Tag Archives: Prayer

Novena to the Holy Ghost

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The first novena was prayed by the Apostles, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the small company of those who had been with the Lord Jesus. After His ascension, they "devoted themselves to prayer," until the coming of the Holy Ghost. Perhaps we could offer this novena for the continued growth of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, and for the timely establishment of Ordinariates in other places.

NOVENA TO THE HOLY GHOST

In the Name of the Father, + and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Each day, the Novena begins with this prayer:
O HOLY SPIRIT, our Lord and our God, we adore thee and humbly acknowledge here in thy sacred presence that we are nothing, and can do nothing, without thy operation within us. Come, great Paraclete, thou Father of the poor, thou Comforter of the blest, fulfill the promise of our Saviour, who would not leave us orphans, and enter our minds and hearts as thou didst descend on the day of Pentecost upon the Holy Mother of Jesus and upon His first disciples. Grant that we may have a part in those gifts which thou didst so graciously bestow upon them.

Take from our hearts all that is not pleasing to thee and make of them a worthy dwelling-place for Jesus. Illumine our minds, that we may see and understand the things that are for our eternal welfare. Inflame our hearts with the pure love of the Father, that, cleansed from attachments to all unworthy objects, our lives may be hidden with Jesus in God. Strengthen our wills, that they may be conformed to the will of our Creator and guided by thy holy inspirations. Aid us to practice the heavenly virtues of humility, poverty, and obedience which are taught to us in the earthly life of Jesus.

Descend upon us, O mighty Spirit, that, inspired and encouraged by thee, we may faithfully fulfill the duties of our various states in life, carry our particular crosses with patience and courage, and accomplish the Father's will for us more perfectly. Make us, day by day, more holy and give to us that heavenly peace which the world cannot give.

O Holy Spirit, thou Giver of every good and perfect gift, grant to us our special intentions of this novena of prayer. May the Father's will be done in us and through us; and mayest thou, O mighty Spirit of the living God, be praised and glorified for ever and ever. Amen.

Here is said or sung the Veni Creator Spiritus:
Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire,
and lighten with celestial fire,
thou the anointing Spirit art,
who dost thy sevenfold gifts impart.

Thy blesséd unction from above,
is comfort, life, and fire of love,
enable with perpetual light
the dullness of our blinded sight.

Anoint and cheer our soiled face
with the abundance of thy grace.
Keep far our foes, give peace at home;
where thou art Guide, no ill can come.

Teach us to know the Father, Son,
and thee, of both, to be but One;
that through the ages all along,
this may be our endless song:

Praise to thy eternal merit,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

OUR FATHER, who art in heaven; hallowed be thy Name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Here is said the Proper Prayer for the Day:
FIRST DAY
Come, O Holy Ghost, the Lord and Lifegiver; take up thy dwelling within our souls, and make of them thy sacred home. Make us live by grace as adopted children of God. Pervade all the energies of our souls, and create in us fountains of living water, springing up unto eternal life.

SECOND DAY
Come, O Spirit of Wisdom, and reveal to our souls the mysteries of heavenly things, their exceeding greatness, and power, and beauty. Teach us to love them above and beyond all the passing joys and satisfactions of earth. Show us the way by which we may be able to attain to them, and possess them, and hold them hereafter, our own forever.

THIRD DAY
Come, O Spirit of Understanding, and enlighten our minds, that we may know and believe all the mysteries of salvation, and may merit at last to see the eternal light in thy light; and in the light of glory to have the clear vision of thee and the Father and the Son.

FOURTH DAY
Come, O Spirit of Counsel, help and guide us in all our ways, that we may always do thy holy will. Incline our hearts to that which is good, turn them away from all that is evil, and direct us by the path of thy commandments to the goal of eternal life.

FIFTH DAY
Come, O Spirit of Fortitude, and give courage to our souls. Make our hearts strong in all trials and in all distress, pouring forth abundantly into them the gifts of strength, that we may be able to resist the attacks of the devil.

