The Curé d'Ars Prayer Group
For the bishop and priests of the Raleigh, NC Diocese.
Devotions
Rosary for the Sanctification of Priests
The Joyful Mysteries
The Annunciation
The Angel Gabriel announces to Mary, a virgin, that she will become the Mother of God, the Word made Flesh. For
all centuries to come, Jesus will become Flesh in the Holy Eucharist to nourish us in a most intimate union with Him.
We pray for all priests who daily, through the words of the Consecration at Mass, and through Holy Communion,
bring us the Body and Blood of Christ. We pray for all future priests now being formed in the wombs of their
mothers, that they may be safe from physical and spiritual harm, and come to Ordination as God intends. We pray for
all future generations of priests. We pray also that priests may treasure the gift of celibacy.
The Visitation
Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth who recognizes Mary as the living tabernacle for our Divine Lord. We pray especially for priests who bring Holy Communion
to the sick, the shut-ins, and Viaticum to the dying. We pray for all priests as they minister to others, that they may counsel, comfort, and console them.
The Nativity of Jesus
Jesus is born in Bethlehem. The Angels announce His birth; kings and shepherds come to adore Him. We pray that all seminarians may grow in the knowledge
and love of God and become holy priests. We pray especially for those who will be ordained soon, that they may remain faithful all their lives to the sublime privilege of being “other Christs” among us. We pray that everyone will come to value the Eucharistic Feast and the Priesthood as God’s greatest gifts to us. We pray that every priest will consider himself a member of the Holy Family, a true son of Mary and Joseph, and a brother-priest of Jesus, the
Eternal High Priest.
The Presentation in the Temple
Mary and Joseph, in obedience to the Law, bring Jesus to the Temple, to be dedicated to God. Simeon expresses his
gratitude to God for revealing the Messiah to him before he dies. We thank God for all priests who, like Simeon, have given us decades of faithful service. We pray that they may be rewarded for their generosity and self-sacrifice. We pray also for all priests whose hearts are pierced by loneliness,
depression, and rejection.
The Finding of Jesus in the Temple
Jesus is found among the teachers in the Temple; He returns home and is obedient to Mary and Joseph.
We pray that priests will always be found going about their Father’s business and will be obedient to the teaching
Magisterium of the Church, to our Holy Father and to the Bishops in communion with him. We pray for young priests
that the love and dedication they experience in the first years of their priesthood may increase with time.
We pray for all priests who teach the faith to children and adults.
The Luminous Mysteries
The Baptism of the Lord
John baptizes Jesus in the Jordan; the Holy Spirit descends on Him and the Voice of the Father is heard.
We pray that priests may be shining lamps pointing to Jesus, illuminating the way to the Kingdom of Heaven. We pray
that all priests may practice humble self-forgetfulness and seek only that our Lord be known and honored. We pray that
priests may pour the life-giving waters of baptism over countless souls and help all those entrusted to their care to
live holy lives and attain eternal salvation.
The Wedding of Cana
Jesus performs His first miracle at the request of His Mother, thereby manifesting His Divinity.
We pray that priests will confidently turn to Mary in all their needs, particularly when they feel they have nothing left to
share, and following her example, do whatever Jesus tells them to do. We pray that all priests may grow in their faith
that just as Jesus turned water into wine, He changes wine into His Precious Blood.
The Proclamation of the Kingdom
Jesus places before us His plan of salvation for all mankind. He explains His Law of Love, particularly the necessity of
repentance and forgiveness as the means of living out the Gospel. We pray that priests will fearlessly and lovingly proclaim the truths of our faith, in season and out of season, particularly by the example of their own daily conversion. May all priests become Apostles of the Confessional by extending God’s Divine Mercy and healing to all those who humbly seek pardon of their sins.
The Transfiguration
Jesus brought Peter, James, and John up a high mountain, where He was transfigured before their eyes. He appeared
with Moses and Elijah, who spoke to Him of His death. The Voice of the Father was heard, “This is My Son, My
Beloved. Listen to Him.” We pray for perseverance and spiritual joy for all priests who find themselves undergoing their own passion in
Christ’s name. May they find strength in the radiance of Christ’s life-giving light. We pray that all priests may look
up and see only Jesus in all whom they serve. May their faith in the divinity of Jesus be so strong that they may
never lose hope and in turn may strengthen their brothers and sisters in their times of distress.
