CAPG's Blog 

Saint Patrick, Saint Patrick Catholic Church, Charlotte, NC

Prayer to St. Patrick:

O glorious St. Patrick, Apostle of Ireland, who left father and mother, and all earthly things, to bring our forefathers from the valley of sin and the shades of death, to the admirable light of Jesus Christ; intercede with our Divine Lord and Master, "who came to seek the lost sheep" that we may obtain the grace of conversion; that we may receive pardon of our past sins, which we here acknowledge before him, and promise to confess with due disposition to his appointed Ministers, that we never more offend him; but perform His will in all things, during the remainder of our lives, through the merits of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.

Litany of St. Patrick

Lord, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Lord, Have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God, the Father, Creator of Heaven and earth, Have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, Have mercy on us.
God the Holy Ghost, Sanctifier of mankind, Have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, Three Persons in one God, Have mercy on us.
Holy Mary, pray for us.
Holy Mother of God, pray for us.
All ye holy Angels, pray for us.
All ye Apostles and Evangelists, pray for us.
All ye holy Saints and Doctors, pray for us.
All ye Bishops and Confessors, pray for us.
St. Patrick, our Apostle and Patron, pray for us.
St. Patrick, vessel of election, pray for us.
St. Patrick, model of Penitents, pray for us. 
St. Patrick, example of mortification, pray for us.
St. Patrick, profoundly humble, pray for us.
St. Patrick, meek and patient, pray for us.
St. Patrick, pure and patient, pray for us.
St. Patrick, pure and chaste, pray for us.
St. Patrick, temperate and abstemious, pray for us.
St. Patrick, zealous pastor of souls, pray for us.
St. Patrick, ardent lover of Jesus and Mary, pray for us.
St. Patrick, true lover of thy neighbor, pray for us.
St. Patrick, example of perfect charity, pray for us.
St. Patrick, glory of Ireland, pray for us.
St. Patrick, our powerful protector, pray for us.
St. Patrick, pillar of Catholicity, pray for us.
St. Patrick, confessor of the faith, pray for us.
St. Patrick, enemy of Satan, pray for us.
St. Patrick, herald of salvation, pray for us.
St. Patrick, our Father in Christ, pray for us.

Lord Jesus, we beseech thee, hear us.
That it would please thee, through the intercession of thy servant Patrick, to make thy name glorious to those who know it not, we beseech thee, hear us.
Thou thou wilt protect our Bishops and Clergy, and all who labor in Thy Holy Church, we beseech thee, hear us.
That thou wilt preserve and increase the Faith in Ireland, and re-establish it in the sister country, we beseech thee, hear us.
That thou vouchsafe to preserve the Pope, and all Ecclesiastical orders in Religion, we beseech thee, hear us.
That thou wilt enlighten all those who are in error and bring them to the knowledge of thy truth, we beseech thee, hear us.
That thou wilt deliver us from all sin, we beseech thee, hear us.
From all intemperance, Deliver us, O Lord.
From all impurity, Deliver us, O Lord.
From all hatred and ill-will, Deliver us, O Lord.
From a sudden and unprovided death, Deliver us, O Lord.
In the day of judgement, Lord, deliver us.

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, Spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, Graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, Have mercy on us, O Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

Prayer: O God, who hast vouchsafe to send thy Confessor and Bishop, the blessed St. Patrick, to preach thy glory to nations, grant by his merits and intercession, that we may accomplish in thy mercy, what thou commandest to be done; through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Source: Loretto's Manual, Ireland, 1852

"Pride is an untrue opinion of ourselves, an untrue idea of what we are not.

The proud man is always disparaging himself, that people may praise him the more. The more the proud man lowers himself, the more he seeks to raise his miserable nothingness. He relates what he has done, and what he has not done; he feeds his imagination with what has been said in praise of him, and seeks by all means for more; he is never satisfied with praise. See, my children, if you only show some little displeasure against a man given up to self-love, he gets angry, and accuses you of ignorance or injustice towards him.

My children, we are in reality only what we are in the eyes of God, and nothing more. Is it not quite clear and evident that we are nothing, that we can do nothing, that we are very miserable? Can we lose sight of our sins, and cease to humble ourselves?

If we were to consider well what we are, humility would be easy to us, and the demon of pride would no longer have any room in our heart. See, our days are like grass; like the grass which now flourishes in the meadows, and will presently be withered; like an ear of corn which is fresh only for a moment, and is parched by the sun. In fact, my children, today we are full of life, full of health; and tomorrow, death will perhaps come to reap us and mow us down, as you reap your corn and mow your meadows... Whatever appears vigorous, whatever shines, whatever is beautiful, is of short duration... The glory of this world, youth, honors, riches, all pass away quickly, as quickly as the flower of grass, as the flower of the field... let us reflect that we shall one day be reduced to dust; ...that we shall be thrown into the fire like dry grass, if we do not fear the good God.

Good Christians know this very well, my children; therefore they do not occupy themselves with their body; they despise the affairs of this world; they consider only their soul and how to unite it to God.

Can we be proud in the face of the examples of lowliness, of humiliations, that our Lord has given us, and is still giving us every day? Jesus Christ came upon earth, became incarnate, was born poor, lived in poverty, died on a gibbet, between two thieves... He instituted an admirable Sacrament, in which He communicates Himself to us under the Eucharistic veil; and in this Sacrament He undergoes the most extraordinary humiliations. Residing continually in our tabernacles, He is deserted, misunderstood by ungrateful men; and yet He continues to love us, to serve us in the Sacrament of the Altar.

O my children! What an example of humiliation does the good Jesus give us!

Behold Him on the Cross to which our sins have fastened Him; Behold Him: He calls us and says to us, "Come to Me, and Learn of Me, because I am meek and humble of heart."

How well the saints understood this invitation, my children! Therefore, they all sought humiliations and sufferings. After their example, then, let us not be afraid of being humbled and despised.

St. John of God, at the beginning of his conversion, counterfeited madness, ran about the streets, and was followed by the populace, who threw stones at him: he always came in covered with mud and with blood. He was shut up as a madman; the most violent remedies were employed to cure him of his pretended illness; and he bore it all in the spirit of penance, and in expiation of his past sins.

The good God, my children, does not require of us extraordinary things. He wills that we should be gentle, humble, and modest; then we shall always be pleasing to Him; we shall be like little children; and He will grant us the grace to come to Him and to enjoy the happiness of the saints."

Source: The Spirit of the Cure d'Ars by Abbe Monnin, p. 232, 1865

Prayer for Lent: O Lord who, for our sake, didst fast forty days and forty nights; give us grace to use such abstinence that, our flesh being subdued to the spirit, we may worthily lament and acknowledge our wretchedness, and may obtain perfect remission and forgiveness of Thee, the God of all mercy, who livest and reignest with the Father and Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen