Pope John Paul II once said about Catholic mission supporters: "The best support they can provide the Church's missionaries is not only the economic order but primarily the spiritual order."
These are some of our favorite English and Spanish-language prayers and reflections we have come across over the years. If you have a unique favorite prayer that you would like to share on this page, feel free to send it to us by clicking here and we will consider it for publication on this page.
Thank you and God bless you for your continued prayers and support.
Please select a prayer to the left.
A Prayer by St. Columban
I beg you, most loving Savior,
to reveal yourself to us who beseech you,
so that knowing you, we may love you only,
love you alone,
desire you alone,
contemplate you alone by day and night,
and ever hold you in our thoughts.
May your charity possess all our inward parts,
and your love own us all,
and may your affection fill our senses.
-From a prayer written by St. Columban
A Prayer to St. Martin de Porres
St. Martin de Porres,
Just as Jesus
went about doing good,
you walked the dusty streets
of the city of Lima.
There you saw the poor
with the eyes of compassion.
you did all you could
to relieve suffering among slaves
and wherever you found it.
Ask God to help us
see the poor as you saw them
and to make our hands ready
to do what we can to end suffering.
We ask this in Jesus' name.
Amen.
For copies of this booklet please write to: The Columban Fathers, PO Box 10, Saint Columbans, NE 68056.
Loving Spirit, Dwell Within My Heart
Lord, how deep, how wonderful
this mystery of love for me.
It begins as a string of love
Deep within your heart,
This movement of your Spirit
Going forth everywhere
To fill the whole of your creation.
Your love is the greatest grace
Beyond all that you have made,
So how is it that of any space
Where your love seeks to rest,
A love that nothing can confine,
It seeks to find a place
Deep within a heart like mine?
How terrible to be caught up, then,
In the routine of everyday things when
I don't have time to savor your love,
Or worse ignore it, or worse still reject it.
Loving Spirit, dwell within my heart.
So that I may reflect your peace and light. Amen.
-By Columban Father Patrick Sayles
To request the prayer book "Prayer From Around The World" that includes these poems, please write to:
The Columban Fathers
PO Box 10
St. Columbans, NE 68056
Lord, Make Haste to Help Me!
I feel so crushed,
So under the weight of a dark cloud,
That my heart feels numb within me.
I remember good days
When I felt on top of the world,
When I could sing at the wonder
of life and its beauty.
Yet now such things are only memories,
My spirit seems withered within me,
Like a dry land desperate for rain.
Lord, make haste to help me!
Send the showers of your love upon me,
Like flowers refreshed in rain,
Lift up my drooping head,
So that I can put my trust in you
And rejoice in you instead! Amen.
-By Columban Father Patrick Sayles
To request the prayer book "Prayer From Around The World" that includes these poems, please write to:
The Columban Fathers
PO Box 10
St. Columbans, NE 68056
Thanksgiving after Communion
O Jesus, I believe that in this holy sacrament of the Eucharist you have really and truly come into my inmost soul to share your divine life with me. I believe because you have said it and your word is true.
May your sacred body that I have received so transform me that no stain of sin may remain in me.
May what I have received in my mouth, O Lord, dwell ever in my heart and from a passing benefit become an eternal reward. Amen.
-From the booklet The Body and Blood of Christ. For copies of this booklet please write to: The Columban Fathers, PO Box 10, Saint Columbans, NE 68056.
Preparation for Communion
O Lord, prepare my soul to receive you. You have said, "He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me and I live in him: as I myself draw life from the Father, so whoever eats me will draw life from me."
I come to You now that I may draw life from You. Let me join You in this Mass in adoring and thanking our Heavenly Father, in making reparation for sin and begging for the graces I need to serve Him worthily and glorify Him daily more and more.
May Your kingdom come in my heart and all the world. Amen.
-From the booklet The Body and Blood of Christ. For copies of this booklet please write to: The Columban Fathers, PO Box 10, Saint Columbans, NE 68056.
Prayer for Vocations
Lord Jesus
According to the Gospel
Saint Philip asked you this question,
"Lord, we do not know the way where
you are going. How can we know the way?"
He could have been speaking for me!
The path ahead seems so hard to find.
Help me accept the answer
You gave to Philip, the same answer
You are trying to give me.
You are the Way.
Deep down I know that if I make You the pattern of the rest of my life,
All will be well.
Give me the courage to say
"Yes! Here I am!"
when I hear You asking
"Who will make my Name known?"
-Amen.