SIXTH DAY
Come, O Spirit of Knowledge, and make us to understand and despise the emptiness and nothingness of the world. Give us grace to use the world only for thy glory and the salvation of thy creatures. May we always be faithful in putting thy rewards before every earthly gift.

SEVENTH DAY
Come, O Spirit of Piety, possess our hearts, and incline them to a true faith in thee, to a holy love of thee, our God. Give us thy grace, that we may seek thee and find thee, our best and our truest joy.

EIGHTH DAY
Come, O Spirit of holy Fear, penetrate our inmost hearts, that we may set thee, our Lord and God, before our faces forever; and shun all things that can offend thee, so that we may be made worthy to appear before the pure eyes of thy divine Majesty in the heaven of heavens.

NINTH DAY
Come, O Holy Comforter, and grant us a desire for holy things. Produce in our souls the fruits of virtue, so that, being filled with all sweetness and joy in the pursuit of good, we may attain unto eternal blessedness.

The following prayer concludes the Novena each day:
O GOD, who as at this time didst teach the hearts of thy faithful people by sending to them the light of thy Holy Spirit: grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgement in all things, and evermore to rejoice in His holy comfort; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth with thee in the unity of the same Holy Spirit ever, one God, world without end. Amen.

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Pray for One Another

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It is our duty and our joy to pray for one another, and to that end, Fr. Andrew Bartus is assembling a monthly Cycle of Prayer for the future U. S. Ordinariate. I'm sure this is taking place in the other countries where Ordinariates have been, or are being, established. For those in America, I urge you to go to the link I've provided, and give Fr. Bartus your additions and corrections. If this hasn't been organized in other countries, now would be a good time to make this a priority.

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Your Prayers, Please.

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Your prayers are asked today for:

  1. The Holy Father
  2. Anglican Clergy and postulants for encouragement and strengthening of their faith, particularly when faced with uncertainty about what their future roles in The Church may be.
  3. The laity for their encouragement and increase of faith.

Te Deum laudamus.

WE praise thee, O God; we acknowledge thee to be the Lord.
All the earth doth worship thee, the Father everlasting.
To thee all Angels cry aloud; the Heavens, and all the Powers therein;
To thee Cherubim and Seraphim continually do cry,
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Sabaoth;
Heaven and earth are full of the Majesty of thy glory.
The glorious company of the Apostles praise thee.
The goodly fellowship of the Prophets praise thee.
The noble army of Martyrs praise thee.
The holy Church throughout all the world doth acknowledge thee;
The Father of an infinite Majesty;
Thine adorable, true and only Son;
Also the Holy Ghost the Comforter.

THOU art the King of Glory, O Christ.
Thou art the everlasting Son of the Father.
When thou tookest upon thee to deliver man, thou didst humble thyself to be born of a Virgin.
When thou hadst overcome the sharpness of death, thou didst open the Kingdom of Heaven to all believers.
Thou sittest at the right hand of God, in the glory of the Father.
We believe that thou shalt come to be our Judge.
We therefore pray thee, help thy servants, whom thou hast redeemed with thy precious blood.
Make them to be numbered with thy Saints, in glory everlasting.

O LORD, save thy people, and bless thine heritage.
Govern them and lift them up for ever.
Day by day we magnify thee;
And we worship thy Name ever, world without end.
Vouchsafe, O Lord, to keep us this day without sin.
O Lord, have mercy upon us, have mercy upon us.
O Lord, let thy mercy be upon us, as our trust is in thee.
O Lord, in thee have I trusted; let me never be confounded.

