Rev. Patrick J. McDevitt, CM, PhD, President & CEO of Saint Luke Institute (SLI), has highlighted for the SLI community and its supporters the April intention of Pope Leo XIV in the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, for priests in crisis. “I encourage all members of the SLI community and those who support our mission to join with the Holy Father in offering prayers throughout the month of April for priests in crisis,” McDevitt said.
The specific intention, available on the free app for the Pope’s Prayer Network, ClicktoPray, reads as follows:
“For priests in crisis
Let us pray for priests going through moments of crisis in their vocation, that they may find the accompaniment they need and that communities may support them with understanding and prayer.”
Since its founding in 1977, SLI has been a mental health support to priests, religious and others who serve the Church. “Pope Leo’s prayer intention for this month highlights the importance of ensuring that all who serve the church, especially our priests, have access to the support they need in crisis and can develop skills to support their mental health stability and growth throughout their ministry. For nearly fifty years, SLI has been at the forefront of this work, built upon the expertise of an amazing, clinical and spiritual care staff,” McDevitt continued. He also noted that inasmuch as the prayer intention is in support of priests and those who accompany them, it is also a prayer for the mission and work of SLI.
Fr. McDevitt’s reflections on this prayer intention of the Pope will appear later this month in the ClicktoPray app and here on the SLI website.
The ClicktoPray app also includes the longer formal prayer. A related website, The Pope Video, features the Holy Father praying this prayer. That video and prayer are below.
Lord Jesus,
Good Shepherd and companion on the journey,
today we place in your hands all priests,
especially those going through moments of crisis,
when loneliness weighs heavily,
when doubt clouds their hearts,
and when exhaustion seems stronger than hope.
You who know their struggles and wounds,
renew in them the certainty of your unconditional love.
Let them feel they are not mere functionaries or lonely heroes,
but beloved sons, humble and cherished disciples,
and pastors sustained by the prayer of their people.
Good Father,
teach us as a community to care for our priests:
to listen without judging,
to give thanks without demanding perfection,
to share with them the baptismal mission
of proclaiming the Kingdom in word and deed,
and to accompany them with closeness and sincere prayer.
May we support those who so often support us.
Holy Spirit,
rekindle in our priests the joy of the Gospel.
Grant them healthy friendships, networks of fraternal support,
a sense of humor when things don’t go as expected,
and the grace to always rediscover the beauty of their vocation.
May they never lose trust in You,
nor the joy of serving your Church with a humble and generous heart.
Amen.
[Image credit: The Pope Video website]