharist
and to Mary His Mother
be the Twin Fountains of fruitfulness for their ministry.

Amen.

Source: Catholic Prayers at wwwcatholicdoors.com

Prayer for My Priest on a Sunday Night

We're a little late in sharing this prayer but I just got it this morning. Please try to remember to pray it next Sunday evening.

By Ellen E. Reddick, 3/16/2008



Heavenly Father, I ask

A special blessing for my priest tonight.

All week he has served You—and us

And done so with eagerness and devotion.

Especially today, leading us to You in worship

And bringing Your Son to us in the Eucharist.

And now he is tired, weary, spent.

I see it in his eyes, his face, his movements.

The spirit is so willing, still eager,

Yet the flesh is fragile, so very human.

And so I ask on his behalf:



Grant him rest; refresh his soul;

Renew his strength and fill him with joy.

Grant him sleep –

Sweet, deep, restful slumber

Like a child safe in his Father’s strong embrace.

Peaceful dreams, restful dreams.



Let him remember not the stumbled word,

Or awkward pause, for these are passing.

Bring to mind instead the joyful faces,

The lives whose chains his touch has broken,

The hearts set ablaze by the fire of Your Spirit,

The minds enlightened by his words,

The Love that flowed from You through him.



May he wake tomorrow refreshed, renewed,

Empowered for the challenges ahead,

Comforted by the embrace of Your Love.

Keep him strong, that he may serve You well.

And eager, that his service bring him joy.

This I ask, with all my heart,

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

Source Prayers for Priests

Plenary Indulgences for Year of Priests

Holy Father to grant plenary indulgences for the Year of Priests
Source: CNA Catholic News Agency

A PRAYER TO SAINT JOHN VIANNEY (Curé d'Ars) FOR THE PASTOR AND PARISH

Saint John Vianney, we pray you to bless and help our pastor so that
he may love dearly in this life and be richly rewarded in the next.

Obtain for him the grace always to be kind and generous, self-sacrificing
and zealous.

Watch over the people of our parish, and keep them free from all evils.
Help them to be loyal and generous in the support of our pastor.

Help us particularly always to give him the respect and honor due him as
a priest. Except for him we should not have the Holy Sacrifice of the
Mass, or Your presence among us, or the other sacraments that we so
dearly love and need.

From his anointed hands we receive the food of our souls, the most
precious Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. From his lips we hear
the word of God. By the power given to him our sins are forgiven, and we
are given all blessings. And it is he who will anoint us when we are
dying, and will offer the Holy Sacrifice for us when we are dead.

Help us, dear Saint, to see Christ in him, and to cooperate with him in
all his work for the good of our souls.

Amen.

Thanks to Sue of Half the Kingdom