Prayer for the Church and for France to Saint Giles
by VP
Posted on Sunday September 01, 2024 at 12:00AM in Prayers
Mass of St. Giles, public domain
Most powerful Saint Giles, whose cult shines with new splendor in these days of anxiety and anguish, we come to implore your help, O you whom our fathers, in their gratitude, loved to proclaim one of the fourteen saints the most helpful in heaven: Come to our aid. As you can see, the waves are about to overwhelm Peter's boat, and like the apostles, we cry to heaven: "Save us, we are going to perish!" You who by your prayers calm the storms, calm the tempest that rumbles over the Church, you who have loved its leader so much, preserve for us our glorious Pontiff, deign to obtain for him calm and happy days, by the defeat of his enemies and the humble submission of all his children.
Saint Giles, who wanted to come to France to edify and sanctify it with your humility, your penance, your love for the Holy Church and all your admirable virtues, protect our country, victim of pride, indifference and of human respect. Obtain from the Lord, by your powerful prayers, that France no longer be afraid to pray to her God, to abjure error, to affirm her faith and to protect the Church, Amen.
Source: Vie et culte de Saint Gilles, Jules de Kerval 1875 (Prayer translated by CAPG)
Saint Rose of Lima
by VP
Posted on Friday August 23, 2024 at 12:14AM in Prayers
Saint Rose of Lima by Claudio Coello (1642–1693)
"When St. Rose of Lima went to communion she appeared like an angel; so that the priest was stupefied. If any one asked her what effect the Blessed Sacrament produced in her, she stammered and said she had no words to express them, but that she seemed to pass entirely into God, and was inundated with such joy that nothing in common life could be compared to it. This divine nourishment satisfied and strengthened her to such a degree that when she returned from Church, her step was firm and agile, whereas when she went to Church she was often obliged to stop to take breath, so exhausted was she by fasting, watching, and other mortifications. Her relations at once perceived the effects of the Blessed Sacrament upon her; for as soon as she came home, she went into her room, and remained there till night. In the evening when they asked her to eat something, she replied that she was so full she could not eat anything. Once she passed eight days without eating any thing; and whenever the Blessed Sacrament was exposed for the Forty Hours' adoration, she passed the whole of that time on her knees in adoration."
Source: The Blessed Sacrament: or, The Works and the Ways of God by Fr. Frederick William Faber, 1855 p 390
Prayer to St. Rose of Lima
Admirable Saint Rose, you were truly a sweet flower blooming on a rugged soil; you were indeed a rose among thorns, bearing with meekness and patience the stings of envious tongues, and preserving perfect purity and modesty amid the alluring blandishments of a deceitful world. To the sufferings inflicted on you by others you added the voluntary tortures of fasting and watching, of the discipline, of the crown of thorns and of the hair shirt, to subdue the flesh and to make yourself like to your heavenly Spouse.
By the merits which you have thus gained with your divine Bridegroom, obtain for me the grace to bear my afflictions with patience, to remain pure and modest, to be meek and humble, to be faithful to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit, and so to mortify my passions that I may be ever more pleasing and acceptable in the sight of my dear Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Who liveth and reigneth world without end. Amen
Source: The Catholic Girl's Guide: Counsels and Devotions for Girls in the Ordinary Walks of Life, and in Particular for the Children of Mary, Fr. Francis Xavier Lasance, 1906 p 609
Novena for Priests to St. John Vianney Day 9
by VP
Posted on Saturday August 03, 2024 at 12:00AM in Prayers
John Vianney, Good and Holy Priest O holy Priest of Ars, you lived in an
age of much upheaval, in a time when men turned their backs on God.
Your bishop told of a parish to which he wished to send you where there
was no love. He assigned you to Ars and said that you would be the
Priest who would enable the people to know the love of God. Not only did
you draw these people back to God, but your saintly reputation soon
spread and many people were converted to a life of holiness. You said
that a good Priest, a Priest after Christʼs own heart is the greatest
treasure that God can give a parish. Give us such Priests!
O great St. John Vianney, once again we are living in day of upheaval.
There is much evil in the word.