O God, whose mercies are without number, and the treasure of whose goodness is infinite: we render thanks to thy most gracious majesty for the gifts thou has bestowed upon us [especially for the gift of Anglicanorum coetibus], evermore beseeching thy mercy; that like as thou dost grant the prayers of them that call upon thee, so thou wouldest not forsake them, but rather dispose their way towards the attainment of thy heavenly reward; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

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Our Lady of the Martyrs to Participate in Day of Prayer

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From Saul Keeton, a follower of The Anglo-Catholic:

Fr. Prentice Dean has asked me to alert all of you that tomorrow (sorry for the late notice!) Our Lady of Martyrs Anglican Use Society is holding an hour of adoration and prayer before the Most Blessed Sacrament on Thursday, April 14th between 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. at The Church of the Assumption at 1227 7th Avenue North, in Nashville.

This hour of prayer was proposed by Fr. Christopher Philips, pastor of Our Lady of the Atonement Catholic Church in San Antonio, Texas [Ed. Actually, if I am not mistaken, one of our most avid commentors, Sean Reed, orginated the idea.].  The general intentions are: 1) for the Holy Father; 2) for Anglican clergy and postulants, for the encouragement and strengthening of their faith, particularly when faced with uncertainty; and 3) for the laity, for their encouragement and strengthening of their faith.  An Ordinariate already has been established for England and Wales; however, Anglicans and Catholics in other parts of the world are waiting (with varying degrees of patience) for the establishment of Ordinariates in our respective countries.

Fr. Dean encourages all those who are interested in growing the full, visible communion of the Catholic Church and supportive of the the Ordinariate to come by The Church of the Assumption during the lunch hour, for whatever time you can spare, to say a prayer for the timely establishment of Ordinariates in the United States, Canada and Australia.

In addition, this month our customary meeting time for Solemn Evensong & Benediction, the fourth Sunday of the month, falls on the April 24th, Easter Sunday.  Because Easter will be a busy day for all of us and our families, we will not hold Solemn Evensong & Benediction that day.  We will resume our monthly meetings on Sunday, May 22nd at 5:00 p.m.

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April 14th: A Day Of Prayer

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This post will remain at the top of the page until the Day of Prayer, as a reminder. Newer posts can be found below.

Several days ago we posted a request for your prayers on Thursday, April 14th. The general intentions for this Day of Prayer are:

  1. The Holy Father
  2. Anglican Clergy and postulants, for encouragement and strengthening of their faith, particularly when faced with uncertainty about what their future roles in The Church may be.
  3. The laity for their encouragement and increase of faith.

An Ordinariate has been erected for England and Wales; however, we are waiting (with varying degrees of patience) for the establishment of Ordinariates in the United States, Canada and Australia. Also, there are Anglicans in many parts of the world who desire this, but who have not yet had a formal notification from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith that the process is beginning for them.

All this should included in our prayers — and this really needs to be a world-wide effort. Send a notice to Sean Reed at 6@societyofstmichael.org, telling him during what hour you will be praying. And get the word out! Tweet this, or Facebook it. Send this link out to your email list. Do whatever you can to get as many people as possible praying about this on April 14th.

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Word from Japan

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The disaster in Japan has driven us to our knees in prayer, and it's difficult to comprehend the suffering of the people there. Among the Christians there are members of TAC, and Archbishop Hepworth has sent this brief note about them:

Lay Canon Woodman and I have been in touch with Bishop Kajiwara and our clergy in Japan and all are safe. The earthquake happened in the same week in which they submitted their dossiers for ordination in the Ordinariate. Faithfulness and deliverance within a few days!

Please continue to remember them in your prayers.

O God, whose fatherly care reacheth to the uttermost parts of the earth: We humbly beseech thee graciously to behold and bless our brethren in Japan. Defend them from all dangers of soul and body; and grant that both they and we, drawing nearer to thee, may be bound together by thy love in the communion of thy Holy Spirit, and in the fellowship of thy saints; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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Reflections on "Becoming One"

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It has been almost two weeks since the gathering of faithful Anglicans in San Antonio.  Soon after the meeting there were several posts and many more comments related to our time together.  Before I posted my personal reflections, I wanted to let the proverbial dust settle, allowing for time to prayerfully consider my own perceptions regarding the event.  So, without further ado, allow me to add my two cents.

