Keep them, I pray Thee, dearest Lord,
keep them, for they are Thine –
Thy priests whose lives burn out before
Thy consecrated shrine.
Keep them, for they are in the world,
though from the world apart;
When earthly pleasures tempt, allure –
shelter them in Thy heart.
Keep them, and comfort them in hours
of loneliness and pain,
when all their lives of sacrifice
for souls seems but in vain.
Keep them, and O remember, Lord,
they have no one but Thee,
yet they have only human hearts,
with human frailty.
Keep them as spotless as the Host,
that daily they caress;
their every thoughts and word and deed,
Deign, dearest Lord, to bless.
Our Father … Hail Mary
Mary, Queen of Confessors, pray for them.
….……………………………….......................
O Almighty and Eternal God, look upon the Face of Thy Christ,
and for love of Him Who is the eternal High-priest, have pity on Thy priests.
Remember, O most compassionate God, that they are but weak and frail human beings.
Stir up in them the grace of their vocation which is in them by the imposition of the Bishop's hands.
Keep them close to Thee, lest the enemy prevail against them,
so that they may never do anything in the slightest degree unworthy of their sublime vocation.
O Jesus, I pray Thee for Thy faithful and fervent priests; for Thy unfaithful and tepid priests;
for Thy priests laboring at home or abroad in distant mission fields; for Thy tempted priests;
for Thy lonely and desolate priests; for Thy young priests; for Thy aged priests;
for Thy sick priests; for Thy dying priests; for the souls of Thy priests in Purgatory.
But above all I commend to Thee the priests dearest to me:
the priest who baptized me; the priests at whose Masses I assisted and who gave me Thy Body and Blood in Holy Communion;
the priests who taught and instructed or helped me and encouraged me;
all the priests to whom I am indebted in any other way, particularly (your priest’s name here).
O Jesus, keep them all close to Thy heart, and bless them abundantly in time and in eternity.
Amen.
Mary, Queen of the clergy, pray for us; obtain for us many and holy priests.
Amen.
….………………………………………………………………….................................
O Jesus, Eternal Priest, look down with love upon Thy priests.
Fill them with burning zeal for the conversion of sinners.
Keep them within the shelter of Thy Sacred Heart.
Keep unstained their anointed hands. which daily touch Thy Sacred Body. Keep unsullied their lips purpled with Thy precious Blood.
Keep pure and unearthly their hearts sealed with the sublime marks of Thy glorious Priesthood.
Let Thy holy love protect them from the world's contagion.
Bless their labors with abundant fruit, and may the souls to whom they minister on earth be one day their joy and consolation in heaven. Amen.
..................................................................................................................................
Prayer of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus for priests.
O 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 absolved me from my sins;
the priests at whose Masses I assisted and who gave me your Body and Blood in Holy Communion;
the priests who 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.
….…………………………………….....................
Gracious and loving God, we thank you for the gift of our priests.
Through them, we experience your presence in the sacraments.
Help our priests to be strong in their vocation.
Set their souls on fire with love for your people.
Grant them the wisdom, understanding, and strength they need to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.
Inspire them with the vision of your Kingdom.
Give them the words they need to spread the Gospel.
Allow them to experience joy in their ministry.
Help them to become instruments of your divine grace.
We ask this through Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns as our Eternal Priest.
Amen.
….……………………………………...............................................
O Jesus, Eternal Priest, keep Thy priests within the shelter of Thy Sacred Heart, where none may touch them.
Keep unstained their anointed hands, which daily touch Thy Sacred Body.
Keep unsullied their lips, daily purpled with Thy Precious Blood.
Keep pure and unworldly their hearts, sealed with the sublime mark of the priesthood.
Let Thy Holy Love surround them from the world's contagion.
Bless their labors with abundant fruit, and may the souls to whom they minister
be their joy and consolation here and their everlasting crown hereafter.
Mary, Queen of the Clergy, pray for us: obtain for us numerous and holy priests.