Obtain for Father ___ the grace to persevere in his faith and never to
despair. May he walk
with the Lord and trust in Him all the days of his life. Obtain through
your heavenly intercession, for Father ___ the grace of modeling his
life after that of Jesus Christ, that his people will
know the love of God. More than ever the people need him to be able to
bring the world to Christ.
Pray for Father ___ and all Priests, O great Priest of Ars.
Novena Prayer:
O holy Priest of Ars, St. John Marie Vianney, you loved God and served
Him faithfully as
His Priest. Now you see God face to face in heaven. You never despaired
but persevered in your faith
until you died. Remember now the dangers, fears and anxieties that
surround Father ___ and intercede for him in all his needs and troubles
especially console him in his most difficult moments, grant him serenity
in the midst of crisis, and protect him from evil. O St. John Vianney, I
have confidence in your intercession.
Pray for Father ___ in a special way during this novena.
Novena for Priests to St. John Vianney Day 8
by VP
Posted on Friday August 02, 2024 at 12:00AM in Prayers
St. John Vianney, Lover of Penance and Mortification O holy Priest of
Ars, you led a life of detachment
from worldly pleasures. Your meals consisted of a boiled potato each
day; you slept a few hours each night. But you did all of this so that
you would be able to serve God to the best of your ability. Your life
was portrayed by the saying: We complain when we suffer. We have much
more reason to complain when we do not suffer, since nothing likens us
to our Lord as the bearing of His cross.
O great St. John Vianney, in these days when we are surrounded by so
many comforts and pleasures, it can be so difficult for us to do penance
for our sins and live a life of detachment. I resolve to offer
some sacrifice today for the expiation of Father ___’s sins and the sins
of all mankind. Assist Father in accepting the cross God chooses to
send him. May he embrace the life of sacrifice to which Priests are
called. May he willingly offer his whole life to God! Obtain for Father
___ the grace to imitate the life of Christ by the bearing of His cross.
Novena Prayer:
O holy Priest of Ars, St. John Marie Vianney, you loved God and served
Him faithfully as
His Priest. Now you see God face to face in heaven. You never despaired
but persevered in your faith
until you died. Remember now the dangers, fears and anxieties that
surround Father ___ and intercede for him in all his needs and troubles
especially console him in his most difficult moments, grant him serenity
in the midst of crisis, and protect him from evil. O St. John Vianney, I
have confidence in your intercession.
Pray for Father ___ in a special way during this novena.
Novena for Priests to St. John Vianney Day 7
by VP
Posted on Thursday August 01, 2024 at 12:00AM in Prayers
O holy Priest of Ars, your life was filled with humility. You wore an
old cassock. You ate meager meals. You realized that before the throne
of God, you were one of His creatures made to glorify God and praise Him
in all things. You said that the first virtue is humility; the second,
humility; and the third, humility. You counseled people to remain
humble, remain simple and the more one is so, the more good he will do.
Your simplicity of soul and your uncluttered way of life led you to
sanctity.
O humble St. John Vianney, when Father ___ forgets he is totally
dependent on God for everything, intercede for him with Almighty God, to
allow him to see that without His Creator nothing is possible and that
he must rely on God for everything. He is his Creator, who keeps him in
existence at every moment. Obtain for Father ___ the grace of humility.
May his life exemplify your humility and simplicity, a life uncluttered,
a life totally dependent on God.
Novena Prayer:
O holy Priest of Ars, St. John Marie Vianney, you loved God and served
Him faithfully as
His Priest. Now you see God face to face in heaven. You never despaired
but persevered in your faith
until you died. Remember now the dangers, fears and anxieties that
surround Father ___ and intercede for him in all his needs and troubles
especially console him in his most difficult moments, grant him serenity
in the midst of crisis, and protect him from evil. O St. John Vianney, I
have confidence in your intercession.
Pray for Father ___ in a special way during this novena.
Feast of the Annunciation
by VP
Posted on Monday April 08, 2024 at 12:19AM in Prayers
Adolphe-William Bouguereau, L'Annunciation 1888
"This being the day on which the Son of God became incarnate, and took flesh of the Blessed Virgin Mary, give thanks to Almighty God for this His infinite mercy in sending His only Son for the redemption of man. Offer yourself for His servant for ever, who for your sake stoops below the degree of a servant. Admire and honour the humility of the Blessed Virgin; who being chosen Mother of Christ, styles herself only His handmaid: and let her humility be your pattern.