-Copies of this prayer are available from the Columban Fathers, St. Columbans, NE 68056
Prayer to Mary Immaculate Patroness of the United States
Blessed Mother Mary, we turn to you in prayer for all the people in these United States. We again place ourselves in your care, in the gentle hands that cradled the Child Jesus.
We ask you to make us more alive in your faith, more generous in your love, more trusting in your hope. Teach us to imitate Jesus, as you did, and always to follow Him with your courage.
Mother Mary, help us to become a people who hunger for justice and who burn with compassion for those who suffer in our midst. Make us a people who cherish and defend the dignity of every human person. Free us from all selfishness and self-interest, that we truly might be the builders of the Kingdom of God.
Immaculate Mary, help us to stand among the family of nations as a people of compassion, generosity, and peace. Make us a people of vision and courage, who will gift this world with new life, new hope, and the unity for which your Son died.
-Copies of this prayer are available from the Columban Fathers, St. Columbans, NE 68056
Excerpts from the Holy Father's "Reflections on Praying for Peace"
To pray for peace is to open the human heart to the inroads of God's power to renew things. With the life giving force of grace, God can create openings for peace where only obstacles and closures are apparent. God can strengthen and enlarge the solidarity of the human family in spite of our endless history of division and conflict.
To pray for peace is to pray for justice, for right ordering of relations within and among nations and peoples.
To pray for peace is to seek God's forgiveness, and to implore the courage to forgive those who trespassed against us. May a more intense prayer rise from the hearts of all believers for victims of terrorism and war; for their families so tragically stricken; for all peoples who come to be hurt and convulsed by terrorism and war.
May the light of our prayer extend even to those who gravely offend God and humanity by their pitiless acts, that they may look into their hearts, see the evil of what they do, abandon all violent intentions and seek forgiveness.
In these troubled times, may the whole human family find true and lasting peace, born of the marriage of justice and mercy.
-Pope John Paul II
-The Holy Father's reflections were the theme of the Columban Mission calendar for 2003. Copies of this calendar are available from the Columban Fathers, St. Columbans, NE 68056
Holy Ground
As missionaries we attempt to approach other cultures sensitively:
Loving God,
We believe you live among us
And the place where you are is
Holy Ground
We know you love all peoples
And that their ways and lands
Are also holy.
Help us to discover all your wonders
In their faith, their lives and stories
Send us your spirit, and we will
Listen, learn and meet you in
Your Holy Ground.
-From "Prayers from Around the World" by Columban Father Pat Sayles. Copies of this booklet are available from the Columban Fathers, St. Columbans, NE 68056
Prayer to St. Columban
O Blessed Columban, who, in your zeal for the extension of Christ's Kingdom, and the salvation of souls, spent your life in suffering and exile, assist and protect, we humbly ask you, the missionaries of our day, who have devoted their lives to preaching the Gospel throughout the world.
Obtain for them, we beseech you, that prudence and fortitude by which you overcame the dangers which beset your path, and that firm faith and ardent charity which enabled you to endure gladly the privations of this life for the love of Christ.
Assist and protect us, also, dear St. Columban, so to live for God's glory that when our pilgrimage through life is over, we may enjoy with you the eternal rest of heaven through Christ Our Lord.
-Amen.
-Copies of this prayer are available from the Columban Fathers, St. Columbans, NE 68056
Mirror of Perfection: Advice of St. Columban To A Young Man
Be diligent in humility and gentle in authority, simple in faith, wise in the ways of virtue; keen for your neighbor's weal, unmindful of your own. Be pure in friendship, wary of deceit, austere amid luxury, moderate in austerity, temper monotony with variety, be constant amid change, cheerful in your sorrows, restrained in your joys. Be at variance, if needs be, but unvarying in truth, severe amid pleasures, genial amid hardships, brave in suffering, hesitant in conflict. Be slow to anger, quick to learn, slow also to speak as St. James teaches but quick likewise to listen.
Be steady in progress, slow to punish, prudent in word, prompt in action, amiable with the just, stern with the shameless, gentle with the weak, firm with the downcast. Be ever sober, ever chaste, modest always, enduring to the point of zeal; never covetous, ever generous, if not with wealth at least in spirit. Be timely in your fasts, instant in your vigils; discreet in life's crises, serene amid mourning. Be bold in the cause of truth, timid in controversy; submissive to the virtuous, unyielding with the wicked, meek in generosity, tireless in charity, just in all things.
