“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.
The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
This weekend we give thanks to God for all the priests who have loved with everything they have. It is only because of the witness of our families, parish communities and friends that we (priests) know how to love. Thank you for your witness of love that has inspired men at this parish to respond to the call to love and serve one another. Our diocese is blessed because of this parish! In a special way, we warmly welcome Ben Baratian, a seminarian from Borromeo Seminary who is in his sophomore year. He comes from St. Mary Parish in Hudson, Ohio. He will share with us his vocation story at each of the Masses and will be available for anyone who has questions about answering the call. Thank you, Ben, for being with us!
In this month of Our Lady of the Rosary I want to share a Prayer for Priests written by St. Mother Teresa. It is a prayer that asks Mary to bless and protect our priests.
Mary, Mother of Jesus, throw your mantle of purity over our priests.
Protect them, guide them, and keep them in your heart.
Be a Mother to them, especially in times of discouragement and loneliness.
Love them and keep them belonging completely to Jesus.
Like Jesus, they, too, are your sons, so keep their hearts pure and virginal.
Keep their minds filled with Jesus, and put Jesus always on their lips,
so that he is the one they offer to sinner and to all they meet.
Mary, Mother of Jesus, be their Mother,
loving them and bringing them joy.
Take special care of sick and dying priests, and the ones most tempted.
Remember how they spent their youth and old age,
their entire lives serving and giving all to Jesus.
Mary, bless them and keep a special place for them in your heart.
Give them a piece of your heart, so beautiful and pure and immaculate,
so full of love and humility, so that they, too, can grow in the likeness of Christ.
Dear Mary, make them humble like you, and holy like Jesus. Amen.
I ask you to continue to pray for priests, that we all can continue to be solely focused on the life of Jesus in all that we do.
May God’s peace and joy be with you,
Fr. Jeremy
Ps. Sean and Michelle Rich with WagRich Construction were here this week to help install a concrete walkway behind the Memorare Center. It will be handicap accessible so that all can pray and focus on the love of the Lord through the Stations of the Cross. Thank you!
