Father Mark Kirby: Chaplet for Priests

Father Mark Kirby's Chaplet for Priests is a beautiful, POWERFUL, easily memorized prayer. The POWER of the prayer comes from the Precious Blood of Jesus.

Each individual part of the prayer lends itself well to prayerful repetition. A very busy person, who has a desire to spiritually support priests, could make a habit of repeating these prayers (or a favorite one of them) throughout the day--even when it's not possible to pray the entire chaplet or to keep count on rosary beads. The prayer time possibilities are as numerous as an individual's ingenuity: while driving, while doing dishes, before meals, after meals, on awakening in the morning, before bedtime, before Mass, after Mass, after Rosary decades, etc., etc., etc.

Since we are supposed to "pray always", why not let it be for priests during this special Year of the Priest! What IS important is the lifting up of our minds and hearts to God in supplication for our priests. A time set aside for personal daily prayer is very important, but why waste the other numerous opportunities for turning to God as we go about our daily duties? If you have trouble remembering to pray in this way, ask the Holy Spirit and the Blessed Mother to remind you. You might be surprised at how often you are reminded-- an indication of God's will for you.

CHAPLET FOR PRIESTS

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At the beginning of each decade:

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Eternal Father,

I offer Thee the Precious Blood of Thy Beloved Son,

Our Lord Jesus Christ,

the Lamb without blemish or spot (1 Peter 1:18)

in reparation for my sins

and for the sins of all priests.

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On the decades:

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By Thy Precious Blood, O Jesus,

purify and sanctify Thy priests.

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At the conclusion of each decade:

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O Father,

from whom all fatherhood in heaven and on earth is named,

(Ephesians 3:14)

have mercy on all priests,

and wash them in the Blood of the Lamb.

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Father Kirby has other suggestions of spiritual offerings for the sanctification of priests.

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.

Thurdays of Adoration and Reparation for Priests

This beautiful prayer, composed by Father Mark Kirby was originally posted on his blog, Vultus Christi.

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THURSDAYS OF ADORATION AND REPARATION FOR PRIESTS

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O my beloved Jesus,

I give and consecrate to Thee this Thursday

and all the Thursdays of my life,

in praise of the adorable Mystery of Thy Body and Blood,

and in thanksgiving for that of the Priesthood.

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Moved by Thy Holy Spirit,

and full of confidence in the help of Thy Most Holy Mother,

the Virgin Mary, Mother of Priests,

I resolve to live each Thursday for the rest of my days here below

in adoration and in reparation for priests

and, especially, for those who do not adore Thee,

for those who are most wounded in their souls,

and for those who are exposed to the attacks of the powers of darkness.

I want to remain before Thy Eucharistic Face for them and in their place;

I want to draw near, in their name, to Thy open Heart,

ever-flowing with the Blood and Water

that purify, heal, and sanctify all souls,

but, first of all, those of Thy priests.

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Let each Thursday find me close to

the Sacrament of Thy Body and Blood,

in adoration and reparation for the sake of all Thy priests.

Make me an entirely Eucharistic soul,

according to the desires of Thy Sacred Heart

and the designs of Thy merciful goodness upon my life.

I desire nothing else.

I want to love Thee more each day;

I want to be the faithful adorer of Thy Eucharistic Face

and the consoling friend of Thy Sacred Heart

hidden in the tabernacles of the world,

where it beats, wounded by love, forgotten, forsaken,

and waiting for the adoration and love of even one priest. Amen.

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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.

The Better Part--Eucharistic Adoration

The answer that Jesus gives Martha when she complains about having to do all of the work while Mary sits at the feet of Jesus--"There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her" (Luke 10:42).--were words not just for Martha, but for all of us. His words are as true today as they were way back then.

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We can be busy about many things, like Martha, with good intentions about serving Our Lord--and yet not take the time to be with Jesus where He waits for us in the Blessed Sacrament. When Jesus said, "Come to Me, all you that labor and find life burdensome, and I will refresh you" (Matthew 11:28), He was speaking also to us and to people of all time. He wants to give us the graces we need to go out into the world and serve Him, but what we need in order to bear good fruit is to be spiritually fed and nourished by Jesus first. We need to go to Him in our emptiness so that He might fill us.

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Jesus asked Sister Josefa Menendez to share His words with "My souls".

"It is love for souls that keeps Me a Prisoner in the Blessed Sacrament.

I stay there that all may come and find the comfort they need in the tenderest of Hearts, the best of Fathers, the most faithful of Friends, who will never abandon them.

Do I not know that family cares...household concerns...and the requirements of your position in life...make continual calls upon you?...

