Arrivederci, Papa!

As Pope Benedict nears his final day as Pope (Feb 28, 2013), let us pray:
-for wisdom for those Cardinals in the conclave, that they will listen to the Holy Spirit's gift of wisdom in choosing a successor.

-that in his remaining years as bishop emeritus of Rome, Benedict XVI will, through, his prayers enter more deeply into the mystery of Christ and His Church.

Prayer for the Pope:

 

Let us pray for Benedict, the Pope.

May the Lord preserve him,

give him a long life,

make him blessed upon the earth,

and not hand him over

to the power of his enemies.

May Your hand be upon Your holy servant.

And upon Your son, whom You have anointed.

 

Closing: The Prayer of St. Benedict

 

Gracious and holy Father,

please give to our Pope and 

to us the faithful:

intellect to understand You;

reason to discern You;

diligence to seek You;

wisdom to find You;

a spirit to know You;

a heart to meditate upon You;

ears to hear You;

eyes to see You;

a tongue to proclaim You;

a way of life pleasing to You;

patience to wait for You;

and perseverance to look for You.

 

Grant Your servant the 

Pope and us the faithful:

a perfect end,

Your holy presence.

A blessed resurrection,

And life everlasting.

 

Our Father...

Hail Mary...

Glory Be...

 

Amen.

Earthquake in Japan

Pray for the victims of the earthquake in Japan.

A prayer and a pledge here.

International donations (Euros) here.

World Day of Peace

This New Year's Day is the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. It is also the World Day for Peace. Mary is also called Our Lady Queen of Peace.

Please pray for peace in the world. Pope Benedict has a message for this day here with some good topics for prayer!

UPDATE: Pray for the Coptic Church in Egypt. Story here.

Catholics Jailed in Vietnam

The Independent Catholic News reports that "Six Catholics from Con Dau were convicted and sentenced for protesting when authorities tried to stop a burial in a church cemetery." Here is the story from the AP via Yahoo! News.

Please pray for those who were arrested and for the Church in Vietnam.

Pray for the People of Sudan

Pray for peace in Sudan after the recent elections there.

Pope Benedict's Prayer Intentions for May 2010

Pope Benedict's general prayer intention is "That the shameful and monstrous commerce in human beings, which sadly involves millions of women and children, may be ended."

His mission intention is "That ordained ministers, religious women and men, and lay people involved in apostolic work may understand how to infuse missionary enthusiasm into the communities entrusted to their care."

Another request:
According to Zenit.org the Pope commented after a concert for his 5th anniversary "Remember me in your prayers," he said in conclusion, "so that on beginning the sixth year of my pontificate, I will always be able to fulfill my ministry as the Lord wills."

Pope Benedict's Trip to Malta

Pope Benedict XVI will be in Malta April 17-18.

Malta is mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles as the place where the apostle Paul and others came ashore after a shipwreck on the way to Rome. (Acts 27:27 to 28:10.)

Please pray that this visit will encourage the Church in Malta to a deeper faith in Christ and for the safety of Pope Benedict as he travels there.

Official Website

EWTN converage

Pope Benedict's Prayer Intentions for April 2010

Pope Benedict's general prayer intention is "That every tendency to fundamentalism and extremism may be countered by constant respect, by tolerance and by dialogue among all believers."

His mission intention is "That Christians persecuted for the sake of the Gospel may persevere, sustained by the Holy Spirit, in faithfully witnessing to the love of God for the entire human race."

Pope Benedict's Prayer Intentions for March, 2010

Pope Benedict's general prayer intention is "That the world economy may be managed according to the principles of justice and equity, taking account of the real needs of peoples, especially the poorest."

His mission intention is "That the Churches in Africa may be signs and instruments of reconciliation and justice in every part of that continent."

Our Lady of Kibeho, pray for Africa.

Rosary for the Bishop

Rosary for the Bishop is a website where you sign-up promising to pray a rosary for bishops. Simple enough, right? You can choose one or many bishops. The sign-up process is fairly standard. You enter name, password, email, etc. Then you get a confirmation e-mail.

Once you click on that, you're taken to the heart of the website where you can select the bishops you want to pray for, yes even the Pope! (He is the bishop of Rome after all!) You can search by diocese, bishop's name or city/state. You select when and how often you will pray and can even get a reminder by e-mail or Twitter! This is not just for US bishops, as of today there are people praying for 150 bishops in 6 countries, including 46 US states!

Hey, here's a crazy idea. In this Year for Priests, instead of complaining about our bishops, let's pray for then instead! With Lent coming up, it might be a good habit to add.

Our Lady of Lourdes

On this feast of  Our Lady of Lourdes, let us pray:
--For all the sick and suffering (It is also the Day of Prayer for the sick)
--For all those who are suffering spiritually
--For all those who have left the Catholic Church, that through the intercession of Our Lady of Lourdes the would return to the Faith.

Pope Benedict's Prayer Intentions for February 2010

The Apostleship of Prayer announced the intentions chosen by the Pope for February.
His general intention is: "For all scholars and intellectuals, that by means of sincere search for the truth they may arrive at an understanding of the one true God."

His apostolic intention is:
"That the Church, aware of its own missionary identity, may strive to follow Christ faithfully and to proclaim his Gospel to all peoples."

Haitian Archbishop Miot

Archbishop Miot's funeral is today. Pray for the repose of his soul and for continued aid for the Haitian people, especially through his intercession.

Haitian Earthquake

Instead of being distracted by Pat Robertson's comments, let's at least pray for Haiti. If you also want to give, here and here are good places to start!

Mary and Prayer for Peace

Today is the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God as well as the World Day of Peace. Let us pray, asking the Blessed Mother to also intercede for us that the World will know the true peace of Christ.

Here is a prayer for peace.

Murdered Priest and Nun

Please pray for the priest and nun who were murdered in the Congo, Africa and for those who are responsible. Story here.

Update: Mentioned in Sunday's (12/13/09) Angelus message.

Pope Benedict's Prayer Intentions for December 2009

December 2009
General: That children may be respected and loved and never be the victims of exploitation in its various forms.

Mission: That at Christmas the peoples of the earth may recognize in the Word Incarnate the light which illuminates every man and that the Nations may open their doors to Christ, the Saviour of the world.

Pope Benedict XVI Visit to the Czech Republic

The National Catholic Reporter has coverage of the papal visit to the Czech Republic here. John Allen's article here. Please pray for him during these three days, Sept. 26-28.

I Could Have Had a G8!

July 8-10 is the G8 summit in La'Quila, Italy. These summits are always contentious. Pray for peace. Pray that they will listen. Pray that there will be true progess on their agenda:" The main issues on the Italian Presidency's agenda are the economic crisis and a boost to growth, relaunching international trade, welfare policies, climate changes, development in the poor countries and in Africa, food security and safety, access to water, health, and the resolution of regional crises."

Pray for Priests

Today, June 19 2009 the feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, is the beginning of the Year for Priests. The priesthood is in the heart of Christ. Let us pray for priests. This will get you started!