The mercy of this day, when God sent His only Son, to become man for our salvation, ought to imprint so lively an idea in the hearts of all Christians, as to lay a foundation of perpetual praise, adoration, and thanksgiving; and oblige them to be faithful in His service for ever. To be wanting in these duties, is a sufficient conviction that they either do not think, or do not believe. For what less can it be than insensibility, to behold this goodness, and not to adore it; to receive such mercies from the hand of God, and to remain cold and ungrateful under them? An eternal homage and fidelity are therefore the indispensable obligations of every Christian; and those who dispense with themselves, do in fact renounce this sacred character. Are we thus to live on, stupid and unthinking, and be sensible of no other effect of these mercies, but that of our greater condemnation, which we shall draw upon ourselves by our neglect, ingratitude, and contempt? While we see the Almighty do so much on His part, something certainly ought to be done on ours. And what can we do better, than follow the pattern before us?
The second Person of the Blessed Trinity this day assumes our human nature, and becomes man. By this ineffable union of God and man, He has taught us that man may be united to God. This then ought to be the concern of our whole lives, to extend in some manner the Incarnation of the Son of God: that as He is made man, so we by putting on Christ, may be so closely united to Him, as to become divine. This union is consummated in heaven, where the blessed souls are wholly absorbed in God: but it is begun, and may be much advanced on earth, whilst Christians being made the adopted children of God, by a participation of the divine nature, may be able to say: We live, and not we, but Christ lives in us. Happy those Christians, who arrive at this point: and happy we, could we this day effectually embrace the method of coming to it.
This can be done only by our constant endeavours to crucify within us the old man, with all its corrupt inclinations and desires, which carry us with violence to sin, to the earth and creatures; and to follow those new impressions, which we receive from God, which separate us from all earthly affections, and raise us to the love of God, and seeking heavenly things. This is taking part with Christ, who, coming to remedy the dismal effects of Adam's fall, teaches his followers to renounce and make war against all that concupiscence, pride, and perverseness, which they inherit from the sin of Adam. For, since Christ and the life which he gives are contrary to Adam, and to the impressions received from him; Christians who put on the new man, and have the spirit of Christ abiding in them, must manifest this new life by stifling all sinful inclinations, and bringing forth the fruits of his Holy Spirit.
In this manner, Christ being the light, which directs their judgment and reason, He being the rule, by which they govern their will and affections; and the source of all that they undertake and do; Christ lives in them, and their life becomes the life of Christ. And though they are still sensible of many corrupt inclinations and natural suggestions in favour of flesh and the world; yet inasmuch as they carefully watch over these, and labour to suppress them, they serve only for their exercise, and daily afford them new matter of triumph. But it cannot be said that they live by them, but rather that they are dead to the world, and have crucified their flesh with its vices and concupiscences." The Catholic Year by Rev. Fr. John Gother
Prayer to Mary for the Holy Church
Queen of heaven, thy immense love for God maketh thee likewise love His Church. We pray thee, come to its help amidst the ills under which it is now suffering, rent asunder as she is by her own children. Thy prayer, being a mother's, can obtain all from that God Who loveth Thee so well. Pray then, pray for the Church; ask for enlightenment for so many unbelievers who are persecuting it, and obtain for faithful souls the necessary strength to resist being caught in the snares of the unbelievers who would drag them down into their own ruin.
Source: St. Alphonsus' prayer-book, 1888
Illustrious Patriach
by VP
Posted on Monday March 18, 2024 at 11:00PM in Prayers
Saint Joseph, Raleigh NC
"On the festival of this saint, let virgins pray for the divine protection against all temptations and snares. Let all married persons pray for conjugal chastity; let all parents pray for grace, for the faithful discharge of all duties towards their children. Let all who have the care of families, pray that they may not be wanting in any part of their charge, that discipline may be preserved by their care, and virtue encouraged by their good example.