Initially, let me say that just the mere invitation to such a gathering was for me an overwhelming opportunity for a much needed respite from the almost non-stop conflict that has existed since the Portsmouth petition.  I shared with some of my fellow clergy that I would not have missed this get-together for the world, as it would be the first time in some years that I would travel to an ecclesiastical assembly without actively preparing for "battle" upon arrival.  I actually had some trouble contemplating enroute that I was going to a place where everyone was on the same sheet of music, where there was true unity of purpose, or just plain unity, true unity as is simply defined, not the abstract (often articulated as "spiritual") unity.  I must say that upon our arrival, I was not disappointed.  I cannot heap enough lauds upon Fr. Phillips and his congregation.  They treated us as if we lived there, and we wanted for nothing.  They did not act toward us as if we were outsiders wanting and/or waiting to be accepted.  We were family.  I was particularly taken aback by an oft-repeated statement by parishioners of Our Lady of the Atonement regarding our current situation of waiting for the establishment of an Ordinariate.  This statement was, "You have to get through this because we need you."  How many times have I heard naysayers accuse those of us who desire communion with Rome as having ulterior motives?  To the contrary, at least some of those already in communion with Rome view us as a benefit for themselves.  It should be noted that such remarks were not made during one of the prepared sessions, they were made by lay people during one-on-one conversations.   Our time together was truly refreshing, a veritable "R&R from the battle front" as one attendee remarked.

The one area that did evidence a sense of heaviness for us was our inability to share the Lord's Table.  I view this as a two-edged sword.  First, it placed before us the divide that still exists.  Second, it provided a foretaste of what awaits us, and I, for one, concentrate on the latter rather than the former.  This being said, although the aforementioned circumstance exists, it should be noted that our time together was replete with even liturgical unity.  Morning Prayer, Solemn Vespers, and Compline were events of total commonality.  It should also be noted that the Sacrifice of the Mass celebrated in accord with the Book of Divine Worship left no one familiar with the Anglican Missal a stranger.  By way of example, I had the honor of serving for Fr. Phillips while he celebrated his Mass when visiting our parish a couple of weeks prior to the meeting in San Antonio.  I had no time to prepare, or review the BDW.  The liturgies of the BDW (Rite I) and the Anglican Missal are so similar that, after just a few minutes, I realized I need not fret over the possibility of a major flub (that's a very technical liturgical term for those uninitiated).  Seriously, I know there are those of you out there who take great pains in parsing liturgical nuance, and I appreciate your zeal.  I also realize that there is always room for improvement regarding things liturgical (except for the Tridentine Mass, duh…), but I speak as a shepherd of a flock that dearly love their Anglican liturgy, and these folks would feel right at home in any Anglican Use parish.

There is one last area I would like to address after contemplating the event at Our Lady of the Atonement, and that is the spiritual point at which we find ourselves.  During the course of the gathering there were several excellent presentations ranging from the historical to the forthcoming, the objective to the conjectural.  However, the area of the utmost import at this time is the spiritual warfare in which we must be engaged.  As the Apostolic Constitution comes to fruition and we witness an ecclesiatical reconciliation the likes of which the secular world must even take notice, be very aware that Satan and his minions will become more and more enraged.  You are going to see assaults upon us the likes of which we have yet to see.  We are going to be assailed in our health, our temporal concerns, our affections, and our enjoyment of life.  The devil is going to make this road toward communion with the Vicar of Christ a path of the greatest resistance.  The fight has been costly up to this point, and I would be prepared for it to get even worse.  All this being said, we must ensure that we not be caught up in the theoretical facets of this matter, but place our emphasis on the combat at hand.  Particularly during this Advent season, attend at least one additional Mass per week with a special intention offered for the establishment of the Ordinariates and the choosing of the most holy Ordinaries.  Pray for the Ordinariates specifically during your Daily Offices, and beseech Our Lady's intercession for them through Her Most Holy Rosary.  Finally, to the clergy, I would recommend that the Prayer to St. Michael be said either publicly or privately at the end of every Mass offered in Anglican Use and Ordinariate-bound congregations.

