Prayer to Offer Holy Communion for Priests

Spiritual Mothers for Priests is asking for others throughout the world to join them in receiving and offering Holy Communion for priests and for vocations on the first Sunday of every month. They were inspired by the mothers of Lu, Italy (in 1881) who offered their Holy Communions on the first Sunday of every month for the intention of being blessed with vocations from their families. After Mass, the mothers prayed a short, simple prayer from the heart. In answer to their prayers, God blessed the tiny village with 323 vocations! The Congregation for the Clergy's document, which tells this story on pages 18-19, says that the village attracted world-wide attention in 1946 when the majority of the 323 priests and religious met in their village of Lu. Every ten years the village celebrates with a reunion of the priests and religious born in Lu.

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The mothers of Lu also gathered every Tuesday for Eucharistic adoration, praying for vocations. What a testament their faithfulness is to the power of the Holy Eucharist-- the power of Eucharistic adoration--and the power of fervent, persistent, united prayer! If they were blessed so awesomely in a tiny, isolated village, just imagine what COULD be possible with the advantage of being able to reach out to Catholics of the world!

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MOTHERS OF LU PRAYER

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"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 to do what is right,

so that I may receive the grace, O God, to be allowed to give you a holy priest! Amen."

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Another beautiful prayer:

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PRAYER TO OFFER HOLY COMMUNION FOR PRIESTS

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Heavenly Father,

for the glory of Your Holy Name,

we offer You Jesus, the Incarnate Word,

whom we have received in the Sacrament of His love,

and in whom You are well pleased.

Through Mary Immaculate,

we offer ourselves united with Christ,

for the sanctification and increase of Your priests.

Pour Your Divine Spirit upon them,

grant them a great love for the Cross

and make fruitful their pastoral work.

Amen.

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(In accord with the sacramental and theological understanding of Holy Communion as an integrated part of the Eucharistic Sacrifice, the traditional form of "Offering Holy Communion for Priests" should be understood and practiced as an offering of the entire Mass.) Prayer from Apostleship of the Cross.

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Mary, Mother of Jesus Christ, Eternal High Priest, Mother of all priests, and our Mother, help us respond generously to the Holy Spirit's request, through the voice of His Church, to offer up to God Eucharistic adoration for priests. Amen.