The Diocese of Ardagh And Clonmacnois

Loving God, You speak to us
and nourish us through the
life of this church community.

Lord, we ask you
to send your Spirit to us so that
men and women among us, young and old, will respond to your call to
service and leadership in the Church.

We pray, especially, in our day, for
those who hear your invitation to
be a priest, sister, brother, or deacon.

May those who are opening their hearts
and minds to your call be encouraged
and strengthened through our enthusiasm
in your service.

Amen.

Prayers of Intercession for Vocations

1. That our parish communities will nurture religious vocations through their lives of prayer and service, giving witness to God’s loving action in the world.
2. That we may always encourage young people to consider a life in God’s service: that more people will listen to the inner prompting of the Spirit.
3. That we may find the solitude within ourselves to contemplate how we can foster lives dedicated to the service of God and his people.
4. That those who feel a call to and desire for priesthood or religious life may find the courage to respond positively to what God asks of them.
5. For all those chosen by the Lord to go and bear fruit as priests, deacons and consecrated religious: that they will respond to His love with conviction in their vocations.
6. For parents and teachers, that they may have the courage and faith to speak God’s word in their words and actions.
7. That parents as branches on God’s vine, will cultivate in their children the knowledge of God’s great love, and foster the call God gives each one, so that they will have the ability
   to discern their true calling.
8. That the mystery of the love of the Blessed Trinity, manifest in the gift of Jesus Christ, will strengthen many men and women to respond to that love as priests, deacons and religious brothers and sisters.
9. We pray for young people: that they may persevere in hope, trusting in God’s faithfulness to them as they search for deeper meaning in life.
10. That the Lord of the Harvest may open the hearts of our young people to the possibility of a life in priesthood or religious life.
11. For young men and women of our parish who are making choices for a state in life at this time: that they will include service to the people of God as priests or religious among their options.
12. Grant us Lord a sincerity of heart, a firmness of hope, and a purity of intention in our lives and in our world.