Author: Fr. Brad Morin (Resurrection)

Intercession
for Vocations

“It is not surprising that where people pray fervently, vocations flourish.”
POPE BENEDICT XVI

"If you are what you should be, then
you will set the world on fire."
- St. Catherine of Siena

Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament
If a priest is not available to enthrone the Blessed Sacrament, this Holy Hour can still be used, either by a group or by individuals. In the church, kneeling before the tabernacle, begin with the Gospel Reading, on page X and end with the Litany of the Saints on page #.
Stand as the minister (priest or deacon) approaches the tabernacle, kneel as Our Lord is taken out to be placed in the monstrance.
Incensation
When the minister begins incensing the Blessed Sacrament, all sing O Salutaris Hostia (St. Thomas Aquinas).

O Salutaris Hostia / Quae coeli pandis ostium / Bella premunt hostilia / Da robur fer auxilium / Uni trinoque Domino / Sit sempiternal gloria / Qui vitam sine termino / Nobis donet in patria. Amen	O saving Victim, opening wide / The gate of Heaven to us below; / Our foes press hard on every side; / Your aide supply; Your strength bestow. / To your great name be endless praise, / Immortal Godhead, One in Three. / O grant us endless length of days, / In our true native land with thee. Amen.

Gospel
Stand
V: A reading from the Holy Gospel According to Matthew/Luke/John
R: Glory to you, O Lord
Option A:Matthew 4:18-22
Jesus calls his first disciples saying, “Come afterme, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Option B: Luke 10:1-12 or Matthew 9:35-38
Jesus is moved to pity because the people are “like sheep without a shepherd.” He says to his disciples, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few, so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for the harvest.”
Option C: John 10:1-30
Jesus is the Good Shepherd who will lay down his life for his sheep. “I know mine and mine know me….There will be one flock, one shepherd.”
Option D: Matthew 9:9-13
Jesus calls a tax collector named Matthew, and eats with tax collectors and sinners. He tells the Pharisees, “I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”
V: The Gospel of the Lord
R: Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ
Homily
Be seated. The minister may give a homily.

Silent Meditations
After the homily, there follows 15 minutes of silent prayer. The following meditations may help guide the faithful as they pray quietly before our Lord
Intercession for the Priests in my Life
Heavenly Father, thank you for all of the priests through whom you have blessed my life.
For the priest who Baptized me. Our Father; Hail Mary; Glory Be.
For the priest who heard my First Confession and gave me my First Communion. Our Father; Hail Mary; Glory Be.
For the bishop who confirmed me. Our Father; Hail Mary; Glory Be.
For the priest who witnessed my marriage or ordained me (or will do so in the future). Our Father; Hail Mary; Glory Be.
For the priest whoh will give me Anointing of the Sick and preside at my funeral. Our Father; Hail Mary; Glory Be.
O God, bless these priests, both living and dead. Thank you for the gift of their priesthood, which first caused Divine Life to come into my soul.
Amen.

Meditations from the Holy Father
Pope Francis
“Behind and before every vocation to the priesthood or consecrated life there is always strong and intense prayer from someone: a grandmother, a grandfather, a mother, a father, a community…. Vocations are born in prayer and from prayer; and only through prayer can they persevere and bear fruit.”
“The more we unite ourselves to Jesus through prayer, Sacred Scripture, the Eucharist, the Sacramnets celebrated and lived in the Church and in fraternity, the more there will grow in us the joy of cooperating with God in the service of the Kingdom of mercy and truth, of justice and peace. And the harvest will be plentiful, proportionate to the grace we have meekly welcomed into our lives.”
Pope Benedict XVI
“Vocations to the ministerial priesthood and to the consecrated life are first and foremost the fruit of constant contact with the living God and insistent prayer lifted up to the ‘Lord of the harvest,’ whether in parish communities, in Christian families or in groups specially devoted to prayer for vocations.”
“It is important to encourage and support those who show clear signs of a call to priestly life and religious consecration and to enable them to feel the warmth of the whole community as they respond ‘yes’ to God and the Church.”

Pope Saint John Paul II
“ The family that cultivates a missionary spirit in its lifestyle and in education itself prepares good soil for the seed of the Divine call and, at the same time, strengthens the loving ties and Christian virtues of its members. The Christian family, as the ‘domestic Church’ forms the original and fundamental school for training in the faith.”
“The lack of workers for God’s harvest was already a challenge in Gospel times, even for Jesus himself….He also teaches us today that with prayer we can and must influence the number of vocations…. Do not be afraid to go out into the streets and the public places like the first apotles, who preached Christ and the good news of salvation in the squaresof the cities, towns, and villages. This is no time to be ashamed of the Gospel. It is the time to teach it from the rooftops.”