Be reverent to the worthy, merciful to the poor, mindful of favors, forgetful of injuries, love obscurity, spurn riches, be master of your will, harbor no hidden thoughts. Be obedient to your elders, a companion to the young, the equal of your comrades, emulate the perfect, envy not your betters, grieve not when you are outdistanced, despise not those who lag behind, heed those who urge you on. Be not fainthearted when weary, but joyful through tears for every fervor and hope. Be anxious always for the crown that may be lost as you hasten onward.
*Translation by Fr. E. J. McCarthy
Our Quest For God
Prayer is, in St. Augustine's phrase, "the soul's affectionate quest of God." God desires that we should come as a child might come for help or with tears of sorrow on the child's face asking for pardon. He desires us to cling as a child would cling in the face of danger, as a child would rest in a father's arms, sure of his power, surer still of his love.
Our prayer is not one-sided. God speaks to us, and from His side prayer might be called, "God's affectionate quest of us." He "calls you by your name."
To pray well is to escape from pursuing fear into the shelter of the wounded Hands. He who knows how to pray well, knows how to suffer well, and this is to have that perfect love and trust that casts out all fear.
The prayer made in suffering is prayer most like the prayer of Christ, especially when in our agony, from the depths of our being, we try to say with Him: "Not my will but Yours be done."
In His dying agony, Jesus kept saying, "Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing." He keeps on saying that same prayer for us in the Mass. The prayer of the extended Hands upon the Cross has never ceased.
Each dawn, He has made possible the closest intimacy. We go up to the altar to receive Jesus, to commune with Him. And He comes down (what a long way He comes!) to commune with us. He comes not for a day, but for a union He desires to be eternal.
We must be one with Him in His love for the Eternal Father, to do all things for the glory of the Trinity; to live His life in the Trinity; to be caught up in the flood of life and union that goes on forever among the Holy Three in One.
There can be only one ending to a life like this-this life of union lived now by prayer and faith will have its full realization one day in the bosom of the Blessed Trinity.
-Excerpt from "Pathways to God" by Columban Father John Henaghan. Fr. Henaghan went to the Philippines in 1931 and died at the hands of the Japanese military in February 1945.
Prayer for Missionaries
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, Your missionaries have cheerfully left home and all dear to them for love of You and to bring Your love to Your poor. We beg You to strengthen that spirit of love in their hearts. Let it never be weakened by failure, frustration, difficulty or trial. Be with them in loneliness, hardship and danger. Send them the help they need to carry on their work for You and make it fruitful.
Amen
-From the booklet The Body and Blood of Christ. For copies of this booklet please write to: The Columban Fathers, PO Box 10, Saint Columbans, NE 68056.
Energy in Autumn
Mid-life, moving on to old age, can be a dangerous time. Dante was not alone in his experience: "Midway upon the journey of our life I found myself in a dark wood, where the right way was lost."
It is this feeling of lostness that so often disorientates many people at this stage of their life. The signposts are gone; they feel they are wandering aimlessly in a fog. A sense of meaningless, of futility saps their energies. Some engage in feverish activity in an unconscious effort to avoid the bleakness within. A full diary, hours in the gym, shopping, travel, games ... anything to escape. Others live with an undercurrent of anxiety or experience depression that robs them of their taste for life.
Not everyone, of course, goes through such turmoil. Many people enjoy their mature years, glad now to have more time and space for family and friends. They integrate the changes of aging making the most of every moment.
What supported us in the morning of life, Carl Jung said, will not be sufficient to see us through the afternoon. The questions raised in these decades are all spiritual ones. Earlier ambitions and dreams no longer energize us as we search for meaning now. As Dante wrote, "Ah, how hard a thing it is to tell what this wild and rough and difficult wood was ... So bitter that death is little more."
Some deny or resist this great change but, for those who experience the pain and turmoil or advancing years, a new path opens up in the seeming chaos of their inner selves. If they stay with the pain of it, they gradually learn that this is a time of reshaping, of renewal.
A deeper wisdom, a more pervasive compassion emerges, giving their lives a new focus. Questions are asked as they take stock of their direction. "Where am I going? Where do I want to go? What do I need to let go of to travel light for the years ahead? Where is my passion?"
Out of this suffering emerges a new person. Older, yes, but wiser. No longer bitter or resentful at the unfairness of life, at opportunities missed or roads not taken, the changed person now embraces life as gift with gratitude. As the compulsion to keep up with or stay ahead of the rat race fades, new values surface. Values of presence, of care, of attention.
