Since this is the feast of St. John Vianney, patron of parish priests, I thought it would be good to remember all our priests in a special way. I found this prayer online, and thought it was very meaningful:

Almighty God, look upon the Face of Jesus Who is the eternal High Priest, and have compassion on Your priests in today’s world. They are but weak and frail human beings. Stir up in them the grace of their vocation. Keep them close to You so the enemy may not prevail against them, so that they may never do anything in the slightest degree unworthy of their sublime vocation.

O Jesus, I pray for Your faithful and fervent priests, for the unfaithful and tepid ones; for those laboring at home and abroad in distant mission fields; for those who are tempted; for those who are lonely and desolate; for those who are dying; and for those who are in purgatory.

But above all, I recommend to You the priests dearest to me; the priest who baptized me; the priests who absolved me from my sins; the priests at whose Masses I have assisted and who gave me Your Body and Blood in Holy Communion; the priests who instructed me or helped me by their encouragement. I pray devoutly for all the priests to whom I am indebted in any other way, in particular for (mention your special intention for your special priest). O Jesus, keep them all close to Your Heart and bless them abundantly in time and in eternity. Amen.

O Mary, Queen of the Clergy, pray for us; obtain for us many and holy priests.

More from Beliefnet and our partners
Close Ad