Amen.
keep them, for they are Thine –
Thy priests whose lives burn out before
Thy consecrated shrine.
Keep them, for they are in the world,
though from the world apart;
When earthly pleasures tempt, allure –
shelter them in Thy heart.
Keep them, and comfort them in hours
of loneliness and pain,
when all their lives of sacrifice
for souls seems but in vain.
Keep them, and O remember, Lord,
they have no one but Thee,
yet they have only human hearts,
with human frailty.
Keep them as spotless as the Host,
that daily they caress;
their every thoughts and word and deed,
Deign, dearest Lord, to bless.
Our Father … Hail Mary
Mary, Queen of Confessors, pray for them.
….……………………………….......................
O Almighty and Eternal God, look upon the Face of Thy Christ,
and for love of Him Who is the eternal High-priest, have pity on Thy priests.
Remember, O most compassionate God, that they are but weak and frail human beings.
Stir up in them the grace of their vocation which is in them by the imposition of the Bishop's hands.
Keep them close to Thee, lest the enemy prevail against them,
so that they may never do anything in the slightest degree unworthy of their sublime vocation.
O Jesus, I pray Thee for Thy faithful and fervent priests; for Thy unfaithful and tepid priests;
for Thy priests laboring at home or abroad in distant mission fields; for Thy tempted priests;
for Thy lonely and desolate priests; for Thy young priests; for Thy aged priests;
for Thy sick priests; for Thy dying priests; for the souls of Thy priests in Purgatory.
But above all I commend to Thee the priests dearest to me:
the priest who baptized me; the priests at whose Masses I assisted and who gave me Thy Body and Blood in Holy Communion;
the priests who taught and instructed or helped me and encouraged me;
all the priests to whom I am indebted in any other way, particularly (your priest’s name here).
O Jesus, keep them all close to Thy heart, and bless them abundantly in time and in eternity.
Amen.
Mary, Queen of the clergy, pray for us; obtain for us many and holy priests.
Amen.
….………………………………………………………………….................................
O Jesus, Eternal Priest, look down with love upon Thy priests.
Fill them with burning zeal for the conversion of sinners.
Keep them within the shelter of Thy Sacred Heart.
Keep unstained their anointed hands. which daily touch Thy Sacred Body. Keep unsullied their lips purpled with Thy precious Blood.
Keep pure and unearthly their hearts sealed with the sublime marks of Thy glorious Priesthood.
Let Thy holy love protect them from the world's contagion.
Bless their labors with abundant fruit, and may the souls to whom they minister on earth be one day their joy and consolation in heaven. Amen.
..................................................................................................................................
Prayer of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus for priests.
O 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 absolved me from my sins;
the priests at whose Masses I assisted and who gave me your Body and Blood in Holy Communion;
the priests who 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.
….…………………………………….....................
Gracious and loving God, we thank you for the gift of our priests.
Through them, we experience your presence in the sacraments.
Help our priests to be strong in their vocation.
Set their souls on fire with love for your people.
Grant them the wisdom, understanding, and strength they need to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.
Inspire them with the vision of your Kingdom.
Give them the words they need to spread the Gospel.
Allow them to experience joy in their ministry.
Help them to become instruments of your divine grace.
We ask this through Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns as our Eternal Priest.
Amen.
….……………………………………...............................................
O Jesus, Eternal Priest, keep Thy priests within the shelter of Thy Sacred Heart, where none may touch them.
Keep unstained their anointed hands, which daily touch Thy Sacred Body.
Keep unsullied their lips, daily purpled with Thy Precious Blood.
Keep pure and unworldly their hearts, sealed with the sublime mark of the priesthood.
Let Thy Holy Love surround them from the world's contagion.
Bless their labors with abundant fruit, and may the souls to whom they minister
be their joy and consolation here and their everlasting crown hereafter.
Mary, Queen of the Clergy, pray for us: obtain for us numerous and holy priests.
Amen.