Year of the Priest
June 19, 2009 – June 28, 2010 
www.worldpriestday.com 
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Celebrate the “Year of The Priest” June 19th 2009 to June 19th 2010
A Prayer for Our Priests

You came from among us To be, for us, one who serves. We thank you for ministering christ to us And helping us minister christ to each other. We are grateful for the many gifts you bring To our community: for drawing us together in worship, for visiting us in our homes, for comforting us in sickness, for showing us compassion, for blessing our marriage, for baptising our children, for confirming us in our calling, for supporting us in bereavement, for helping us to grow in faith, for encouraging us to take the initiative, for helping the whole community realise God's presence among us. For our part, we pray that we may always be Attentive to your needs and never take you For granted. You, like us, need friendship and Love, welcome and a sense of belonging, kind words and acts of thoughtfulness. We pray, also, for the priests who have Wounded priesthood. May we be willing to forgive And may they be open to healing. Let us support one another during times Of crisis. God our Father, we ask you to bless our Priests and confirm them in their calling. Give them the gifts they need To respond with generosity and a joyful heart. We offer this prayer for our priest, Who is our brother and friend, Amen.


PRAYER FOR OUR NEW BISHOP-
Come Holy Spirit, we ask your blessing on our new spiritual leader.
Give him your gift of wisdom that he will lead the Church wisely and well.
Give him your gift of understanding that he will recognize the needs of the Church.
Give him the gift of Knowledge that he will teach our faith with conviction.
Give him the gift of counsel that he will listen with an open heart.
Give him the gift of piety that he will be an individual of prayer.
Give him the gift of fortitude that he will deal well with difficulties.
Give him your gift of fear of the Lord that he will rejoice in your presence.
Come Holy Spirit,
Come with your countless gifts to dwell in the heart of our new Bishop. Amen.

Praying with the Pope
We invite you to join the Pope and Christians throughout the world in his prayer intentions for this month:

Apostleship of Prayer
In the Apostleship of Prayer millions of people around the world unite together each day in an approach to prayer that is both simple and profound. It is centred on the Daily Offering. By making this Offering slowly each morning you turn your attention to God in prayer for a short time, in that way making him the centre of the day ahead.

Daily Offering
Father in heaven, I ask you to send me your                                                                               Holy Spirit to be with me all during this day.                                                                                   With the Spirit's help, may all my intentions,                                                                            everything I do, all I say and think, be for                                                                                         greater glory and praise.                                                                                                               Unite me with your son, Jesus Christ,                                                                                           who came to serve and not to be served,                                                                                   offering his life for all people. I pray with                                                                                            Mary and the whole Church for the Pope's                                                                                          intentions this month.
or
God, our Father, I offer You my day.
I offer You my prayers, thoughts, words, actions,
and sufferings in union with Your Son Jesus Christ,
Who continues to offer Himself in the Eucharist
for the salvation of the world. May the Holy Spirit,
Who guided Jesus, be my guide and my strength today
so that I may witness to Your love. With Mary,
the mother of our Lord and of the Church,
I pray especially for this month's intentions
as proposed by the Holy Father.
______________________________________________
Children's Daily Offering Prayer

Holy Father,
I offer you this day
All that I do and think and say
Uniting it with what was done
By Jesus Christ, your only Son.
Amen.



PRAYER FOR ALL VOCATIONS

God, our Father,
in baptism You called us by name,
making us members of
Your people, the church.
We praise You for Your goodness;
we thank You for your gifts.
We ask You to strengthen us
to live in love and service to others
after the example of your son, Jesus.
Father look upon Your church with love,
and bless Your people
with generous men and women,
with loving husbands and wives,
with understanding parents,
with trusting children,
with dedicated priests,
sisters, deacons and brothers.
Help us to see our vocations as a
journey towards You.
You have called us, not to set us apart,
but to bring us together with others
who need our love.
Make us faithful signs of
Your presence in their midst.
We ask this through Christ, our Lord.
Amen

OTHER PRAYERS

Mary Our Mother, and our help for the journey,
we trust you to accompany us as we, the people of the Diocese of Charlottetown, face the reality of our changing world and together work to keep our church alive.
We ask God for the gifts of discernment and understanding in order to respond to the challenges on our pastoral journey, for the gift of generosity and peace to accept change, and for the gifts of wisdom and openness as we dialogue about our future. We ask this so that together we may continue the mission of your son, Jesus Christ, who is the Way, the Truth and the Life, in building the Kingdom of God. Amen!



Surrender
Take, O Lord, and receive my entire liberty, my memory, my understanding and my whole will. All that I am and all that I possess You have given me: I surrender it all to You to be disposed of according to Your will. Give me only Your love and Your grace; with these I will be rich enough, and will desire nothing more. (St. Ignatius Loyola)

Anima Christi
Soul of Christ, sanctify me.
Body of Christ, save me.
Blood of Christ, inebriate me.
Water from the side of Christ, wash me.