The Institution of the Eucharist
Jesus gives us Himself, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity, in order that we may have life. His institution of the
Eucharist and the Priesthood perpetuates His eternal Sacrifice for all mankind.
We pray that all priests will appreciate their oneness with Jesus, Priest and Victim, and that every Holy Communion
will transform them more and more into His likeness. We pray that all priests will offer the Holy Sacrifice of the
Mass with deep love, faith, and reverence, and be generous in the time they spend in adoring, thanking and making
reparation to our Eucharistic Lord.
The Sorrowful Mysteries
The Agony in the Garden
The Apostles fall asleep; Jesus sweats blood at the thought of His coming Passion and death; angels come to comfort
Him. We pray that priests who are suffering and are on the way to Calvary may be comforted by God’s presence and that
those who have betrayed or denied the faith through weakness, may repent and return to God’s love. We pray
that all priests may live only to do our Father’s Will, as Jesus always did.
Jesus is Scourged
Jesus is cruelly beaten by the soldiers. We pray for all priests who are persecuted or physically and mentally abused, for all those who are imprisoned or
prevented in some way from offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass or from receiving Holy Communion. We pray for
all priests living under any form of oppression.
Jesus is Crowned with Thorns
We pray for all priests who suffer for the defense of authentic Catholic doctrine. We pray that all Bishops will
uphold the true teachings of the Catholic Church and resist temptations to compromise doctrine in the face of cultural
and social pressures.
Jesus Carries His Cross
We pray for all priests with heavy crosses and for all those who are weak, lonely, or who have fallen from God’s grace
in some way. We pray for our Holy Father, who perhaps has the heaviest of crosses: the widespread persecution and
abandonment of the Church from within and without.
Jesus Dies on the Cross
Jesus sheds the last drops of His Precious Blood to redeem us from sin and death.
We pray for all priests who are in their last agony and for those who will die today. We pray for all those who thirst
for the salvation of souls. We pray that the crucifixion of their wills may accomplish God’s designs for the salvation
of the whole world. We pray that all priests may take Mary into their hearts, as St. John the Apostle, one of the first
priests, took Mary into his home.
The Glorious Mysteries
The Resurrection
Jesus rises from the dead and appears to the Apostles. At times priests may suffer from depression and despair
that plague them when they see so little fruit from their labors.We pray that priests will always remember that the Crucifixion is followed by the Resurrection, and that darkness is always followed by light. We pray that all priests may share the joy of the Risen Christ.
The Ascension
Jesus instructs His Apostles and returns to His Father in Heaven. We pray that priests may carry out Jesus instructions to evangelize the whole world, instructing and baptizing countless souls. We pray especially for missionaries who live lives of utter poverty and deprivation to bring the gospel
to the unchurched.
The Descent of the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit comes upon the Apostles, who are gathered with Mary. We pray that all priests may be open to the graces of the
Holy Spirit to strengthen them for their task of bringing souls to God and God to souls. We pray that all priests may
be on fire to convert the most hardened sinners and to bring God’s love to the whole world.
The Assumption
Mary is taken, body and soul, to Heaven. While she was on earth, she loved and prayed for the Apostles, the first priests.
We pray that all priests will be devoted to Mary and trust in her ever present love and protection, for she is the Mother of
priests, the Virgin most powerful, who always prays for them, and who is their sure refuge against Satan and his
cohorts who seek the destruction of priests and the priesthood.
The Coronation
Mary is crowned Queen of Heaven and earth; she is rewarded for her faithfulness to God. We pray that Mary, Queen of the Clergy, will be the model of faith and joy, and the constant guide of all priests, until they reach Heaven where a crown, jeweled with the many souls entrusted to them on the day of Ordination, will be
their reward for faithful and loving service.
Prayer for Priests
O Jesus our great High Priest, hear my humble prayers on behalf of Thy priests. Give them a deep faith, a bright and firm hope and a burning love which will ever increase in the course of their priestly life. In their loneliness, comfort them. In their sorrows, strengthen them, In their frustrations, point out to then that it is through suffering that the soul is purified, and show then that they are needed by the Church; they are needed by souls; they are needed for the work of redemption.
O loving Mother Mary, Mother of priests, take to your heart your sons who are close to you because of their priestly ordination and because of their power which they have received to carry on the work of Christ in a world which needs them so much. be their comfort, be their joy, be their strength, and especially help them to live and to defend the ideals of consecrated celibacy