Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Our Lady of Guadalupe, mystical rose, intercede for the Church, protect the Holy Father, help all who invoke you in their necessities. Since you are the ever Virgin Mary and Mother of the true God, obtain for us from your most holy Son the Grace of a firm faith and sure hope amid the bitterness of life, as well as an ardent love and the precious gift of final perseverance. Amen.

Our Lady of Guadalupe, star of the New Evangelization and patroness of the Americas and the unborn, pray for us.

Memorial of St. Nicholas

Almighty God,

who in your love gave to your servant Nicholas of Myra

a perptual name for deeds of kindness on land & sea:

Grant, we pray,

that your Church may never cease to work for the happiness of children,

the safety of sailors, the relief of the poor,

and the help of those tossed by tempests of doubt or grief;

through Jesus Christ, our Lord,

who lives & reigns with you & the Holy Spirit,

one God, forever & ever. Amen.

For the Souls in Purgatory

My Jesus, by the sorrows Thou didst suffer in Thine agony in the garden, in Thy scourging & crowning with thorns, in the way to Calvary, in Thy crucifixion & death, have mercy on the souls in purgatory, and especially those that are most forsaken; do Thou deliver them from the dire torments they endure; call them & admit them to Thy most sweet embrace in paradise.

Our Father...

Hail Mary...

Eternal rest, grant unto them, O Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.

Prayer for the Holy Father on His Visit to Turkey

Heavenly Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name, we humbly ask that you sustain, inspire, & protect your servant, Pope Benedict XVI, as he goes on pilgrimage to Turkey – a land to which St. Paul brought the Gospel of your Son; a land where once the Mother of your Son, the Seat of Wisdom, dwelt; a land where faith in your Son’s true divinity was definitively professed. Bless our Holy Father, who comes as a messenger of truth & love to all people of faith & good will dwelling in this land so rich in history. In the power of the Holy Spirit, may this visit of the Holy Father bring about deeper ties of understanding, cooperation, & peace among Roman Catholics, the Orthodox, & those who profess Islam. May the prayers and events of these historic days greatly contribute both to greater accord among those who worship you, the living & true God, & also to peace in our world so often torn apart by war & sectarian violence.
We also ask, O Heavenly Father, that you watch over & protect Pope Benedict & entrust him to the loving care of Mary, under the title of Our Lady of Fatima, a title cherished both by Catholics & Muslims. Through her prayers & maternal love, may Pope Benedict be kept safe from all harm as he prays, bears witness to the Gospel, & invites all peoples to a dialogue of faith, reason, and love. We make our prayer through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
--Composed by Bishop William E. Lori

Memorial of St. Cecilia

O Eternal God, Who gave us, in the person of St. Cecilia, a powerful protectress, grant that after having faithfully passed our days, like herself, in innocence and holiness, we may one day attain the land of beatitude, where in concert with her, we may praise You and bless You forevermore in eternity. Amen.

O Most Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy, at this most critical time, we entrust the United States of America to your loving care. Most Holy Mother, we beg you to reclaim this land for the glory of your Son. Overwhelmed with the burden of the sins of our nation, we cry to you from the depths of our hearts and seek refuge in your motherly protection. Look down with mercy upon us and touch the hearts of our people. Open our minds to the great worth of human life and to the responsibilities that accompany human freedom. Free us from the falsehoods that lead to the evil of abortion and threaten the sanctity of family life. Grant our country the wisdom to proclaim that God’s law is the foundation on which this nation was founded, and that He alone is the True Source of our cherished rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. O Merciful Mother, give us the courage to reject the culture of death and the strength to build a new Culture of Life.

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the most Precious Blood of Thy divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal Church, those in my own home and within my family.
Amen.

Prayer from St. Gertrude the Great, which releases 1000 souls from purgatory every time it is said

Let nothing disturb you;
nothing frighten you.
All things are passing.
God never changes.
Patience obtains all things.
Nothing is wanting to him
who possess God.
God alone suffices.
--St Teresa of Avila

Prayer for Vocations

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Eternal Father,
Son of the Virgin Mary,
we thank you for offering your life in sacrifice on the Cross,
and for renewing this sacrifice in every Mass celebrated throughout the world.
In the Power of the Holy Spirit
we adore you and proclaim your living presence in the Eucharist.
We desire to imitate the love you show us in your death and resurrection,
by loving and serving one another.
We ask you to call many young people to religious life,
and to provide the holy and generous priests that are so needed in you Church today.
Lord Jesus, hear our prayer.
Amen.
--Cardinal Rigali

Feast of St. Luke

Canticle of Simeon, from the Gospel of Luke

Nunc dimittis servum tuum, Domine Secundum verbum tuum in pace: Quia viderunt oculi mei salutare tuum Quod parasti ante faciem omnium populorum: Lumen ad revelationem gentium, Et gloriam plebis tuae Israel.

Now dismiss Thy servant, O Lord, in peace, according to Thy word: For mine own eyes hath seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared in the sight of all the peoples, a light to reveal Thee to the nations and the glory of Thy people Israel.