Prayers for Vocations
Workers for the Harvest
God our Father, you call each of us to use our gifts in the Body of Christ. We ask that You inspire those whom You call to priesthood and consecrated life to courageously follow Your will. Send workers into Your great harvest so that the Gospel is preached, the poor are served with love, the suffering are comforted, and Your people are strengthened by the sacraments. We ask this through Christ our Lords. Amen.
For Religious Sisters
O Jesus, You know how many religious sisters we need. See, Lord, how harmful doctrines penetrate homes for lack of those who guide souls and lead them to the knowledge of the truth. Have mercy on us, Lord, and our people, and awaken numerous and holy religious vocations among our young women, to work for the salvation of souls. O Blessed Virgin, bless the work of our sisters and grant them, by your Divine Son, the graces they need to faithfully live their vocation. This we ask You, knowing Your love for Jesus and souls. Amen.
For the holiness of Priests
Breathe in your Priests, O Holy Spirit that their thoughs may all be holy. Act in Your Priests, O Holy Spirit, that their work, too, my be holy. Speak through Your Priests, O Holy Spirit, that your words may be holy. Draw their hearts, O Holy Spirit, so that they love only what is holy. Strengthen them,O Holy Spirit, to defend all that is holy. Guard them then, O Holy Spirit, that they may always be holy. Amen.
Prayer to Mary for Vocations
O Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus and Mother of the Church, to you we commend our young people, in particular those called to closely follow your Son. You know, O Mary, the struggles, the obstacles, they must face. Assist them to answer “yes” to the divine call, as you did at the invitation of the angel. Draw them near to Your heart so that they can understand the joy that awaits them when the Lord Jesus calls them to be witnesses of His love in the world.

Common Prayer
Litany of the Saints
Kneel. Prayer and litany led by the minister.
Confident in the intercession of the saints, the thousands of holy men and women who now see Jesus face to face, we pray for vocations to the priesthood and religious life.
V: Lord have mercy. R: Lord, have mercy.
V: Christ, have mercy. R: Christ, have mercy.
V: Lord, have mercy. R: Lord, have mercy.
V: Christ, hear us. R: Christ, graciously hear us
V: God the Father in Heaven. R: have mercy on us.
V: God the Son, Redeemer of the world, R: have mercy on us.
V: God the Holy Spirit, R: Have mercy on us.
V: Holy Trinity, One God R: Have mercy on us.
V: Holy Mary, R: pray for us.
V: Holy Mother of God R: pray for us.
V: Holy Virgin of Virgins, R: pray for us.
V: St. Michael, leader of the heavenly host R: pray for us.
V: St. Gabriel, messenger of God’s divine plan R: pray for us.
V: St. Raphael, companion of the journey R: pray for us.
V: All you holy Angels and Archangels R: pray for us.
V: St. Joseph, protector of the Holy Church R: pray for us.
V: St. Junipero Serra, missionary to the Americas R: pray for us.
V: St. John Vianney, patron of parish priests R: pray for us.
V: St. Aloysius Gonzaga, patron of youth R: pray for us.
V: St. Alphonsus Liguori, patron of vocations R: pray for us.
V: St Charles Borromeo, patron of seminarians R: pray for us.
V: St. John Berchmans, patron of altar servers R: pray for us.
V: St. Maria Goretti, patron of teenagers R: pray for us.
V: All you holy men and women R: pray for us.
V: Be merciful R: graciously hears us O Lord
V: Through your mercy R: send workers into Your harvest O Lord

V: Through your mercy,
R: send workers into Your harvest O Lord.
V: Through Your kindness,
R: send workers into Your harvest O Lord.
V: Through Your fervent prayers and sacrifices,
R: send workers into Your harvest O Lord.
V: Through the power of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass,
R: send workers into Your harvest O Lord.
V: Through the intercession of all the Saints and Angels,
R: send workers into Your harvest O Lord.
V: Through the sanctification of the family,
R: send workers into Your harvest O Lord.
V: Through parents being generously open to life,
R: send workers into Your harvest O Lord.
V: Through the example of priests and religious striving for holiness,
R: send workers into Your harvest O Lord.
V: Through a renewed sense of fidelity to our Catholic Faith,
R: send workers into Your harvest O Lord.
V: That young people might seek to live the truth of Christ,
R: O Lord of the harvest, graciously hear us.
V: That young people might seek God’s will for them in their lives,
R: O Lord of the harvest, graciously hear us.
V: That young people might hear the call to give their lives for the mission of the
Church,
R: O Lord of the harvest, graciously hear us.
V: That all priests and religious might be renewed in the spirit of the new
evangelization,
R: O Lord of the harvest, graciously hear us.
V: That bishops might be strengthened to be courageous shepherds,
R: O Lord of the harvest, graciously hear us.
V: That we may always zealously pray for and promote vocations
R: O Lord of the harvest, graciously hear us.
V: That those who are being called to be priests and religious might
respond generously,
R: O Lord of the harvest, graciously hear us.

