Saint Nicholas

God of joy and cheer,

we thank you for your servant,

the good bishop Nicholas.

In loving the poor,

he showed us your kindness;

in caring for your children,

he revealed your love.

Make us thoughtful

without need of reward

so that, we, too may be good

followers of Jesus.

From: All Through the Day, All Through the Year : Family Prayers and Celebrations

by David Batchelder

Holy Orders

" The Lord hath sworn, and he will not repent: Thou art a priest for ever according to the order of Melchisedech."

Psalm 109:4

Notre Dame du Cap

O Holy Virgin Mary, our most merciful Mother and Queen, we thy children, humbly prostrate before thee, implore thy grace and help. With confidence we come unto thee, O Immaculate Queen of the Holy Rosary; to thee do we turn our eyes. Bestow on us, we beg thee, these special graces and intentions as they are in accord with God's Holy Will. Grant us health of body and purity of soul; increase our faith and love so that we may know thy Divine Son better and serve Him ever faithfully as obedient members of His One, True, Catholic Church. O tender and merciful Mother, intercede for those who are dear to us. Heal the sick, comfort of the dying, and have pity on the faithful departed. Protect our families, guard our country, and keep Holy Mother Church safe from all who would destroy her. Our Lady of the Cape, may we love thee more and more, so that one day, united with thee in Heaven, we may praise thy Son eternally. Amen.

Prayer for Priests

Keep them, I pray You, dearest Lord, Keep them, for they are Thine -

Your priests whose lives burn out before Your consecrated shrine.

Keep them, for they are in the world, Though from the world apart;

When earthly pleasures tempt, allure, Shelter them in Your Heart.

Keep them, and comfort them in hours O loneliness and pain,

When all their life of sacrifice For souls seems but in vain.

Keep them, and O remember, Lord,

They have no one but Thee,

Yet they have only human hearts, With human frailty.

Keep them as spotless as the Host, That daily they caress;

Their every thought and word and deed,

Deign, dearest Lord to bless.

O Salutaris Hostia

O Saving Victim opening wide The gate of heaven to all below. Our foes press on from every side; Thine aid supply, Thy strength bestow.

To Thy great name be endless praise Immortal Godhead, One in Three; Oh, grant us endless length of days, In our true native land with Thee.

Amen.

O Salutaris Hostia Quae caeli pandis ostium Bella premunt Hostilia, Da roburfer auxilium.

Uni Trinoque Domino Sit sempiterna gloria Qui vitam sine termino Nobis donet in patria.

Amen

Tu Es Sacerdos

A Prayer for Priests

O Jesus, Eternal Priest, keep all Your priests within the shelter of Your Sacred Heart where none may harm them.

Keep unstained their anointed hands which daily touch Your Sacred Body.

Keep unsullied their lips purpled with Your Precious Blood.

Keep pure and unearthly their hearts sealed with the sublime marks of Your glorious priesthood.
Let Your holy love surround them and shield them from the world's contagion.

Bless their labors and abundant fruit, and may the souls to whom they ministered here below be their joy and consolation, and in Heaven their beautiful and everlasting crown. Amen.

O Mary, Queen of the clergy, pray for us; obtain for us a number of holy priests. Amen.

I am the Living Bread

"Christ held himself in his hands when He gave His Body to His disciples saying, 'This is My Body'. No one partakes of this Flesh before he has adored it."

Saint Augustine