A PRAYER FOR PRIESTS

Lord Jesus, we your people pray to You for our priests. You have given them to us for OUR needs. We pray for them in THEIR needs.

We know that You have made them priests in the likeness of your own priesthood. You have consecrated them, set them aside, annointed them, filled them with the Holy Spirit, appointed them to teach, to preach, to minister, to console, to forgive, and to feed us with Your Body and Blood.

Yet we know, too, that they are one with us and share our human weaknesses. We know too that they are tempted to sin and discouragement as are we, needing to be ministered to, as do we, to be consoled and forgiven, as do we. Indeed, we thank You for choosing them from among us, so that they understand us as we understand them, suffer with us and rejoice with us, worry with us and trust with us, share our beings, our lives, our faith.

We ask that You give them this day the gift You gave Your chosen ones on the way to Emmaus: Your presence in their hearts, Your holiness in their souls, Your joy in their spirits. And let them see You face to face in the breaking of the Eucharistic bread.

We pray to You, O Lord, through Mary the mother of all priests, for Your priests and for ours. Amen.

by John Cardinal O'Connor

 

Source

Happy 50th Anniversary Father Paul Smith

Father Paul Smith's Golden Jubilee

Fifty years ago today, on the Feast of St. Philip Neri,  Father Paul Smith was ordained a priest. Mahalo for answering the privileged call to the priesthood! Father's jubilee and interview can be found here

 Litany for Priests
Jesus, meek and humble of heart, give all priests Thy spirit of humility;
Jesus, poor and worn out for souls, give all priests Thy spirit of zeal;
Jesus, full of patience and mercy for sinners, give all priests Thy spirit of compassion;
Jesus, victim for the sins of the world, give all priests Thy spirit of sacrifice;
Jesus, lover of the little and the poor, give all priests Thy spirit of charity.
Mary, Queen of the Clergy, pray for us; and obtain for us numerous and holy priests and religious. Amen.

 O Jesus, Eternal High Priest, live in Father Paul, 
act in him, 
speak in and through him. 
Think Thy thoughts in his mind, 
love through his heart. 
Give him Thine Own dispositions and feelings. 
Teach, lead and guide him always. 
Correct, enlighten and expand his thoughts and behavior. 
Possess his soul; 
take over his entire personality and life. 
Replace him with Thyself. 
Incline him to constant adoration and thanksgiving; 
pray in and through him. 
Let him live in Thee and keep him in this intimate union always. 
O Mary, Immaculate Conception, 
Mother of Jesus and Mother of priests, pray and intercede for Father Paul. Amen. Prayer source

Catholic Seminaries and Evangelization: A Commentary by Fr. Barron

Prayer for Priests to Be Ordained

Please pray for all the men called to the priesthood, especially those who will be ordained this Saturday, at dioceses all over the United States.

Picture source  Prayer for Priestly Ordination

God our Father,
you appointed Jesus Christ High Priest of the new and eternal covenant.
By grace you allow men to share in this priesthood and in his saving work.
We ask you to pour out your Holy Spirit on the men you have chosen for priesthood.
May they preach the Gospel worthily and wisely,
celebrate the sacraments faithfully and reverently,
and pray without ceasing.
May they be united more closely every day to Christ the High Priest,
who offered himself for us to the Father as a pure sacrifice.
Bless, sanctify, and consecrate the men whom you have chosen
and called to the sacred order of Priesthood.
Through the Holy Spirit make their lives worthy of the mysteries they celebrate.
We ask this through Jesus Christ, our Priest and Lord. Amen.

Prayer source

Benedictine Monastery in Hawai'i

Have you ever had the need to get away from the city or from it all?  Not that you want to get away permanently, but for just a day or two maybe? Are you thinking of having a mini retreat? Of going to a place where you will find priests and religious sisters who are there ready to listen and provide you with spiritual tools or advice? Come to the Benedictine Monastery!

It is where I go every other month for a 2-day respite. It's an absolutely beautiful place to commune with God and to experience being in a community.

If you are from the mainland or other parts of the world, come and give this place a try. You are welcome!

