There are a variety of ways your parish can pray for your priests. The following are only ideas. You may develop options that are unique and best fit the charism and flow of your parish. Before starting, be sure to get your pastor’s permission for any program you want to begin.
We also recommend that at least two people from your parish have the desire to begin a program of prayer for your pastor. Our experience has shown us that when at least two people come together to start this kind of initiative, they will be more effective.
- Pray a Hail Mary for the celebrant before or after every Mass. Ideally, a Hail Mary would be prayed for the priest about to celebrate Mass as a starting point for every parish initiative. This can be announced and prayed after announcements and before the processional hymn. Â If announcements in your parish are not read prior to the start of Mass, the cantor may introduce the celebrant and lead a Hail Mary for him before the processional.
- Gather a core group of 7-10 people each of whom could commit to a Holy Hour on one of the days of the week. The idea is that your pastor would be held in prayer for an hour each day. This is best done before the Blessed Sacrament if possible. If not, a quiet, uninterrupted place is fine.
- Hold a Holy Hour each month for priests. A Holy Hour is a powerful way to help your parish come together to pray for priests. Ideally, you would have Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, but this is not always possible. Prayer before the reposed Blessed Sacrament or small groups that meet in homes to pray are also wonderful.
- Do you have an Adoration program in your parish? Ask participants of this program to pray for your pastor/parish priests. If you already have an Adoration program running, e-mail participants and ask them to pray specifically for priests at least one Holy Hour per month.
- Ask parishioners to commit to taking a day each month to pray the Rosary for your priests. Much like the 31 Club prays for vocations, parishioners choose a day each month where they specifically pray the Rosary for the priests who serve your parish.
- Ask groups in your parish that meet regularly to begin their meetings with a prayer for your parish pastor/priests. There are many possibilities here: your Vocations Committee, Mom’s groups, Ladies Guild circles, Knights of Columbus, Catholic Daughters, Seniors’ groups, etc. So simple, yet so many prayers!
- Use printed or audio prayers from Maria Regina Cleri to pray for priests. You can easily insert the names of your priests into the prayers.
Again, in every parish, the opportunities will be different, but many. We encourage you to pray about how you can engage the people in your parish to pray for your pastor/priests. We at Maria Regina Cleri are committed to helping you in any way we can. Please do not hesitate to contact us.