St. Joseph was chosen by Almighty God to be the chaste spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary; and under the reputation of father, to have the care of the Son of God made man; to protect him in his infancy, and secure both Mother and Son against the cruel designs of Herod. It was he, whose great virtues were rewarded, even in this life, by his being made an eye-witness of the virtues of the divine Jesus, in possessing him under his roof for many years; and seeing him, whom kings and prophets had desired to see, but it was not granted them. He was recompensed not only in seeing, but in hearing, in carrying him in his arms, in embracing and feeding him, and being made the depository of those divine secrets which were committed to no other. His life has not been written by men, but by the Holy Ghost himself; who has left his most considerable actions recorded in the gospel. And it will be our happiness on this festival, if we can learn some of those great lessons, which we are taught by his example.
Since the care of Jesus was by the Eternal Wisdom left to an humble tradesman, have not here all of that degree, as also all house-keepers, a great instruction, that sanctity and perfection are not to be thought the exclusive property of ecclesiastics and religious, but that their condition also is capable of these, and that in the new Law they are expected of them! In this they see that the daily toil of a laborious life is no exclusion to Jesus; but that He may dwell in the midst of them, while with the sweat of their brows they are working for bread, and the provision of their families. Nay, since they see Him make choice of such an abode, they cannot doubt but in this all their labours are not only approved, but consecrated by Him; and that He has declared a laborious life to be a holy life. Let it be only their care to join innocence with their toil, to season it with daily prayer, and sanctify it by a repeated oblation to Almighty God, in the faithful discharge of the duties of the state to which they are called; and they can have no just reason to complain of their unhappy circumstances, but rather rejoice. For they see their life to be a penitential life, even a performing of the penance enjoined by Almighty God Himself on the sons of Adam at their exclusion from Paradise.
It cannot be questioned but that such persons stand much fairer for the pardon of their sins, in undergoing the punishment, than those others who, living at their ease, feed on the toil of others, and wholly dispense with themselves as to this part of their penance. Nay, since these may observe that those primitive Christians, who studied the greatest perfection, took in this laborious and penitential part, and since the apostle gloried in it, they cannot apprehend their most painful labours and daily employments to be a hindrance to salvation, but rather one part of a Christian life, and very proper for gaining a happy eternity. It is with such that the divine
Jesus delights to dwell. And if He be not always with them, they may be
assured that it is not their labours that drive Him thence, but either
their love of idleness in neglecting these, or because not content to depend on their industry and pains, they make use of lies,
frauds, and injustices, whereby to overreach their neighbour, and
enrich themselves by wronging Him. Were it not for these unwarrantable
methods, no state might be more favoured by heaven than that of labouring Christians. If they would but renounce these practices, be faithful in their callings, observe their times of prayer and spiritual duties, they might be so many families of saints, and have Jesus their companion here, and reward hereafter." The Catholic Year by Rev. Fr. John Gother
Saint Joseph, God has appointed you patron of the Catholic Church because you were the head of the Holy Family, the starting-point of the Church. You were the father, protector, guide and support of the Holy Family. For that reason you belong in a particular way to the Church, which was the purpose of the Holy Familyʼs existence. I believe that the Church is the family of God on earth. Its government is represented in priestly authority which consists above all in its power over the true Body of Christ, really present in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, thus continuing Christʼs life in the Church. From this power, too, comes authority over the Mystical Body of Christ, the members of the Church -- the power to teach and govern souls, to reconcile them with God, to bless them, and to pray for them.
You have a special relationship to the priesthood because you possessed a wonderful power over our Savior Himself. Your life and office were of a priestly function and are especially connected with the Blessed Sacrament. To some extent you were the means of bringing the Redeemer to us -- as it is the priestʼs function to bring Him to us in the Mass -- for you reared Jesus, supported, nourished, protected and sheltered Him. You were prefigured by the patriarch Joseph, who kept supplies of wheat for his people. But how much greater than he were you! Joseph of old gave the Egyptians mere bread for their bodies. You nourished, and with the most tender care, preserved for the Church Him who is the Bread of Heaven and who gives eternal life in Holy Communion.
