Oh Jesus, our Good Shepherd, bless all our parishes with numerous priests, deacons, men and women in religious life, consecrated laity and missionaries, according to the needs of the entire world, which You love and wish to save.
We especially entrust our community to You; grant us the spirit of the first Christians, so that we may be a cenacle of prayer, in loving acceptance of the Holy Spirit and His gifts.
Assist our pastors and all to live a consecrated life.
Guide the steps of those who have responded generously to Your call and are preparing to receive holy orders or to profess the evangelical counsels.
Look with love on so many well-disposed young people and call them to follow You.
Help them to understand that in You alone can they attain to complete fulfillment.
To this end we call we beseech You to sustain our faith with the certainty that the Father will grant what You have commanded us to ask.
Amen.
the 40th World Day
of Prayer for Vocations
Mary, humble servant of God Most High,
the Son to whom you gave birth has made you the servant of humanity.
Your life was a humble and generous service.
You were servant of the Word when the angel
announced to you the divine plan of salvation.
You were servant of the Son, giving him life
and remaining open to his mystery.
You were servant of Redemption,
standing courageously at the foot of the Cross,
close to the Suffering Servant and Lamb,
who was sacrificing himself for love of us.
You were servant of the Church on the day of Pentecost
and with your intercession you continue to generate her in every believer,
even in these our difficult and troubled times.
Let the young people of the third millennium look
to you, young daughter of Israel,
who have known the agitation of a young heart
when faced with the plan of the Eternal God.
Make them able to accept the invitation of your Son
to give their lives wholly for the glory of God.
Make them understand that to serve God satisfies the heart,
and that only in the service of God and of his kingdom
do we realize ourselves in accordance with the divine plan,
and life becomes a hymn of glory to the Most Holy Trinity.
Amen.
May is traditionally Mary's month.
Perhaps your parish could schedule an "Hour of Prayer With Mary"
and pray together the Rosary and the Litany for Vocations.
Mother of the Word Incarnate, help us to become more aware of the need for vocations...
O, Mary, intercede for us
Mother of God, grant that others, like yourself, may say "yes" to your Son's call to the religious life...
O, Mary, intercede for us!
Mother of the Church, may many workers be added to the service of your Son's Church...
O, Mary, intercede for us!
Lady of Mercy, enlighten our minds so we my respond to our responsibility as parents to foster vocations in our own homes...
O, Mary, intercede for us!
Queen of Heaven, help our young to follow your Son's footsteps
O, Mary, intercede for us!
Blessed Mother, open our hearts and minds to love our priests and religious, to recognize their humanness and their needs as we do our own...
O, Mary, intercede for us!
Hail Mary, help our children to bind themselves closer to God, through a vocation in the Church...
O, Mary, intercede for us!
Queen of Angels, give our Church true disciples who will serve as priests, sisters, and brothers...
O, Mary, intercede for us!
Dearest Mother, keep our young open to hear God's call...
O, Mary, intercede for us!
Mother of Love, make us more open to the love our priests and religious have for us...
O, Mary, intercede for us!
Our Lady Queen of Heaven, help us to recognize that God alone does not call...
O, Mary, intercede for us!
Holy Family, help the families in this parish to discuss vocations to the religious life in a positive, encouraging manner...
O, Mary, intercede for us!
Queen of the Rosary, remind us to pray for our religious, and those studying for the religious life, that they will remain zealous and dedicated to their call...
O, Mary, intercede for us!
Our Lady of Lourdes, we ask for happiness among priests, seminarians and all those engaged in a special Christian vocation to service...
O, Mary, intercede for us!
O Mother, help us to be a sign of that which we believe; and thereby, be an inspiration to a young man and woman to become a priest or sister or brother ...
O, Mary, intercede for us!
Our Lady of Fatima, bring an increase in missionary vocations so that the Christian message will be heard by all nations ...
O, Mary, intercede for us!
Mother of Courage, be with the young man or woman, priest or sister who needs our help in a special way today...
O, Mary, intercede for us!
Mary Queen of Peace, may we provide an incentive for those already in religious life to grow in their vocation of service to the Church
O, Mary, intercede for us!
Mother of God, may we recognize our own vocation and the importance of religious vocations to ours...
O, Mary, intercede for us!
Our Lady of Mercy, let us as parishioners become aware of the needs of our own priests and respond to them out of love...
O, Mary, intercede for us!
Mother of our Savior, may more young men and women go from this parish as priests, brothers and sisters to bring the truths of our Catholic faith to all others, so that they may know and love your Son...
O, Mary, intercede for us!