Holy Hour for Vocations
"In the Eucharist, the Son of God comes to meet us and desires to become one with us; Eucharistic Adoration is simply the natural consequence of the Eucharistic celebration, which is itself the Church's supreme act of adoration. Receiving the Eucharist means adoring him whom we receive. Only in this way do we become one with him, and are given, as it were, a foretaste of the beauty of the heavenly liturgy. The act of adoration outside Mass prolongs and intensifies all that takes place during the liturgical celebration itself. Indeed, only in adoration can a profound and genuine reception mature. And it is precisely this personal encounter with the Lord that then strengthens the social mission contained in the Eucharist, which seeks to break down not only the walls that separate the Lord and ourselves, but also and especially the walls that separate us from one another."
-Pope Benedict XVI, Sacramentum Caritatis, 66
With these words, our Holy Father clearly calls the faithful to pray before Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. It is in this personal encounter with Jesus, itself a reflection of the encounter in the reception of Communion, that gives the faithful the strength to respond to Jesus’ invitation to “Come, follow me!”.
It is also in this encounter with Jesus that we make our most urgent desires known to Him, for He sees into the depths of our hearts and leads us to a deeper unity with Himself. Therefore, we present this model of a “Holy Hour for Vocations” for use with your parish and/or school as an opportunity for the faithful to gather before Jesus present in the Blessed Sacrament and not only to pray for an increase in vocations to the priesthood and religious life, but also to pray for their own discernment in the way that Jesus calls each individual Christian to follow Him and embrace his or her own cross of discipleship. Please adapt it to fit the needs of your particular parish and/or school.
Opening Hymn
O Saving Victim, op’ning wide
The gate of heav’n to us below!
Our foes press on from ev’ry side:
Your aid supply, your strength bestow.To your great name be endless praise,
Immortal Godhead, One in Three;
O grant us endless length of days
When our true native land we see. Amen
Exposition
O salutaris hostia,
Quae caeli pandis ostium:
Bella premunt hostilia,
Da robur fer auxilium.
Uni trinoque Domino
Sit sempiterna Gloria:
Qui vitam sine termino
Nobis donet in patria.
Reading from Scripture (choose one of the following)
Judith 8:9-14,17-20
Isaiah 6:1-10
Jeremiah 1:4-10
Matthew 4:18-22
Matthew 9:9-13
Mark 14:3-9
John 21:15-23
Homily
A period of silent adoration may follow.
Litany for Vocations
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, hear us.
God, the Father of heaven,
God the Son, Redeemer of the world,
God the Holy Spirit,
Holy Trinity, One God.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, graciously hear us.
Have mercy on us.
Have mercy on us.
Have mercy on us.
Have mercy on us.
Holy Mary,
Holy Mother of God,
Holy Virgin of Virgins,
St. Michael, leader of the heavenly host,
St. Gabriel, messenger of God’s divine plan,
St. Raphael, companion of the journey,
All you holy Angels and Archangels,
St. Joseph, protector of the Holy Church,
St. John Vianney, patron of parish priests,
St. Aloysius Gonzaga, patron of youth,
St. Alphonsus Liguori, patron of vocations,
St. Charles Borromeo, patron of seminarians,
St. John Berchmans, patron of altar servers,
St. Maria Goretti, patron of teenagers,
St. Francis De Sales, primary patron of the Archdiocese,
All you holy men and women.
Pray for us.
Pray for us.
Pray for us.
Pray for us.
Pray for us.
Pray for us.
Pray for us.
Pray for us.
Pray for us.
Pray for us.
Pray for us.
Pray for us.
Pray for us.
Pray for us.
Pray for us.
Pray for us.
Be merciful,
Be merciful,
Through your mercy,
Through Your kindness,
Through the fervent prayers
and sacrifices of Your people,
Through the power of the
Holy Sacrifice of the Mass,
Through the intercession
of all the Saints and Angels,
Through the sanctification of the family,
Through parents being generously open to life,
Spare us, O Lord.
Graciously hear us, O Lord.
Send workers into Your harvest, O Lord.
Send workers into Your harvest, O Lord.
Send workers into Your harvest, O Lord.
Send workers into Your harvest, O Lord.
Send workers into Your harvest, O Lord.
