O Jesus, I pray for your faithful and fervent priests, for your unfaithful and tepid priests, for your priests laboring at home, or abroad in distant mission fields; for your tempted priests; your young priests; for your dying priests; for the souls of your priests in Purgatory.
But above all, I commend to you the priests dearest to me: the priest who baptized me; the priests who absolved me from my sins; the priests at whose Masses I assisted and who gave me your Body and Blood in Holy Communion; the priests who taught and instructed me; all the priests to whom I am indebted in any other way. O Jesus, keep them all close to your heart, and bless them abundantly in time and eternity. Amen.
Heavenly Father, We come before you today to ask your blessing on our brothers, whom you have called to the Sacrament of Holy Orders.
Lord Jesus, We ask that you support them with your presence and fill them with grace to serve you faithfully.
Gracious Spirit, Unite us in service with those whom you have called. Open our hearts to encourage our brothers and sons to pursue your calling. Open their hearts to hear your call to this most Holy Sacrament. Amen.
A prayer for a specific priest:
O God, who have willed
that your priests preside over your family
not by any personal merit
but only out of the abundance of your grace,
look with mercy on the ministry of
Fr. (insert name here)
and direct the hearts of priest and people
to be so disposed
that the obedience of the flock
may never fail the shepherd,
nor the care of the shepherd be lacking for the flock.
Amen.
Gracious and loving God, we thank you for the gift of our priests.
Through them, we experience your presence in the sacraments.
Help them, and all priests, to be strong in their vocation.
Set their souls on fire with love for your people.
Grant them the wisdom, understanding, and strength they need to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.
Inspire them with the vision of your Kingdom.
Give them the words they need to spread the Gospel.
Allow them to experience joy in their ministry.
Help them to become instruments of your divine grace.
We ask this through Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns as our Eternal Priest.
Amen.
O Jesus, our great High Priest, hear our humble prayers on behalf of your priests, Monsignor Gervasio, Fr. Pierre Joseph, Fr. Jean, Fr. Carter, Fr. Gene, Fr. James Smith, and all the priests who have faithfully served our parish. Give them a deep faith, a bright and firm hope and a burning love that 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 them that it is through suffering that the soul is purified, and show them 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 the power that they have received to carry on the work of Christ in a world that 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.
Amen.