But cannot you spare a few minutes in which to come and prove your affection and your gratitude?

Do not allow yourselves to be involved in useless and incessant cares, but spare a few moments to visit and receive this Prisoner of Love!"

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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.

The Cry of Unborn Future Priests

Have you ever thought of how many future priests might have been victims of abortion? Faithful prayer warriors/counselors who keep vigil outside abortion centers could tell you that it is not unusual to see rosaries hanging from car mirrors of abortion clients, or for girls/women who are coming for abortions to admit to being Catholic.

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In this Year of the Priest, it would be good to include prayers for the protection of all unborn future priests--not just those already conceived, but all those who will be conceived until the end of time. Almighty God, their Creator, already knows the ones that have been chosen by Him to be His priests: "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you." (Jeremiah 1:5).

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I know one faithful priest whose birth mother chose life for her baby, and unselfishly gave him up for adoption. Through her generosity, the Church has gained one very good priest. With how many more Masses, Holy Communions, priestly blessings, Confessions heard, teachings on the Gospel of Jesus, hours of Eucharistic adoration, etc. has the Church been blessed because of this one priest?--too many to count! How many blessings have we possibly missed because future priests were aborted? Since the Church has an admitted shortage of priestly vocations, (especially in some nations), could one reason be that many of the unborn priests God provided for His Church were not allowed to be born?

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The USA is definitely one of the nations suffering a shortage of priestly vocations.

It does not seem unreasonable to assume that some of the approximately FIFTY MILLION unborn who were deliberately and legally aborted in our nation might have been chosen by God for the priesthood. According to the Official Catholic Directory 2009, 22% of the USA population are registered Catholics.

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With such a high percentage of USA Catholics, now and in the past, how could it come to pass that abortion became legal in this nation and continues to remain legal? We have the privilege to vote to protect human life from conception to natural death! We have freedom to gather in worship and prayer to beg God's powerful protection of our tiniest brothers and sisters in Christ and for the conversion of hearts! We have priests, other Christs, to teach the sanctity of life! When there are 68 million American Catholics, Christian soldiers, armed for battle by the power of the Holy Spirit--how can it be that God's unborn children are allowed to be legally killed in America at the rate of FOUR THOUSAND each day?

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For the unborn who have already been aborted, (including the unborn chosen for priesthood), we can beg God's forgiveness and make reparation. For those still at risk, we can join the spiritual battle for their lives and for the souls of those involved in the sin of abortion. There is much we can do, but at this time I urge you to join the 40 Days for Life campaign which will begin on September 23, 2009--a peaceful, ecumenical, international campaign for life based on prayer, fasting, peaceful vigil outside abortion centers, and community outreach. 40 Days for Life is a highly endorsed, effective weapon in the spiritual warfare waged against the unborn. Even if you've never before been actively involved in saving the lives of the unborn, please consider getting involved NOW--YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

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Blessed Mother, thank you for saying "yes" to life for Jesus, the one Eternal High Priest and Savior of mankind! Please protect the lives of the unborn chosen for priesthood (and all the unborn) until the end of time. Through your powerful intercession, I beg for a miracle of grace for the USA and the whole world--that the lives of future priests (and all the unborn) will be cherished and nurtured as the blessings from God that they are.

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.

Three Priest Servants of God

Video created by A Catholic Mom In Hawaii

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This inspiring video highlights three holy priest Servants of God. In common with the Saints, they each had a strong devotion to the Holy Eucharist and to the Blessed Mother of God, Mary Most Holy. Please pray for their canonizations and for miracles through their intercession to help speed their official Church declaration of Sainthood. It seems appropriate during this Year of the Priest to offer prayers for their benefit too--they who served so faithfully.

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If you are praying for a miraculous healing that, if granted, could be used for a cause for beatification or sainthood, it is important to ask the intercession of only one Servant of God, Venerable, or Blessed so that it can be clearly shown that the miracle was through that one person's intercession.

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Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

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Prayer for Archbishop Sheen's Canonization

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Heavenly Father, source of all holiness, You raise up in every age men and women who serve with heroic love and dedication. You have blessed Your Church through the life and ministry of Your faithful servant, Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. He has written and spoken well of Your Divine Son, Jesus Christ, and was a true instrument of the Holy Spirit in touching the hearts of countless people. If it be according to Your Will, for the honor and glory of the Most Holy Trinity and for the salvation of souls, we ask You to move the Church to proclaim him a saint. We ask this prayer through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

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Prayer to Obtain a Favor Through the Intercession of the Servant of God Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

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Eternal Father, You alone grant us every blessing in Heaven and on earth, through the redemptive mission of Your Divine Son, Jesus Christ, and by the working of the Holy Spirit. If it be according to Your Will, glorify Your servant, Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, by granting the favor I now request through his prayerful intercession (mention your request). I make this prayer confidently through Jesus Christ, our Lord.Amen.

