[From a letter to a priest from St. Therese]
Praying for priests is central to our vocation as Carmelites. On Holy Thursday, the day we commemorate the Institution of the Eucharist and of the Priesthood, we hold our priests in prayer in a special way.
Praying with the words of St. Therese:
“This is the vocation of Carmel, because the only purpose of our prayers and our sacrifices is to be an apostle of the apostles, to pray for them while they evangelize souls by words and above all by example.
Divine Jesus, listen to the prayer I am turning to you for he who wishes to be your missionary: protect him in the midst of dangers in the world;… may he be an apostle, worthy of your Sacred Heart.
Oh Mary, sweet Queen of Carmel, I entrust to you the soul of this … priest. Teach him from now with how much love you touched the Divine Child Jesus… I ask you again to always protect him in the shade of your mantle…
O Jesus, keep them all close to your heart,
and bless them abundantly in time and in eternity. Amen.
[excerpt from St. Therese’s Prayer for Priests]