Send workers into Your harvest, O Lord.
Send workers into Your harvest, O Lord.
Through the example of priests and religious
striving for holiness,
Through a renewed sense of fidelity
to our Catholic Faith,
That young people might seek to live the truth of Christ,
That young people might seek God’s will
for them in their lives,
That young people might hear the call
to give their lives for the mission of the Church,
That all priests and religious might be renewed
in the spirit of the new evangelization,
That Bishops might be strengthened
to be courageous shepherds,
That we may always zealously pray for
and promote vocations,
That those who are being called to be priests and
religious might respond generously,
Send workers into Your harvest, O Lord.
Send workers into Your harvest, O Lord.
O Lord of the harvest, graciously hear us.
O Lord of the harvest, graciously hear us.
O Lord of the harvest, graciously hear us.
O Lord of the harvest, graciously hear us.
O Lord of the harvest, graciously hear us.
O Lord of the harvest, graciously hear us.
O Lord of the harvest, graciously hear us.
Lamb of God,
who takes away the sins of the world,
Lamb of God,
who takes away the sins of the world,
Lamb of God,
who takes away the sins of the world,
The harvest is great but the laborers are few.
Spare us, O Lord.
Graciously hear us, O Lord.
Have mercy on us.
Beg the harvest Master to send out laborers for His harvest.Let us pray:
O God, who chose the Apostles to make disciples of all nations and who by Baptism and Confirmation has called us to build up Your Holy Church, we earnestly implore You to choose among us, Your children, many priests and religious who will love You with their whole heart and will gladly spend their entire lives making You known and loved by all. Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Prayer for Vocations (Pope Benedict XVI)
O Father, raise up among Christians numerous and holy vocations to the priesthood, to keep the faith alive and guard the gracious memory of your Son Jesus through the preaching of his word and the administration of the Sacraments, with which you continually renew your faithful.
Give us holy ministers of your altar, who are careful and fervent guardians of the Eucharist, the sacrament of the supreme gift of Christ for the redemption of the world.
Call ministers of your mercy, who, through the sacrament of Reconciliation, spread the joy of your forgiveness.
Grant, O Father, that the Church may welcome with joy numerous inspirations of the Spirit of your Son and, docile to His teachings, may she care for vocations to the ministerial priesthood and to the consecrated life.
Sustain the Bishops, priests and deacons, consecrated men and women, and all the baptized in Christ, so that they may faithfully fulfill their mission at the service of the Gospel. This we pray through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Benediction
Come adore this wondrous presence,
Bow to Christ the source of grace.
Here is kept the ancient promise
Of God’s earthly dwelling place.
Sight is blind before God’s glory,
Faith alone may see His face.Glory be to God the Father,
Praise his coequal Son,
Adoration to the Spirit,
Bond of love, in Godhead one.
Blest be God by all creation
Joyously while ages run. Amen.
Tantum ergo Sacramentum
Veneremur cernui:
Et antiquum documentum
Novo cedat ritui:
Praestet fides supplementum
Sensuum defectuiGenitori, Genitoque
Laus et jubilation,
Salus, honor, virtus quoque
Sit et benedictio:
Procedenti ab utroque
Compar sit laudatio. Amen.
Priest/deacon: You have given them bread from heaven.
Response: Having all sweetness within it.
Priest/deacon: Let us pray. Lord Jesus Christ, You gave us the Eucharist as the memorial of your suffering and death. May our worship of this sacrament of your body and blood help us to experience the salvation you won for us, and the peace of the kingdom, where you live with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
Priest or deacon blesses the congregation with the Eucharist.
Divine Praises
Blessed be God.
Blessed be his holy name.
Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true man.
Blessed be the name of Jesus.
Blessed be his most Sacred Heart.
Blessed be his most Precious Blood.
Blessed be Jesus in the most holy sacrament of the altar.Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete.
Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most holy.
Blessed be her holy and Immaculate Conception.
Blessed be her glorious Assumption.
Blessed be the name of Mary, virgin and Mother.
Blessed be St. Joseph, he most chaste spouse.
Blessed be God in his angels and in his saints.
Conclusion
The holy hour may be concluded with a suitable song of praise, such as Holy God, We Praise Thy Name.
