Reminder: First Sunday Mass for Vocations from Our Own Families

We would like to encourage all women who are praying for priests through the Spiritual Motherhood for Priests devotion to offer their Holy Communion and Mass on the First Sunday’s of the Month in honour of vocations to the priesthood from our own families.

Today’s technology offers us a unique opportunity to unite our prayers together in a tangible way for vocations. Through the convenience of the internet we can take action through prayer asking Our Lord to listen to this straightforward and simple prayer. One that he heard over one hundred years ago from the faithful mother’s who lived in the remote Italian village of Lu.

Prayer of the Mothers of Lu:

"O God, grant that one of my sons may become a priest! I myself want to live as a good Christian and want to guide my children always to do what is right, so that I may receive the grace, o God, to be allowed to give you a holy priest! Amen."

These women were a particular inspiration to us to start this blog, they offered:

*One visit a month to the Blessed Sacrament

*They united this prayer intention for vocations at Mass on the first Sunday of the month for vocations from their own families.

Their humble simplicity and fidelity to this prayer paid off in a very substantial and fruitful way. Their prayers rose up 323 priests and religious, including one blessed of the Church and an Archbishop.

* For those ladies who do not have any children, praying specifically for young relatives or for vocations from your parish or diocese would be very fitting.

Through the trusting prayer of these mothers and the openness of the other parents, "an atmosphere of deep joy and Christian piety developed in the families, making it much easier for the children to recognize their vocations."
They were not just physical mothers to there children, they were spiritual mothers to there children. They took their stewardship one step further by offering their children back to God not once but over and over, with confidence that He would do something beautiful with them for Himself.

The most generous act we can offer Our Lord is to offer our children back to Him. To be His and His alone. They are the most precious things to us and also the most precious things to Him as

Blessed Philip Rinaldi a son from the village of Lu says, "A faith that made our fathers and our mothers say; The Lord gave us our children, and so if He calls them, we can’t say no."

Here we can be a virtual village of Lu and pick up where these holy woman left off, praying that we may do great things as they did from this small village not so long ago.

"We look forward to praying with you all."

Our new Priests in Focus for the week

Every Thursday we change the three priests names for the Weekly Priests in Focus. (We have now changed to add three priests per week.)

We are encouraging ladies to offer an Ave for the priests mentioned when visiting our site (You will see the above widget in the top righthand sidebar under our header) and also may wish to off an Ave for these priests any other time in the week that you may remember.

Of course you may also want to offer more than the Ave's, you may want to offer other prayers and sacrifices during the week for these particular priests, whatever you feel called to do, is a blessing.

This week's priests are:

Fr Frank Kurtz, Fr Linus Clovis and Fr Michael Rego

A list of the priests we have prayed for individually here are in the right hand sidebar down the bottom.

If you have any priests you wish to nominate to be added to the Priests in Focus please email us and we would more than happy to add that priest to our list.

Our Lady, Queen of the Apostles, bless us with holy, courageous priests!

Priesthood Sunday in the USA

Just a reminder to the ladies in the US that the last Sunday in October is Priesthood Sunday.

So what is Priesthood Sunday?

"Priesthood Sunday, the thirtieth Sunday of Ordinary Time, is a special day set aside to honor the priesthood in the United States. It is a day to reflect upon and affirm the role of the priesthood in the life of the Church as a central one.

In the wake of the clergy sex abuse scandal, there has been concern that the image of all priests has been tainted by the actions of a few. Priesthood Sunday sends a message to all that the sins of a few do not reflect the innocent majority, and that the parish priest, as the instrument of Christ's ministry on earth, is loved and respected by those in the parish community.

This nationwide event is coordinated by the USA Council of Serra International. It is sponsored by the USA Council of Serra International and the Serra International Foundation. "

HT: Priest Sunday

What happens on Priesthood Sunday?

"The lay faithful of all parishes in the country develop their own special way of marking the day and honoring their parish priests both at Mass and other parish events, such as social celebrations and school activities.

Priesthood Sunday was designed to be an event led by the laity, but your parish priest can participate by talking about how he experienced and answered his own calling, the need for vocations to keep the priesthood vital, and about priests who have inspired him.

Priesthood Sunday will also offer an opportunity for priests and their parishioners to build a stronger working relationship for the future. Together, they can dialogue to take an honest look at the challenges of the future and how they can collaborate to meet those challenges as a united force. "

HT: Priest Sunday

This is a beautiful Church initiative. Think about it, we have Mothers Day, we have Fathers Day, to show our appreciation to those gave us life and love. Priests are our fathers also, our fathers in faith and they give us life and love through the sacraments of the Church, there is no deeper reality.

