O wise doctor whose intellect served well in defense of the Church and her teachings, who bore well the light yoke of Christ that leads to eternal life and shepherded your flock in following you along this path of our Lord – speak to us this day your words of grace that the souls of all within the Church’s gates might be founded well on the truths of the faith and on the love of God. Pray we shall be wise as you in knowing the way the Lord marks out for His sons; pray we shall have shepherds so blessed with His light that all shall be saved from the wolves about and remain secure in the Father’s arms.

O brothers in Christ, in death and in life you gave yourselves as one for the sake of the flock; for the cause of the faith readily you shed your blood to serve the growth of God’s Church – pray we today will be zealous as you in defending the faith with our lives; by fasting and by prayer, by standing courageously before the courts of the world and offering our flesh in sacrifice, may we imitate you who imitated Christ and so come with all our brothers to His resurrection and life. Shepherd us well even this day from where you now stand at the Lord’s side, that we might be unafraid to speak and to live the truth in undying love. O let us lay down our lives with you!

O sorrowful Mother whose heart was pierced by a sword, who stood at the foot of the Cross dying in spirit as your Son died in the flesh… Jesus was sent to suffer and die for our sins, and how intimately you shared in the profound pain He carried about all His life; how preeminently you filled up what was lacking in His suffering, suffering the whole Church must share with our crucified Lord – pray we shall indeed enter into the sacrifice of Christ your Son, following in your wake, O Mother of God; pray we shall meet Him along His Way of Sorrow that His blood upon our souls will carry us to Heaven, where you stand at His side.

O you of golden tongue, how well you proved the Word of God cannot be chained; how well you revealed its radiance to our ears and hearts… unconquered by threats of death and the sufferings the world imposes, you proclaimed the glory of God and His presence with us until the very end – pray, O dear shepherd, who held your flock so close to your heart that they became one body with you in Christ, that we all shall be so willing to lay down our lives, speaking and walking in the Word the Lord gives us to share with all our brothers in light. Pray indeed God’s will be done in all His holy children.

O Mary, sweetest of creatures, whose name on our lips brings joy to our hearts… inflamed with love toward God and you we become in speaking your blessed name – pray we shall call your name, dear Lady, in our time of need, that you will be quick to intercede with your Son for our salvation. Washed in the water from His side and in His holy blood, pray we shall rise above the sea, beyond all rebellion, that obedient as you, His Handmaid, we shall find favor with the Lord and enter into Heaven, our names written beside your own in the Book of Life, dearest Mary.

O slave to the slaves, to those who came in chains to the new world, those whose dark skin made them seem to eyes of flesh less than men… to you these were children of God, souls to be saved by His love and through His Church, and so the thousands baptized by your hands celebrate your glorious sacrifice this day in God’s presence – pray for us, dear brother, that the shackles of racial prejudice, the pride that exalts man above man, shall fall from our hands, our tongues and our hearts, and that all of the Lord’s holy people will work so diligently as you, His blessed slave, for the care of the weakest among us and the salvation of all souls.

O Virgin who bore the Son of God, who became the divine dwelling place for the Creator of us all, should we not celebrate your birth this day, the blessing of the generation of you who signal our salvation? Pray for us, dear Mother, pray for all your children, all who would call themselves sons of God and brothers of our Lord Jesus Christ... pray that all generations will call you blessed, that all will hail you as Mother of our Savior and glorify the Lord who has filled you with His grace. You are one of us, dear Virgin Mary, one of the human creation, yet in you God deigns to dwell; pray we shall all be made worthy to be such a temple for the Lord.

O lover of the poor           and of the unborn,           in whom you saw           the face of Christ,           by whom you held Him           close to your heart           and so comforted His thirst           for souls –           pray for us who are so blind           to the presence of Christ           in the least among us           or even in those           beside us.           Pray, dear Mother,           that we will hear their cry,           which is Jesus’ cry           from the Cross,           and that we shall not fear           the darkness           as we enter beneath the shadow           of His loving arms,           where we shall find           true light.

O great Shepherd, watchman of the House of God and protector of His flock, though in the monastery you would have stayed, when called to the Chair of Peter you guided the Church well through difficult times – pray that as difficult days continue a firm hand may continue to be found at the helm of MotherChurch. O pray that the faith be strengthened, that the Rock upon which this House is set will remain unshakable and its light, its wisdom, serve ever as a beacon calling straying souls into the Lord’s welcoming arms. Humility and holiness may all our leaders embody, that by the Word of God on their tongues and His wounds in their hands all the poor of the earth will be carried unto Heaven.

O witness to the Truth, to the Light that has come among us, you gave your very life and death for the sake of Christ, who redeemed us in His blood, blood you shed with your Savior; you who were a pillar of iron against the whole land and against its king, you who stood so strong against the lust of the world, suffering its persecution so willingly, fortified even in death by the Lord and His promise – how can our meager lives measure up to your blessed sacrifice; how can we who are so weak of knee endure our exile so bravely? Pray for us, O forerunner of the Christ both in word and in the giving of your life, that our blood may be joined to your own and so to that of our holy Lord.