Passion of Christ, strengthen me.
O good Jesus, hear me.
Within Thy wounds hide me.
Suffer me not to be separated from Thee.

From the malignant enemy, defend me.
In the hour of my death, call me.
And bid me come to Thee.
That with Thy saints I may praise Thee.
Forever and ever. Amen. (St. Ignatius Loyola)

Teach us, Good Lord

Teach us, Good Lord
To serve you as you deserve.
To give and not count the cost.
To fight and not heed the wounds.
To toil and not to seek for rest.
To labor and not to ask for any reward
Except that of knowing that we do Your Will.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
(St. Ignatius Loyola)

Dedication of the Day

Father, I dedicate this new day to you;
as I go about my work.
I ask you to bless those with whom I come in contact.
Lord, I pray for all men and women
who work to earn their living;
give them satisfaction in what they do.

Spirit of God, comfort the unemployed and their families; they are your children and my brothers and sisters.
I ask you to help them find work soon.

Christian meditation calls the person to enter within, to move to the realm of silence and solitude, the level of the heart, to let go of thinking and imagining or controlling and to cultivate simple presence to the Divine Presence. One is lovingly attentive to the Divine Indwelling.

In Christian meditation, the mantra -- which is usually the Ma-ra-na-tha (Come, Lord Jesus) -- is spoken throughout the prayer as an effort, not only to be totally attentive, but to be empty and silent and alone before God. The mantra is the instrument that creates the emptiness; it hollows out the soul. Meditation takes seriously the teaching of the masters that creating silence and emptiness is the best invitation to the spirit.




Trinitarian Prayer

Prayer of St. Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

and where there is sadness, joy.

O, Divine Master,

grant that I may not so much seek

to be consoled as to console;

to be understood as to understand;

to be loved as to love;

for it is in giving that we receive;

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.



Reflections on The Cross of San Damiano

By Patrick McNamara, OFM,Cap.

I look to the Cross, I gaze upon its figure,

I wait, I listen, I hope.

Will you speak, will you move, will I be moved.

Will you once again touch the heart of one who seeks.

Of one who questions, of one who seems so lost.

Will you embrace the soul, as you did that of Francis.

Will you take it to Yourself.

Will you give it peace, give it comfort, give it love

This soul waits, listens, prays for such grace.

This soul seeks the Love from the Lover.

It wavers. It stumbles. It falls.

Your gaze looks down, embraces all.

Takes all, Loves All. Your Grace heals, accepts.

Again you respond, Again you Love.

Again you speak to a searching and troubled heart.

I turn. I continue the journey. I continue in Hope.

I too have heard you Speak.


Blessing of Animals

A FRANCISCAN TRADITION

FEAST OF SAINT FRANCIS - OCTOBER 4TH

Welcome

Prayer For Our Animal Friends

(With permission The Prayer Pet Line)

Link to Pet Prayer Line

Heavenly Father, our human ties with our friends of other species is a wonderful and special gift from You. We now ask You to grant our special animal companions your Fatherly care and healing power to take away any suffering they have. Give us, their human friends, new understanding of our responsibilities to these creatures of yours.

They have trust in us as we have trust in You; We are on this earth together to give one another friendship, affection, and caring. Take our heartfelt prayers and fill Your ill or suffering animals with healing Light and strength to overcome whatever weakness of body they have.

( Here mention the names of the animals needing prayer )

Your goodness is turned upon every living thing and Your grace flows to all Your creatures. Grant to our special animal companions long and healthy lives. Give them good relationships with and if You see fit to take them from us, help us to understand that they are not gone from us, but only drawing closer to You. Grant our petitions through the intercession of good St. Francis of Assisi, who honored You through all Your creatures.

St. Francis of Assisi

Sermon to the Birds - c - 1220

My little sisters, the birds, much bounden are ye unto God, your Creator, and always in every place ought ye to praise Him, for that He hath given you liberty to fly about everywhere, and hath also given you double and triple rainment; moreover He preserved your seed in the ark of Noah, that your race might not perish out of the world; still more are ye beholden to Him for the element of the air which He hath appointed for you; beyond all this, ye sow not, neither do you reap; and God feedeth you, and giveth you the streams and fountains for your drink; the mountains and valleys for your refuge and the high trees whereon to make your nests; and because ye know not how to spin or sow, God clotheth you, you and your children; wherefore your Creator loveth you much, seeing that He hath bestowed on you so many benefits; and therefore, my little sisters, beware of the sin of ingratitude, and study always to give praises unto God.



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