Sancte Michael, ora pro nobis!

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Praying for the Pope

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I have come across a few Catholics who appear to be nervous about the new Apostolic Constitution, Anglicanorum Coetibus. They sound like they believe that Pope Benedict is just causing trouble for the Church and is going to be "letting in" a bunch of Protestants who are not fully committed to Catholicism. On the other side, there are those who are excited about entering the Church through the Ordinariate and some of them seem to believe that Pope Benedict XVI invented the idea of restoring separated brethren. I mean no disrespect toward the Holy Father when I say this. In truth, he is being completely consistent with what the Church has said in the past, but that does not make it easy for him.

As a "former" Protestant, I have struggled with the temptation to demonize all my past dealings in those circles. For the most part, I believe I have been able to resist this temptation. Being able to see one's former faults without overreacting is an important part of the Christian life; we tend to "throw out the baby with the bathwater" and "amputate" when an antibiotic will do. The only problem (as I see it) with leaving Protestantism and coming to Catholicism is that it often makes the former Protestant fall to the temptation to assume that nothing in Protestantism is good. Converts begin attacking everything in their past religious life. I have never seen a convert to Catholicism demonize an aspect of Protestantism that agreed with the Catholic Church's official teaching, but that does not mean that it has not happened (or will not happen).

. . . anything wrought by the grace of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of our separated brethren can be a help to our own edification. Whatever is truly Christian is never contrary to what genuinely belongs to the faith; indeed, it can always bring a deeper realization of the mystery of Christ and the Church. (Unitatis Redintegratio, no. 4.)

This quote comes from the Decree on Ecumenism in the documents of Vatican II. As everyone knows, ecumenism was a significant part of the Second Vatican Council, and this section has much to say on the subject. It speaks about the "separated brethren" who are experiencing the gracious workings of the Holy Spirit. The Church has said that if the Spirit of God works outside the Church, she cannot deny Him (cf. Luke 9:50) because that is His prerogative. Some of those workings (like in the Anglican Patrimony) can be used for the edification of those who are in the Catholic Church. In other words, the Catholic Church is admitting that she can learn from Christians who are not in communion with the Holy See. Here we see the clear foundation of the extreme generosity of Pope Benedict's offer to Anglicans who wish to become Catholic. The Pope is saying, "The Church accepts all converts, and we will even let you bring with you the best of your heritage." In this, he is doing exactly what the Popes who came before him encouraged. Yet this is not an easy task, and it means that we must keep him in our prayers.

Pope Benedict, in the Apostolic Constitution, has also said that the Anglican heritage has some things to offer to the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church that will bring it a "deeper realization" of Christian truth. If the Spirit has influenced and moved Anglicans in their knowledge of the truth, then there are things within Anglicanism that may help to enlighten the Catholic Church's own understanding of the historic faith. This means that it is possible that the Spirit may reveal something to the separated brethren that He has not yet (in His eternal wisdom) chosen to reveal to Holy Mother Church. One example, outside of Anglicanism, is (in my humble opinion) the Eastern Orthodox understanding of how chrismation (confirmation in the West) relates to baptism. Yet, discerning what to keep and what to throw away is not as easy as many armchair theologians think.

It will be up to the Pope and the CDF to decide just what those things will be that shall be retained, and it is up to us to trust Jesus to lead them rightly. We cannot make this decision (that is how Protestants do things–theology by committee), no matter how sure we are about what should be retained. As things get down to the wire we should be spending all the more time in earnest prayer for our Pope and the CDF. Prayer always accomplishes more than arguing, and arguing can often destroy hope and that leads to despair. Petition Our Lady for her prayers, as well as all the Saints in Heaven, and pray to the Lord God that Pope Benedict may leave behind all that is unworthy, and grant to us all that is worthy of the glory of Christ Almighty.

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