V: Lamb of God, who takes away the sings of the world
R: spare us, O Lord
V: Lamb of God, who takes away the sings of the world
R: graciously hear us, O Lord
V: Lamb of God, who takes away the sings of the world
R: have mercy on us.
V: The harvest is great but the laborers are few.
R: We beg the harvest master to send out laborers for his harvest
V: Let us pray
R: O God, who chose the Apostles to make disciples of all nations and Who by Baptism and Confirmation has called us to build up Your Holy Church, we implore You to choose among us, Your children, many priests and religious who will love You with their whold heart and will gladly spend their entire lives making You known and loved by all. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Petitions
V: For our young people, that the Holy Spirit will provide with wisdom, courage, and the desire to accept God’s plan for their lives, as it is revealed to each of them. We pray to the Lord.
R: Lord, Hear Our Prayer
V: For mothers and fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers, may they have the wisdom and grace to help their children find God’s path for them. We pray to the Lord.
R: Lord, Hear Our Prayer
V: That the gift of a vocation to the priesthood be given to a young man in this community, along with the strength and encouragement to follow that call. We pray to the Lord.
R: Lord, Hear Our Prayer
V: For a young woman in our community, may she experience God’s unique call to serve His people through a vocation to consecrated life. We pray to the Lord.
R: Lord, Hear Our Prayer
V: For a young man in our community, may he be drawn by God to the vows of poverty, chastity, obedience in service to God and others through religious life. We pray to the Lord.
R: Lord, Hear Our Prayer
V: For our seminarians, may they persevere in their formation and one day, by God’s grace, come to the altar of the Lord as priests. We pray to the Lord.
R: Lord, Hear Our Prayer
V: For husbands and wives, that they daily commit to the sacrament of Matrimony and by their example be a model of God’s love to their children.
R: Lord, Hear Our Prayer
V: For our children, may they grow up committed to sharing the love of Christ and thereby desire to give their lives in service to Him. We pray to the Lord.
R: Lord, Hear Our Prayer
V: In thanksgiving for the men and women of religious orders who are dedicated to praying day and night for our world. May God bless and strengthen them. We pray to the Lord.
R: Lord, Hear Our Prayer

V: For the religious sisters, brothers, and priests in our diocese, who dedicate their lives to educating and serving God’s people. We pray to the Lord.
R: Lord, Hear Our Prayer
V: For all married, consecrated, and ordained people of our diocese who have chosen their vocations with a desire to build God’s kingdom. We pray to the Lord.
R: Lord, Hear Our Prayer
V: Father, we ask that you grant our community’s young people the grace to discern their vocations to marriage, the priesthood, and religious life. Through our Lord Jesus Christ your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever.

Incensation
When the minister begins to incense the Blessed Sacrament, all sing the Tantum
Ergo (St. Thomas Aquinas)
Tantum ergo Sancramentum
Veneremur cernui:
Et antiquum documentum
Novo cedat ritui
Praestet fides supplementum
Sensuum defectui.
Genitori, Genitoque
Laus et jubilatio
Salus, honor, virtus quoque
Sit et benedicto:
Procedenti ab utroque
Compar sit laudation. Amen
——————-
Down in adoration falling,
This great sacrament we hail;
Over ancient forms or worship,
Newer rites of grace prevail;
Faith tells us that Christ is present
When our human senses fail.
To the everlasting Father,
And the Son Who made us free,
With the Spirit, God proceeding
from them each eternally,
Be salvation, honor, blessing,
Might, and endless majesty. Amen.

Priest: You have given them Bread from Heaven.
People: Having all sweetness within It.
Priest: Let us prayer.
Lord Jesus Christ, you gave us the Eucharist as the memorial of your suffering and death. May our worship of this Sacrament of your Body and Blood help us to experience the
salvation you won for us and the
peace of the kingdom where you live
with the Father and Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
People: Amen.
Benediction
As the minister makes the sign of the Cross over the congregation with the Blessed Sacrament, each also makes the sign of the Cross over himself.
The Divine Praises
Blessed be God.
Blessed be his Holy Name.
Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true Man.
Blessed be the Name of Jesus.
Blessed be his most Sacred Heart.
Blessed be his most Precious Blood.
Blessed be Jesus in the most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.
Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete.
Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most holy.
Blessed be her holy and Immaculate Conception.
Blessed be her glorious Assumption.
Blessed be the name of Mary, virgin and mother.
Blessed be St. Joseph, her most chaste spouse.
Blessed be God in his Angels and in his Saints.

Priest: May the heart of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament be praised, adored and loved with grateful affection at every moment in all the tabernacles of the world, even until the end of time. Amen.
Closing Hymn
Holy God, we praise thy name,
Lord of all, we bow before thee!
All on earth thy sceptre claim,
All in heaven above adore thee.
Infinite they vast domain,
Everlasting is thy reign.
Infinite thy vast domain,
Everlasting is thy reign.
Hark the loud celestial hymn
Angel choirs above are raising!
Cherubim and Seraphim
in unceasing chorus praising
Fill the heavens with sweet accord
Holy, holy, holy Lord.
Fill the heavens with sweet accord
Holy, holy, holy Lord.
Holy Father, Holy Son,
Holy Spirit: three we name thee,
Though in essence only one;
Undivided God we claim them,
And adoring bend the knee
While we own the mystery;
And adoring bend the knee
While we own the mystery.

Office of Vocations
Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland
510 Ocean Avenue, Portland, ME 04103
207.773.6471
vocations@portlanddiocese.org
www.vocationsme.org
MMXXIII