The people and things we took for granted or overlooked are now seen with new clarity. As we find space from the busyness and demands of our days we are open to new insights, to increased wisdom, to joy. Age may be creeping up on us but, as St. Paul said, "We are not discouraged; although our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day" (2 Corinthians 4:16).
Sr. Joan Chittister reminds us of the richness that comes with age:
"In the second half of life everything we ever accumulated begins to disappear. We empty cupboards. We strip and clear and bear the hollows of our tiny worlds till there is nothing left but the self, the memories, the footsteps of our lives. We find ourselves stripped of titles and offices and importance. Feeling empty and vulnerable, we are cast adrift to contemplate what we have become and what we have done for others. Then, just when it seems that nothing is right, we wake up one morning to our leaner, truer selves. We are, we discover, now offered the prospect of doing the really important things we may have been too important to do before now."
While there is no certainty that growing older means growing wiser, or becoming more content, nevertheless this is a fertile time. We may not always know where we are going, but if we trust in God he will not forsake us. Abraham, the writer of the letter to the Hebrews tells us, "went out, not knowing where he was to go" (Hebrews 11:8). May we, like him, who risked all because he trusted in God, have faith and courage to walk the journey of our later years with peace.
Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for 2008
That the Church in Africa, preparing to celebrate the second Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for Africa, may continue to be a sign and channel of reconciliation and justice in a continent still suffering from war, exploitation and poverty.
February
That Institutes of Consecrated Life, so flourishing in mission countries, may rediscover the missionary dimension and, faithful to the radical choice of Gospel counsels, be generous in bearing witness to Christ and proclaiming Him to the ends of the earth.
March
That Christians persecuted because of the Gospel in various parts of the world and in various manners may be sustained by the strength of the Holy Spirit and continue to bear witness courageously and openly to the Word of God.
April
That future priests in young Churches may be ever more seriously formed culturally and spiritually in order to evangelize their respective countries and the whole world.
May
That in Mission territories there may be no lack of good and enlightened teachers in the major Seminaries and in the Institutes of consecrated life.
June
That the International Eucharistic Congress in Quebec, Canada, may lead to ever deeper understanding of the Eucharist, the heart of the Church and source of evangelization.
July
That World Youth Day in Sydney, Australia, may kindle the fire of divine love in numerous
young people and render them sowers of hope for a new humanity.
August
That the answer of the entire people of God to the common calling to holiness and mission may be promoted and fostered by means of careful discernment of charisma and constant commitment to spiritual and cultural formation.
September
That faithful to the sacrament of matrimony every Christian family may cultivate the values of love and communion in order to be a small evangelizing community, sensitive and open to the material and spiritual needs of others.
October
That World Missionary Day may be a propitious occasion for kindling an ever greater missionary awareness in every baptized person.
November
That Christian communities in Asia, contemplating the face of Christ, may find the most suitable way to announce Him in full fidelity to the Gospel to the peoples of that vast continent so rich in culture and ancient forms of spirituality.
December
That especially in mission countries Christians may show with acts of fraternal love that the
Child born in the stable at Bethlehem is the luminous Hope of the world.
General Intentions
January
That the Church may strengthen her commitment to full visible unity in order to manifest ever more clearly her nature as a community of love in which is reflected the communion of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
February
That the mentally handicapped may not be marginalized but respected and lovingly helped to live in a way worthy of their physical and social condition.
March
That the importance of forgiveness and reconciliation between individuals and peoples may be understood and that through her testimony the Church may spread Christ’s love, the source of new humanity.
April
That even in difficult and complex situations of present-day society, Christians may never tire of proclaiming with their lives Christ’s resurrection, the source of hope and peace.
May
That Christians may use literature, art and the media to greater advantage to favor a culture that defends and promotes the values of the human person.
June
That Christians may cultivate a deep and personal friendship with Christ so they are able to communicate the strength of His love to those they encounter.
July
That there may be an increase in the number of those who volunteer to serve the Christian community with generous and prompt availability.
August
That the human family may learn to respect God’s plan for the world and become ever more aware that Creation is God’s great gift.
September
That those who are forced to leave home and country because of war or oppressive regimes may be supported by Christians in the defense and protection of their rights.
October
That the Synod of Bishops may help bishops and theologians as well as catechists and pastoral workers engaged in the service of the Word of God transmit with courage the truth of the faith in communion with the entire Church.
November
That the testimony of love offered by the Saints, may fortify Christians in their service to God and neighbor, imitating Christ who came not to be served but to serve.
December
That in the face of a spreading of a culture of violence the Church through her apostolic and
missionary activity may promote with courage the culture of life.