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Father John Hardon

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Prayer for the Beatification and Canonization of Father John Hardon

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Almighty God, You gave Your servant, Father John Anthony Hardon of the Society of Jesus, the grace of consecration as a religious dedicated to the apostolate and the grace of consecration as an ordained priest, after the Heart of Your Divine Son, our Good Shepherd. Through Fr. Hardon, You provided for Your flock an extraordinary teacher of the faith. You entrusted Father Hardon in to the loving care of the Blessed Virgin Mary whose counsel, "Do whatever He tells you" (Jn2:5) he faithfully followed and whose intercession he unceasingly invoked. If it be Your holy will, please grant the request I now make, calling upon the help of Father Hardon, so that his heroic sanctity may be recognized in the whole Church. I ask this through Your Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, Who with You and the Holy Spirit, is one God forever and ever. Amen.

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Father Patrick Peyton

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Prayer for the Beatification of Servant of God Father Patrick Peyton, CSC

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Dear Jesus, Father Peyton devoted his priestly life to strengthening the families of the world by calling them to pray together every day, especially the Rosary. His message is as important for us now as it was during his life on earth. We beg You, therefore, to hasten the day of his beatification so that Your faithful people everywhere will remember his message that the family that prays together stays together, will imitate him in his devotion to Your Mother and ours, and will be inspired by his holy life to draw ever closer to You with childlike confidence and love. Amen.

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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.

Fr. James Farfaglia: GOD IS WITH US

Father James Farfaglia has posted another outstanding homily to his blog. On his sidebar, Father states that, "TO PREACH THE GOSPEL WITH CONVICTION AND PASSION IS THE GREATEST DUTY OF A PARISH PRIEST."

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I have also been blessed recently to hear some excellent, out of the ordinary, homilies from parish priests where I have attended Mass--priests who are not out to win a popularity contest, but to save souls. It should be encouraging for those of us who pray for priests to witness, or hear about, the Holy Spirit at work in priests in a powerful way!

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Jesus revealed to Venerable Concepcion Cabrera de Armida, spiritual mother of priests, "...the true priest ought to seek...to move to compunction, to contrition, to captivate souls with the divine, to uproot souls from the earth; to remind them of their last ends; to encourage them in the exercise of virtue; to ponder My Passion; to instruct them of My life of love and sacrifice, enamor them with the cross, of suffering, of their calvaries; instructing them about the price of Redemption and of sacrifice; to open their eyes to the horizon of perfection and facilitate for them the path to heaven."

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The priests who preach the whole truth of the Catholic faith are the ones most under attack by the prince of darkness and his troops who directly attack the priests in whatever ways they can. They will even use parishioners who don't want to hear the truth to criticize, complain, spread gossip, and sometimes invent false rumors to discredit the priests. Catholics who don't want to hear sound preaching can be vicious to their priests. Sad to say, they probably don't even realize that it is NOT the Holy Spirit who is motivating them, but the forces of evil.

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Priests who are preaching what is popular and easy to hear are applauded and praised and can be easy prey for the trap of human respect. It is comfortable to be liked and appreciated. Sometimes priests who take the easier road will be the devil's tool to attack their more devout and courageous brother priests.

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To Venerable Concepcion Cabrera de Armida, Jesus also said, "The mission of the priest is to disseminate My teaching, to move people to repentance, to enlighten the spirit, to convert souls, to make hearts respond and not to throw out allurements to draw forth praise."

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God bless Your priests; fill them with Your grace; help them to be saints! Lord, we trust in You to enlighten, protect, strengthen, and help priests, and the rest of us, to avoid the traps set for us by Your enemy and ours. Thank You, Lord!

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.

Miracle of the Rosary for Priests

In this Year of the Priest, there are many special and beautiful prayers that can be said, but it would be wise to not forget to offer your Rosaries for priests and for vocations. As Mother of Jesus, the one Eternal High Priest, and Mother of all priests, the Blessed Mother has a special interest in her priest sons and in their sanctification, and is their most powerful intercessor before God. She has repeatedly asked her children of the world to pray the Holy Rosary. Offering our Rosaries for priests can result in many miracles of grace through our Blessed Mother for them, for us, and for the whole world.

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Please consider offering any indulgences gained from praying the Rosary for priest souls in purgatory who are waiting for our help. Some of the priests who are in need might be the very ones that you and your family are indebted to in many ways and would especially want to help.

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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.