The Benedictine Monastery of Hawaii, located in the hills above Waialua, was founded by Our Lady of Guadalupe Abbey, Pecos, New Mexico, and belongs to the Benedictine Congregation of Mount Olivet. We are a monastic community of men and women.    As Benedictines we belong to the oldest religious order of the Catholic Church. Our way of life has been followed for nearly 1500 years and is based on Holy Scripture, particularly the gospels, and the Rule of St. Benedict.    Our day centers around the praise and worship of God in the celebration of the Eucharist and the recitation of the Psalms by the community three times a day.    Individual prayer and spiritual reading foster intimacy with the Lord Jesus. For every monk there is a single goal: union with Christ.    Both men and women religious may live within the monastic community and make vows of obedience, stability, conversion of life, chastity and poverty.    Typically, each Benedictine monastery will have its own distinctive characteristics. The Hawaii Benedictines give emphasis to Life in the Spirit; thus we gratefully accept the activity and gifts (charisms) of the Holy Spirit which Jesus promised to his disciples.    As well, our community fosters a special love for Mary, the mother of Our Lord. Daily we pray the rosary together.
Our Purpose    We believe that the Father and God of us all led us to Hawaii to serve His people. Our service is twofold.
1. Prayer. Ours is a community of prayer. We have seen the power of prayer; we have witnessed its effects in promoting healing and wholeness in individuals and families. We Benedictines are committed to prayer for all the people of these islands.
2. Action. Our active service consists in conducting parish missions, retreats, seminars and days of renewal; by counseling individuals and families; by spiritual direction. We also coordinate a program for Benedictine "Oblates" -- these are lay people, married or single, who wish to apply the wisdom of St. Benedict in their daily living.
Our Goal.    Our goal is the promotion of authentic PEACE, God's Peace, within every person.  

Source: Benedictine Monastery website.

Happy Mother's Day to all the Spiritual Moms!

Our Lady of Fatima - May Crowning, Sacred Heart Church, Honolulu

Dear Blessed Mother,
On this beautiful Mother's Day in Hawaii,
we look to imitate your loving, gentle and prayerful ways
as we continue to pray for your priests.
May our prayers and your motherly intercession,
keep our spiritual sons always safe, healthy and more
importantly, ever faithful and holy as they continue to shepherd the flock.
We ask this through Christ our Lord, and your divine son.
Amen.

Feast of St. Damien

"I feel no disgust when I hear the confessions of those near their end, whose wounds are full of maggots...This may give you some idea of my daily work.  Picture to yourself a collection of huts with 800 Lepers.  No doctor; in fact, as there is no cure, there seems no place for a doctor's skill." - 

Father Damien

Prayer Request for All Our Priests This Week

Please keep our spiritual sons, our priests in your prayers as they attend their annual convocation

Three Year Old "Priest Celebrating Mass"

The following was shared by one of our spiritual moms. Mahalo!!

Pray for Priests before Start of Mass

It is most important to come to church a few minutes early, so that an ample amount of time will be spent in prayer. We do not just pray for ourselves, but also for the priest who will be officiating the Holy Mass. Here is text from Magisterium Fidei, to remind us how important the role is of our priests in celebrating the Sacred Liturgy.

32... For such a Mass brings a rich and abundant treasure of special graces to help the priest himself, the faithful, the whole Church and the whole world toward salvation—and this same abundance of graces is not gained through mere reception of Holy Communion. 

33. And so, We recommend from a paternal and solicitous heart that priests, who constitute Our greatest joy and Our crown in the Lord, be mindful of the power they have received from the bishop who ordained them—the power of offering sacrifice to God and of celebrating Mass for the living and for the dead in the name of the Lord. (79) We recommend that they celebrate Mass daily in a worthy and devout fashion, so that they themselves and the rest of the faithful may enjoy the benefits that flow in such abundance from the Sacrifice of the Cross. In doing so, they will also be making a great contribution toward the salvation of mankind.

Source:

MYSTERIUM FIDEI ENCYCLICAL OF POPE PAUL VI ON THE HOLY EUCHARIST SEPTEMBER 3, 1965

The priest is the guide to the truth