Here is what one Bishop had to say:

"Please join me on this special day, Priesthood Sunday, in praying for our priests, in praising God for their courage and their generosity. As your bishop I urge you to make your appreciation for your parish priest known. A simple note, a smile or a phone call to assure him of your loving care and gratitude for his presence in the life of your local church will go a long way to serve the greater good of our wonderful and growing Catholic Church."

-Bishop Joseph Gossman, Diocese of Raleigh

Here are some tips on how to celebrate this day and show your appreciation for your parish priest or local priests over at the Houston Vocations website.

Our new Priests in Focus for the week

Every Thursday we change the three priests names for the Weekly Priests in Focus. (We have now changed to add three priests per week.)

We are encouraging ladies to offer an Ave for the priests mentioned when visiting our site (You will see the above widget in the top righthand sidebar under our header) and also may wish to off an Ave for these priests any other time in the week that you may remember.

Of course you may also want to offer more than the Ave's, you may want to offer other prayers and sacrifices during the week for these particular priests, whatever you feel called to do, is a blessing.

This week's priests are:

Fr Michael Smyth, Fr Charlie Zabler and Fr Don Hying

A list of the priests we have prayed for individually here are in the right hand sidebar down the bottom.

If you have any priests you wish to nominate to be added to the Priests in Focus please email us and we would more than happy to add that priest to our list.

Our Lady, Queen of the Apostles, bless us with holy, courageous priests!

St Teresa of Avila and the Carmel commitment to Priests

St Teresa of Avila

Today is the feast of St Teresa of Avila, a great Carmelite reformer and doctor of the Church.

Often when I think of priests, I remember that they are 'Alter Christi' ~ another Christ. So when I reflect upon the words of St Teresa below, I think of the work of holy priests in particular:

"Christ has no body now, but yours.

No hands, no feet on earth, but yours.

Yours are the eyes through which

Christ looks compassion into the world.

Yours are the feet

with which Christ walks to do good.

Yours are the hands

with which Christ blesses the world."

~ St Teresa of Avila

The Carmelite Nuns of Haifa

The Carmelite community of Haifa is renewing its commitment to priests:

"to offer our humble supplication that you may be holy."

The cloistered religious have made this renewal in a letter marking the Year for Priests, under way through next June.The letter is directed to priests around the world. HT: Zenit

Icon of 'St Teresa de Jesus'

Here is the letter to priests that the Carmelite nuns of Haifa have written and published on their website, The Carmelites of the Holy Land:

"It is with immense joy and gratitude that we address all our brother priests. In you, dear brothers, we recognize the "other Christ", and we greet you with affection in our Lord. Peace be with you!

In our vocation as Carmelite Nuns, daughters of our Mother Saint Teresa of Avila , our essential mission is prayer; especially prayer for the holiness of priests. Therefore, the invitation of our Holy Father to place your ministry, during this year, at the centre of our concern, challenges us deeply.

For four centuries Teresa's voice never ceases to invite us to: " ... be occupied in prayer for those who are defenders of the Church and for preachers and learned men who protect her from attack ... " (Way of Perfection 1:2)

We are aware of the challenges you have in fully living out your vocation in today's society; being in the world but not of the world, as Saint John states. Ecclesial circumstances have changed much due to the accelerated pace of time but your call remains unchanged: " You are a priest … and forever... " (Heb 5.6) Today, we renew our commitment to offer our humble supplication that you may be holy.

Dear priests, you accompany a person throughout his life from his birth till he enters the warm embrace of our Father. You are there everyday, offering us the Eucharist and explaining to us the Scriptures. You are Ministers of God's Mercy. You are fathers and brothers to us. You show us the blank page in which God writes our history. You are the sentry who watches over us while we await dawn after the dark of the night, while we search for the spring of fresh water in the desert...

You are present when we make our Consecration in the Church, offering our lives to the One and Triune God...

Dear brothers, we find no words that can truly express our gratitude to each one of you.

Any one of us can give countless testimonies of the invaluable gift of yourselves: to serve the people of God, to care for the sheep trusted to you, with the wise guidance of a father and the tenderness of a mother. You are the "Good Shepherd" who is not afraid to leave the ninety-nine sheep to go in search of the one that was lost...

