Search
Today is the Feast of St. John Vianney, Patron of Parish Priests
-
August 4, 20201786-1859
Born near Lyon, France, this farmer’s son studied for the priesthood for many years, and eventually was ordained more for his devoutness and good will than for other qualities. But he became a model parish priest in Arsen-Dombes, where he served for 40 years. He was devoted to his parishioners, and became famous for rigorous preaching and insights in the confessional. The Cure of Ars, as he was known, spent up to 18 hours a day hearing the confessions of pilgrims who sought him out. He is the patron of parish priests.
Let us pray for our priests on this Feast of St. John Vianney!A PRAYER FOR PRIESTSJohn Cardinal O'Connor________________________________________Lord Jesus, we your people pray to You for our priests. You have given them to us for OUR needs. We pray for them in THEIR needs.We know that You have made them priests in the likeness of your own priesthood. You have consecrated them, set them aside, annointed them, filled them with the Holy Spirit, appointed them to teach, to preach, to minister, to console, to forgive, and to feed us with Your Body and Blood.Yet we know, too, that they are one with us and share our human weaknesses. We know too that they are tempted to sin and discouragement as are we, needing to be ministered to, as do we, to be consoled and forgiven, as do we. Indeed, we thank You for choosing them from among us, so that they understand us as we understand them, suffer with us and rejoice with us, worry with us and trust with us, share our beings, our lives, our faith.We ask that You give them this day the gift You gave Your chosen ones on the way to Emmaus: Your presence in their hearts, Your holiness in their souls, Your joy in their spirits. And let them see You face to face in the breaking of the Eucharistic bread.We pray to You, O Lord, through Mary the mother of all priests, for Your priests and for ours. Amen.St. John Vianney, pray for us!