For additional copies of this card, write to: Columban Fathers, St. Columbans, NE 68056.
Una Oracion a San Martin de Porres
Oh glorioso San Martín,
que siguiendo el ejemplo de nuestro
Señor Jesucristo caminaste por las calles
de Lima haciendo el bien a tus hermanos,
y viendo a los pobres y enfermos con
ojos de compasión hiciste todo a tu
alcance para aliviar su sufrimiento, te
suplicamos intercedas ante Dios Padre
por nosotros y por nuestras necesidades
e intenciones particulares.
Enséñanos a ver a Jesús en el rostro de
los pobres; haz que nuestro corazón y
nuestras manos estén siempre dispuestos
a prestar ayuda a lo que sufren.
To lo pedimos, por Chrito nuestro Señor.
Amen.
Si desea más tarjetas gratis escriba a:
Misioneros Columbanos
P.O. Box 10
St. Columbans, NE 68056
Tierra Sagrada (Holy Ground)
Dios Amoroso,
Creemos que Tú vives
Entre nosotros
Y que el lugar
Donde Tú estás
Es tierra sagrada.
Sabemos que Tú amas
A todos por igual
Y que las culturas y
Las tierras de Tú pueblo
Son también sagradas.
Ayúdanos a descubrir
Todas Tus maravillas
En la fe de Tú pueblo,
En sus vidas y en sus
Historias.
Envíanos Tú Espíritu,
Para que escuchemos,
Aprendamos
Y nos encontremos contigo
En Tú tierra sagrada.
-para obtner copias de esa oracion escriba a Padres Columbanos, PO Box 10, St. Columbans, NE 68056
Virgen de Guadalupe
Santa María de Guadalupe, te suplicamos intercedas por todos los que te invocan en sus necesidades. Protege al Santo Padre y a todos los que formamos la Iglesia. Así como en tu aparición en el Tepeyac nos dijiste: "Soy la siempre Virgen María, Madre del verdadero Dios", alcánzanos de tu Divino Hijo la conservación de la Fe. Tú eres nuestra dulce esperanza en las amarguras de esta vida. Danos un amor ardiente y la gracia de la perseverancia final. Amén.
-para obtner copias de esa oracion escriba a Padres Columbanos, PO Box 10, St. Columbans, NE 68056
Accion de Gracias Despues de la Comunion Preparacion para la Comunion
O Jesus, creo que en este Santismo Sacramento de la Eucharistia has venido real y verdaderamente a los mas intimo de me alma para compartir Tu vida divina conmigo. Creo porque Tu lo has dicho y Tu palabra es verdadera.
Que Tu cuerpo sagrado que he recibido me transforme de tal manera que no quede mancha de pecado en mi.
Que lo que he receibido en mi boca, O Senor, permanezca siempre en mi corazon y de un beneficio pasajero llegue a ser una recompensa eterna. Amen.
-para obtner copias de esa oracion escriba a Padres Columbanos, PO Box 10, St. Columbans, NE 68056
Preparacion para la Comunion
O Senor, Prepara mi alma para recibirte. Tu has dicho: "El que come mi carne y bebe Mi sangre vive en Mi y yo en el: asi Yo vivo por el Padre, asi tambien el que coma de Me vivira por Mi."
Vendo ahora a Ti para poder vivir por Ti. Permiteme unirme a ti en esta Misa para adorar y dar gracias a nuestro Padre Celestial, para hacer reparacion por los pecados y para implorar las gracias que necesito para servirlo degnamente y glorificarlo diariamente mas y mas.
Que tu reino venga a mi corazon y a todo el mundo. Amen.
-para obtner copias de esa oracion escriba a Padres Columbanos, PO Box 10, St. Columbans, NE 68056
Oracion Para Vocacion
Te pido, Dios mio, tu gracia y tu
ayuda para que todas mis intenciones,
acciones y pensamientos, esten unicamente
orientadas a servirte y alabarte.
Guiame para escoger en mi vida el
camino que me has senalado.
Te pido que al oir tu voz este atento
a tu llamado y guiame con tu Santo
Espiritu para tener el valor de
responder a tu voluntad.
Enciende en mi corazon y en los de
otros, el deseo de hacer del mundo
un lugar major.
-Amen.
-Para obtener copias de esta oracion escriba a Padres Columbanos, St. Columbans, NE USA 68056
Oracion a San Columbano
Bendito San Columbano que dedicaste tu vida a la extension del reino de Cristo y la salvacion del mundo, te imploramos que protejas y asistas a los misioneros de hoy pare que construyan un mundo mas fraterno y justo.