Only in heaven shall we know the wonder of ecclesial communion; where now we have only a glimpse of its amazing reality.

To you dear brothers, who are the living memorial of Christ and totally identified with Him, how can we not express our gratitude when every morning, in the Eucharist, you give us a foretaste of the joy of heaven, a foretaste of our homeland that does not belong to this world.

To each one of you: elder priests rich in years and experience, young priests beginning your ministry, those who are in the prime of your life, or enduring sickness. Priests afflicted by trials and persecutions, priest workers, and all of you who share the lives of the poor, the favored ones of the Lord.

Priests who are educators and those who promote and discern vocations; priests whose deeds are visible only to the eyes of God who sees in secret; priests who are monks sharing with us the same contemplative vocation.To each and every one of you, we say with simplicity of heart:you can count on the silent prayer and the hidden offering of your sisters!"

Carmelite Nuns of the Holy Land .

NB: There are four Carmelite monasteries in the Holy Land: Jerusalem , Bethlehem , Nazareth and Mount Carmel . The sisters come from 24 nations and four continents: Europe, Asia, Africa and America .

Our new Priests in Focus for the week

Every Thursday we change the three priests names for the Weekly Priests in Focus. (We have now changed to add three priests per week.)

We are encouraging ladies to offer an Ave for the priests mentioned when visiting our site (You will see the above widget in the top righthand sidebar under our header) and also may wish to off an Ave for these priests any other time in the week that you may remember.

Of course you may also want to offer more than the Ave's, you may want to offer other prayers and sacrifices during the week for these particular priests, whatever you feel called to do, is a blessing.

This week's priests are:

Fr Brady, Fr M Withoos and Fr Andrew

A list of the priests we have prayed for individually here are in the right hand sidebar down the bottom.

If you have any priests you wish to nominate to be added to the Priests in Focus please email us and we would more than happy to add that priest to our list.

Our Lady, Queen of the Apostles, bless us with holy, courageous priests!

The Litany for All Priests

Image HT

Today I received in the mail the newsletter of the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration of Our Lady of the Angels Monastery in Hanceville, Alabama. Inspired as always upon reading, I found this particular gem, a litany for priests:

Let us pray for the Holy Father,

Cardinals, Archbishops, and Bishops,

Diocesan priests,

Priests in seminary work,

Priests in hospital work,

Priests who are ill,

Priests in danger,

Priests who are weak,

Priests who are poor,

Priests who are zealous,

Priests who want to love you,

Priests who are sad,

Priests who are worried,

Priests who are old,

Priests who are young,

Priests who are alone,

Missionary priests,

Priest who are preachers,

Priests who direct souls,

Parish priests,

Religious priests,

Priests and religious who have died,

Of all the Church, militant and suffering,

For all priests,

Give them respect for their dignity.

Give them a great love for Mary.

Give them rectitude and justice.

Give them the gift of counsel.

Fill him with your graces, Lord

Give them Your gifts, Lord

Never leave them, Lord

Give them Your wisdom, Lord

Give them constancy, Lord

Heal them, Lord

Deliver them, Lord

Strengthen them, Lord

Relieve them, Lord

Help them, Lord

Enkindle their hearts, Lord

Console them, Lord

Give them peace, Lord

Sustain them, Lord

Impel them for Your glory, Lord

Accompany them, Lord

Protect them, Lord

Enlighten them, Lord

Instruct them, Lord

Give them prudence, Lord

Make them perfect, Lord

Bring them to glory, Lord

Lord, have mercy

For all Priests,

Give them peace in their sufferings.

Give them humility and generosity.

Let them be the light of souls.

Let them be the salt of the earth.

Let them practice sacrifice and self-denial.

Let them enkindle hearts with love of Mary.

Let them be other Christs.

Let them be holy in body and soul.

May they be men of prayer.

May faith shine forth in them.

May they be concerned only for the salvation of souls.

May they be faithful to their priestly vocation.

May their hands know only how to bless.

May they burn with love for you and for Mary.

May all their steps be for the glory of God.

May the Holy Spirit possess them, and give them His gifts and fruits in abundance.

Let us pray:

O God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. You are the soul and life of the Church. Hear the prayers we offer for priests. We ask this through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, their protector and guide. Amen.

Praying for Priests in Adoration Chapels

(click on the card to enlarge image)

In the Archdiocese of Brisbane, Australia the Perpetual Adoration Association has started a beautiful initiative to support the priests in the archdiocese in the Year of the Priest.

