Priesthood Sunday

St. Therese of the Child Jesus Prayer for Priests

Jesus, I pray for your faithful and fervent priests;
 for your unfaithful and tepid priests;
 for your priests laboring at home or abroad in distant mission fields;
 for your tempted priests;
 for your lonely and desolate priests;
 for your young priests;
 for your dying priests;
 for the souls of your priests in Purgatory.
 But above all, I recommend to you the priests dearest to me: ________________;
 the priest who baptized me;
 the priests who’ve absolved me from my sins;
 the priests at whose Masses I’ve assisted and who’ve given me Your Body and Blood in Holy Communion;
 the priests who’ve taught and instructed me;
 all the priests to whom I am indebted in any other way, especially _________________;
 O Jesus, keep them all close to your heart,
 and bless them abundantly in time and in eternity. Amen.

And for each decade of the Rosary (and one extra!), you can offer these suggested intentions:

• The first decade: For the priest who baptized you.
• The second decade: For the priest who gave you your First Holy Communion (or who heard your First Confession).
• The third decade: For the bishop who confirmed you (and gave you your First Holy Communion).
• The fourth decade: For the priest who has presided or will preside at you wedding (or for the bishop who has ordain or will ordain you).
• The fifth decade: For the priest who will offer your Funeral Mass.
• (Bonus) A sixth decade: For men to answer the call to be priests.