Prayers for Priests
St. John Paul II
O Mary,
Mother of Jesus Christ and Mother of priests,
accept this title which we bestow on you
to celebrate your motherhood
and to contemplate with you the priesthood
of, your Son and of your sons,
O holy Mother of God.
O Mother of Christ,
to the Messiah - priest you gave a body of flesh
through the anointing of the Holy Spirit
for the salvation of the poor and the contrite of heart;
guard priests in your heart and in the Church,
O Mother of the Savior.
O Mother of Faith,
you accompanied to the Temple the Son of Man,
the fulfillment of the promises given to the fathers;
give to the Father for his glory
the priests of your Son,
O Ark of the Covenant.
O Mother of the Church,
in the midst of the disciples in the upper room
you prayed to the Spirit
for the new people and their shepherds;
obtain for the Order of Presbyters
a full measure of gifts,
O Queen of the Apostles.
O Mother of Jesus Christ,
you were with him at the beginning
of his life and mission,
you sought the Master among the crowd,
you stood beside him when he was lifted
up from the earth
consumed as the one eternal sacrifice,
and you had John, your son, near at hand;
accept from the beginning those
who have been called,
protect their growth,
in their life ministry accompany
your sons,
O Mother of Priests.
Amen.
(Given in Rome, at St. Peter's on March 25, the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, in 1992.)
St. Thérèse of Lisieux
0 Holy Father, may the torrents of love flowing from the sacred wounds of your divine Son bring forth priests like unto the beloved disciple John who stood at the foot of the cross; priests, who as a pledge of your own most tender love will lovingly give your divine Son to the souls of men.
May your priests be faithful guardians of your Church, as John was of Mary, whom he received into his house. Taught by this loving Mother who suffered so much on Calvary, may they display a mother's care and thoughtfulness towards your children.
May they teach souls to enter into close union with you through Mary who, as the Gate of Heaven, is specially the guardian of the treasures of your divine Heart.
Give us priests who are on fire, and who are true children of Mary, priests who will give Jesus to souls with the same tenderness and care with which Mary carried the Little Child of Bethlehem.
Mother of sorrows and of love, out of compassion for your beloved Son, open in our hearts deep wells of love, so that we may console Him and give Him a generation of priests formed in your school and having all the tender thoughtfulness of your own spotless love. Amen.
St. Catherine of Siena
Father, I beseech You, direct the hearts and wills of the servants of Your Bride, the Holy Church, unto yourself so that they may follow the poor, bleeding, humble, and gentle Lamb of God on the way of the Cross.
Make them angels in the shape of men; for after all, they have to administer and distribute the Body and Blood of Your Only Begotten Son! Amen.
A Traditional Prayer for Priests
Divine Savior Jesus Christ,
who has entrusted the whole work of your redemption,
the welfare, and salvation of the world to priests as your representatives,
through the hands of your most holy Mother
and for the sanctification of your priests and candidates for the priesthood,
I offer you this present day wholly and entirely,
with all its prayers, works, joys, sacrifices, and sorrows.
Give us truly holy priests who,
inflamed with the fire of your divine love,
seek nothing but your greater glory and the salvation of our souls.
And you, Mary, good Mother of priests,
protect all priests in the dangers of their holy vocation and,
with the loving hand of a Mother,
also lead back to the Good Shepherd those poor priests who have become unfaithful to their exalted vocation and have gone astray.
Amen.
A Prayer for the Physical Protection of Priests and Seminarians
by Kathleen Beckman, L.H.S.
Most Holy Trinity, we graciously beseech you to surround priests and seminarians with the physical protection they need in a world that is increasingly hostile towards them.
Lord Jesus, Eternal High Priest, you experienced first the physical blows of hatred against your priesthood to the point of death. Have mercy upon your brother priests who are at great risk of physical harm, even to the point of death.
We ardently implore you to surround your priests and seminarians with mighty angelic protection against all forms of hate. We implore you to guide their footsteps and protect their coming and going, their parishes, rectories and bedrooms against all malicious harm.
May your Precious Blood form an impenetrable defense around every priest and seminarian!
We pray also for the priests and seminarians that have suffered harm or unnatural death due to religious persecution and violent crime. In your great goodness you make fruitful their ultimate sacrifice for the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.
Beloved Mary, Mother of all priests and seminarians, please wrap your mantle of grace around these chosen men of God as a blanket of protection. And as you protected the one Eternal High Priest with a wall of maternal prayer and charity, please guard all priests and seminarians from physical harm. Amen.