God has appointed you patron of the Church because the glorious title of patriarch also falls by special right to you. The patriarchs were the heads of families of the Chosen People, and theirs was the honor to prepare for the Saviorʼs incarnation. You belonged to this line of patriarchs, for you were one of the last descendants of the family of David and one of the nearest forebears of Christ according to the flesh. As husband of Mary, the Mother of God, and as the foster-father of the Savior, you were directly connected with Christ. Your vocation was especially concerned with the Person of Jesus; your entire activity centered about Him. You are, therefore, the closing of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New, which took its rise with the Holy Family of Nazareth. Because the New Testament surpasses the Old in every respect, you are the patriarch of patriarchs, the most venerable, exalted, and amiable of all the patriarchs.
Through Mary, the Church received Christ, and therefore the Church is indebted to her. But the Church owes her debt of gratitude and veneration to you also, for you were the chosen one who enabled Christ to enter into the world according to the laws of order and fitness. It was by you that the patriarchs and the prophets and the faithful reaped the fruit of Godʼs promise. Alone among them all, you saw with your own eyes and possessed the Redeemer promised to the rest of men. Saint Joseph, I thank God for your privilege of being the Patron of the Church. As a token of your own gratitude to God, obtain for me the grace to live always as a worthy member of this Church, so that through it I may save my soul. Bless the priests, the religious, and the laity of the Catholic Church, that they may ever grow in Godʼs love and faithfulness in His service. Protect the Church from the evils of our day and from the persecution of her enemies. Through your powerful intercession may the Church successfully accomplish its mission in this world -- the glory of God and the salvation of souls! Amen.
Prayer of St. Athanasius
by VP
Posted on Sunday December 31, 2023 at 11:00PM in Prayers
Our Lady of North Carolina, Downtown Raleigh NC
"Give ear to our prayers, O most Holy Virgin, and be mindful of us. Dispense unto us the gifts of thy riches, and the abundance of the graces with which thou art filled. The Archangel saluted thee, and called thee full of grace. All nations call thee blessed. The whole hierarchy of heaven blesses thee: and we, who are of the terrestrial hierarchy, also address thee, saying: Hail, O full of grace, our Lord is with thee; pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, our Lady and our Queen."
Bishop Schneider’s Prayer for the Synod on Synodality
by VP
Posted on Friday September 29, 2023 at 08:30AM in Prayers
Lord Jesus Christ, Our God and Saviour, You are the Head of the Church, Your spotless Bride and Mystical Body. Look mercifully upon the profound distress to which Our Holy Mother Church has been subjected. Doctrinal confusion, moral abomination, and liturgical abuse have, in our day, reached an unprecedented height. “The heathens have come into your inheritance, having defiled your holy temple, and laid Jerusalem in ruins” (Ps 79:1). Churchmen who have lost the true Faith and become promoters of a worldly globalist agenda, are intent on changing Your truths and Commandments, the Divine Constitution of the Church, and the Apostolic tradition.
O Lord, with humble spirit and contrite heart we beseech You, prevent the enemies of the Church from exulting in a victory over the authentic Catholic Church obtained by imposing a counterfeit church under the guise of “synodality.” Stir up Your power, O Lord, and come to the aid of Your Church with Your almighty strength. For where sin and apostasy in the Church abounds, the victory of Your grace will abound the more.
We firmly believe that the gates of Hell will not prevail against Your Church. In this hour, in which our beloved and holy Mother Church is suffering her Golgotha, we promise to remain with her. Graciously accept our interior and exterior sufferings, which we humbly offer in union with the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Mother of the Church, as a reparation for our own sins and for the sins of sacrilege and apostasy within the Church.
O Lord, send forth your Holy Angels under the command of Saint Michael the Archangel, to bring your heavenly light to the Pope and synod participants, and to frustrate the plans of your enemies within the synod assembly. O Lord, look mercifully upon the little ones in the Church, look upon the hidden souls who sacrifice themselves for the Church, look upon all the tears, sighs and supplications of the true children of the Church, and through the merits of the Immaculate Heart of Your Most Holy Mother, arise, O Lord, and by Your intervention grant Your Church holy shepherds who, imitating Your example, will give their lives for You and Your sheep. O Lord, we beseech You: Through the Blessed Virgin Mary, grant us a holy Pope, zealous in promoting and defending the Catholic Faith, we implore You, grant it! Through the Blessed Virgin Mary, grant us holy and intrepid bishops, we implore You, grant it! Through the Blessed Virgin Mary, grant us holy priests, who are men of God, we implore You, grant it! In You, O Lord, we rest our hope: let us never be put to shame. To You, O Lord Jesus Christ, be given all honour and glory in Your Holy Church. You live and reign with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit: God, forever and ever. Amen.