The Perpetual Adoration Association started this year in late May, with it's first Perpetual Adoration Chapel, this will reap many graces and blessings for the archdiocese. At the back of the Adoration Chapel there is an open box of envelopes and this notice:

"Please join us in praying for our Priests in the Brisbane Archdiocese.

On the trolly at the back of the Chapel there are envelopes marked "Prayer for Priests". Each envelope contains a prayer card with a preist's name on each.

There is one for every priest in our Archdiocese.

The prayer is from the Year of the Priest, Vatican website.

You may like to offer your adoration hour each week, and pray the prayer daily for the priest on your prayer card."

This is a wonderful idea for adoration chapels because praying for priests in the presence of The Lord is crucial ~ let us pray that similar holy endeavours of spiritual motherhood will spring up in many other adoration chapels around the world. It is also is an active response to a letter written by Cardinal Claudio Hummes from the Congregation of the Clergy on the 8th of December 2007. I will quote selectively from this letter with my emphasis in bold:

"In today’s world a great many things are necessary for the good of the Clergy and the fruitfulness of pastoral ministry. With a firm determination to face such challenges without disregarding their difficulties and struggles, and with an awareness that action follows being and that the soul of every apostolate is Divine intimacy, it is our intention for the departure point to be a spiritual endeavor.

In order to continually maintain a greater awareness of the ontological link between the Eucharist and the Priesthood, and in order to recognize the special maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary for each Priest, it is our intention to bring about a connection between perpetual Eucharistic adoration for the reparation of faults and sanctification of priests and the initiation of a commitment on the part of consecrated feminine souls - following the typology of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Eternal High Priest, and Helper in his work of Redemption - who might wish to spiritually adopt priests in order to help them with their self-offering, prayer, and penance.
　
Thereby – and precisely because of the place occupied and the role served by the Most Blessed Virgin in salvation history – we intend in a very particular way to entrust all Priests to Mary, the Mother of the High and Eternal Priest, bringing about in the Church a movement of prayer, placing 24 hour continuous Eucharistic adoration at the center, so that a prayer of adoration, thanksgiving, praise, petition, and reparation, will be raised to God, incessantly and from every corner of the earth, with the primary intention of awakening a sufficient number of holy vocations to the priestly state and, at the same time, spiritually uniting with a certain spiritual maternity – at the level of the Mystical Body – all those who have already been called to the ministerial priesthood and are ontologically conformed to the one High and Eternal priest.

This movement will offer better service to Christ and his brothers - those who are at once "inside" the Church and also "at the forefront" of the Church, standing in Christ’s stead and representing Him, as head, shepherd and spouse of the Church (cfr. Pastores Dabo Vobis 16).We are asking, therefore, all diocesan Ordinaries who apprehend in a particular way the specificity and irreplaceability of the ordained ministry in the life of the Church, together with the urgency of a common action in support of the ministerial priesthood, to take an active role and promote – in the different portions of the People of God entrusted to them - true and proper cenacles in which clerics, religious and lay people - united among themselves in the spirit of true communion – may devote themselves to prayer, in the form of continuous Eucharistic adoration in a spirit of genuine and authentic reparation and purification. "

Here is the letter in full. HT: Roman Catholic Vocations

Our new Priests in Focus for the week

Every Thursday we change the three priests names for the Weekly Priests in Focus. (We have now changed to add three priests per week.)

We are encouraging ladies to offer an Ave for the priests mentioned when visiting our site (You will see the above widget in the top righthand sidebar under our header) and also may wish to off an Ave for these priests any other time in the week that you may remember.

Of course you may also want to offer more than the Ave's, you may want to offer other prayers and sacrifices during the week for these particular priests, whatever you feel called to do, is a blessing.

This week's priests are:

Fr Michael Heintz, Fr Germanus Rayen and Fr Derek

A list of the priests we have prayed for individually here are in the right hand sidebar down the bottom.

If you have any priests you wish to nominate to be added to the Priests in Focus please email us and we would more than happy to add that priest to our list.

Our Lady, Queen of the Apostles, bless us with holy, courageous priests!

You are a Priest Forever - Song and Clip.

I just came across this clip. Whether the music is to your taste or not, the imagery honours the priesthood beautifully. When you consider the lack of respect our priests experience from the secular culture, this clip undeniably serves and respects their dignity very well.