St. Therese, Pray for Priests
The Year for Priests is already coming to a close.  It’s hard to believe how quickly it went.  Fr. Muir gave his final talk for this Year at the end of May.  Be sure to listen to it.  It is wonderful – highlighting the complementarity of consecrated souls and priests.  And the need for consecrated souls to PRAY for PRIESTS.  This hour long talk is a must-listen-to!
This past weekend was the Priestly Ordinations for the Diocese of Phoenix.  We now have 3 newly ordained: Fr. Matthew Henry, Fr. Chad King, and Fr. John Parks.  Fr. Parks will be offering Mass for us tomorrow – so look for another blog in the next few days of pics of the newly ordained.  
We have prayed for and spiritually supported these wonderful young men since arriving in Phoenix five years ago.  We have journeyed with them and experienced the JOY of SPIRITUAL MOTHERHOOD in seeing them ordained Priests.  This must be part of the hundred-fold that Our Dear Lord promises to those who follow Him. 
Even though the Year for Priests is coming to a close, let’s continue to support our priests with prayers and encouragement.  Below are 2 of my favorite prayers for priests.  Hope you enjoy them as well!
(This prayer is one that St. Therese memorized and prayed daily)
O Holy Father, may the torrents of love flowing from the sacred wounds of Thy 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 Thine own most tender love will lovingly give Thy Divine Son to the souls of men. May Thy priests be faithful guardians of Thy 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 Thy children.

May they teach souls to enter into close union with Thee through Mary who, as the Gate of Heaven, is specially the guardian of the treasures of Thy 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 Thy 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 thy school and having all the tender thoughtfulness of thine own spotless love.

Fr. Mark Mary, MFVA, during individual benediction.  Thanks for coming to see us Father.  Come back soon!!!

Almighty and Eternal God, look upon the face of Thy Christ, and for love of Him who is the eternal High Priest, have mercy on Your priests. Remember, O most compassionate God, that they are but weak and frail human beings. Stir up in them the grace of their own vocation which is in them by the imposition of the Bishop’s hands. Keep them close to You, lest the enemy prevail against them, so that they may never do anything in the slightest degree unworthy of their sublime calling.


O Jesus, I pray You to help your faithful and fervent priests; for Your unfaithful and lukewarm priests, for Your priests laboring at home and abroad in distant mission fields; for Your tempted priests; for Your lonely and desolate priests; for Your young priests; for Your aged priests and for Your sick priests.

I commend to you the priests dearest to me: the priest who baptized me, the priests who have given me the precious Body and Blood of Jesus in Holy Communion; the priests who taught and instructed me or helped and encouraged me and all the priests to whom I am indebted in any other way.

O Jesus, keep them all close to Your heart and bless them abundantly both now and in eternity. Amen.  

This picture has nothing to do with this blog, but I couldn’t resist putting it on!  It’s Percy hanging out in his new bed.  He’s lovin’ it.  As Sr. John-Mark says: “They live the life of Riley!”