September 29, 2023
+ Athanasius Schneider
Priests' First Saturdays
by VP
Posted on Saturday September 02, 2023 at 12:00AM in Prayers
Saint Catherine of Siena, Wake Forest
"The first Thursday of the month of the first Saturday of the month is dedicated to the priesthood. The faithful offer all their prayers and good works of the entire day, their sacrifices, Masses, communions, sufferings, and joys, through the pure hands of Mary, the Mother of Priests, to Jesus, the “Supreme and Eternal Priest,” for the sanctification of priests and candidates for the priesthood. Parishioners are asked to pray especially for their parish clergy. If Jesus prayer for His Apostles; if the Mother of God prayed for them; why should not our Catholic people pray for their successors, the Pope, the Bishops, and the priests?"
"As recently as 1934 the General of the Salvatorians suggested to Pope Pius XI that one Saturday each month might become a day specially devoted to prayers for priests. Pius XI agreed wholeheartedly, declaring that he praised and blessed the suggestion, and since 1934, bishops of more than fifty European dioceses have recommended this practice. How does one take part in Priestsʼ Saturday? It means offering the Saturday after the First Friday of the month wholly and entirely for the sanctification of priests throughout the world; offering Mass and Holy Communion together with all the prayers, actions, joys, sorrows of the day and offering it all to Christ through the hands of Mary. Priestsʼ Saturday is intended to help all priests--the Pope, the bishops, missionaries, all who teach in seminaries and schools, the contemplative religious, the parish priests. For some people a weekday Mass will be impossible. Still they can make an offering of their whole day, and they could say this prayer at least once on Priestsʼ Saturday:"
Source: Priests' Saturday
Priests' First Saturday
Divine Savior, Jesus Christ, Who hast
entrusted the whole work of Thy redemption, the welfare and salvation of
the world, to priests as Thy representatives, through the hands of Thy
most holy Mother and for the sanctification of Thy priests and
candidates for the priesthood I offer Thee this present day wholly and
entirely, with all its prayers, works, sacrifices, joys, and sorrows.
Give truly holy priests who, inflamed with the fire of Thy divine love,
seek nothing but Thy greater glory and the salvation of our souls.
And thou, Mary, good Mother of priests, protect all priests in the
dangers of their holy vocation and, with the loving hand of a Mother,
also lead back to the Good Shepherd those poor priests who have become
unfaithful to their exalted vocation and have gone astray.
In addition to the above make it a point also to recite frequently the following:
Divine Savior, Jesus Christ, Who Hast entrusted the weal and woes of
Thy Holy Church to priests, with all the fervor of my heart I recommend
to Thee the wants of my pastor and all priests. Enrich them more and
more with true priestly sanctity. Give them generous, all embracing,
apostolic hearts, full of love for Thee and for all Thy souls, so that
they, being themselves sanctified in Thee, may sanctify us who are
confided to their care, and may lead us safely to heaven. Bestow upon
them in rich abundance all Thy priestly graces!
Let them ever
give us a glowing example of love and fidelity towards Holy Mother
Church, towards the Pope, and bishops, and grant that by word and
example they may shine as models of every virtue.
Most loving
Jesus, bless all their priestly labors and sacrifices! Bless all their
prayers and words at the altar and in the confessional, in the pulpit,
and in school, in confraternities, and at the bedside of the sick!
Protect and preserve them in all dangers from within and from without.
Divine Savior, give to Thy Church priests who abound in true holiness!
Call many good boys and young men to the priestly and religious state!
Aid and sanctify all those who are to become Thy priests! And to the
souls of departed priests grant everlasting rest. But to me
give a true spirit of faith and humble obedience, in order that in my
pastor I may ever behold the representative of God and willingly follow
all his teachings. Amen
