Wednesday, March 08, 2017

Pray for the Pope

Alwys a good idea, never more so than now. From my 'Chairman's Message' in the latest Mass of Ages, the quarterly magazine of the Latin Mass Society.

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Pope Francis, like all Popes, faces great challenges and difficulties; at the current moment of crisis much depends on his words and actions. This seems a good time to renew the practice of regular prayer for the Pope. The prayer below, from the 1953 Manual of Prayers, approved by the Bishops of England and Wales, can also be used publicly after Prayers after Low Mass. (I have added the name of Pope Francis.)


For the Sovereign Pontiff

V. Let us pray for our holy Father the Pope.
R. The Lord preserve him, and give him life, and make him blessed upon earth, and deliver him not up to the will of his enemies.

Let us pray.
O Almighty and eternal God, have mercy on thy servant Francis, our Pope, and direct him according to thy clemency into the way of everlasting salvation; that he may desire by thy grace those things which are pleasing to thee, and perform them with all his strength. Through Christ our Lord.

R. Amen.

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3 comments:

  1. I wonder if that prayer book contains, also, a prayer for one's own diocesan bishop. I've been using Callan & McHugh's "Blessed Be God" which is spectacular in every respect except its lack here, and my research online has turned up nothing.

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    Replies
    1. It doesn't I'm afraid: for the sick, for the dead, for the harvest (before and after), for peace and in time of calamity.

      The best place for prayers for all such intentions is however the Missal itself: look at the collects in the Votive Masses and Commemorations. There is a Votive Mass for the Anniversary of a bishop (or election, consecration, or translation). It should be in a good hand-missal. It is a variant on the collect of the Votive Mass for the Pope.

      O God, the Shepherd of Ruler of all the Faithful, graciously look upon thy servant N. [bishop] whom thou hast been pleased to appoint pastor of N. [diocese]: grant, we beseech thee, that by both word and example he may edify those over whom he is set, and together with the flock committed to his care, may attain to eternal life. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.

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  2. Anonymous3:51 am

    Thank you for this prayer, Dr. Shaw. I had printed it from a website, and was using it daily for our Pontiff Francis - so much so that it was in tatters, and I lost one of the pieces. For some reason, it was taken down from the website. ...at least I couldn't find it.

    I will print it now and make several copies.

    God bless you!!!

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