Year for Priests

Today, I came across a great little leaflet for the Year for Priests, published by the Vocations Team in Birmingham Archdiocese. Well done, Chris. It's great. They have chosen to reproduce Cardinal Carberry's prayer for priests:

O Jesus, our great High Priest, Hear my humble prayers, on behalf of your priest, Father _______

Give him a deep faith, a bright and firm hope and a burning love which will ever increase in the course of his priestly life. In his loneliness, comfort him. In his sorrows, strengthen him. In his frustrations, point out to him that it is through suffering that the soul is purified, and show him that he is needed by the Church, he is needed by souls, he is needed for the work of redemption.

O loving Mother Mary, Mother of Priests, take to your heart your son who is close to you because of his priestly ordination, and because of the power which he has received to carry on the work of Christ in a world which needs him so much. Be his comfort, be his joy, be his strength, and especially help him to live and to defend the ideals of consecrated celibacy. Amen.

Also of great comfort, for one approaching ordination, is this positive piece on celebrating the anniversary of ordination to the priesthood by Jane at My Heart Was Restless. Thanks.