Protegenos tambien a nosotros, querido San Columbano y ayudanos a vivir tu espiritu misionero, llevando la Palabra de Dios a todos nuestros hermanos y hermanas.
-Amen.
-Para obtener copias de esta oracion escriba a Padres Columbanos, St. Columbans, NE USA
God's Plea For Tolerance
People of faith, you often show
intolerance for those who have
beliefs that differ from your own.
Who treats you with intolerance?
Who do you disrespect or hate?
Involved are Christians, Muslims, Jews
and Hindus, Sikhs and others, too.
Your faith in Me unites you all.
Divisions come from your beliefs,
from different doctrines that you hold
of Me, My Nature and My Will.
People of faith, why don’t you see
beliefs you hold can help or hurt,
can help you live with faith and love
and be at peace with others’ faiths
or cause divisions, hate and harm?
Examples are the following:
Do you think God was blessing you
when some of you put slaves to work
as if I loved them less than you;
when you judged women less than men
as if they are not of equal worth;
Or when you launched wars without need,
not using diplomatic means,
or fought for power, land or gold,
or from religious, racial hate?
Do you think I take pleasure in
your use of force to prove your point
that “We are right, and you are wrong.”
Religious wars bring much sadness
to victims and to Me, your God.
Is it not time to change your ways?
You are an obstacle to faith
for faith-seekers who sadly find
your conflicts, your intolerance.
For your traditions all do teach
the need to love and to forgive
as an ideal to pursue
in family and society.
Why not within religions, too,
also with those of other faiths?
You emphasize your differences.
Agree that each and all of you
are equally my children loved,
and that I want more love from you
and not beliefs that fuel the flames
of violence and intolerance.
Know faith alone is not enough.
With faith put justice and put love,
or it is a faith that is incomplete.
It is not expressed in faith-filled deeds,
in works of mercy and of love.
Go from your prayer to reconcile,
forgiving and asking the same.
It may now seem impossible.
It is up to you to take the steps.
Be sure I am with you on this path.
Seek understanding mutually.
Agree that you will disagree
without the need to hate and hurt,
with dialogue your path and goal,
resolving not to persecute
because beliefs differ from yours.
Unite! Fight hunger, poverty,
racism, violence, war.
My Heaven has room for you all.
Please do not teach that it is just for you
or you won’t want to heaven go
where people of all faiths share life,
are happy that others are there,
have made peace with Earth-enemies
and do not argue “Who was right?”
That is all that I will tell you now.
I view your present and your past,
your glass half-empty and half-full,
your negative and positive.
Please listen then to what I have said:
Be tolerant. Do not persecute.
Do not use violence in My name.
Papa Benedict Prayer Intentions para 2008
Para que la Iglesia aumente su esfuerzo por una plena unidad visible, de modo que manifieste cada vez más su rostro de comunidad de amor, donde se refleje la comunión del Padre, del Hijo y del Espíritu Santo.
FEBRERO
Para que los que padecen enfermedades mentales no sean marginados sino respetados y ayudados con amor a vivir dignamente su condición fisica y social.
MARZO
Para que se comprenda la importancia del perdón y de la reconciliación entre las personas y los pueblos, y la iglesia mediante su testimonio, difunda el amor de Cristo fuente de una humanidad nueva.
ABRIL
Para que los cristianos, aun en las situaciones difíciles y complejas de la sociedad actual, no se cansen de proclamar con su vida que la resurrección de Cristo es fuente de esperanza y de paz.
MAYO
Para que los cristianos valoricen más la literatura, el arte y los medios de comunicación social para favorecer una cultura que defienda y promueva los valores de la persona humana.
JUNIO
Para que los cristianos cultiven una amistad profunda y personal con Cristo para poder así comunicar la fuerza de su amor a las personas con quienes se encuentran.
JULIO
Para que crezca el número de quienes, como volutrarios, prestan sus servicios a la comunidad cristiana con generosa y pronta disponibilidad.
AGOSTO
Para que la familia humana sepa respetar el plan de Dios sobre el mundo y sea cada vez más consciente del gran don de Dios que representa la creación para nosotros.
SEPTIEMBRE
Para que quienes se ven obligados a abandonar casa y patria a causa de las guerras o de los regímenes totalitarios, sean apoyados por los cristianos en la defensa y protección de sus derechos.
OCTUBRE
Para que el Sínodo de los Obispos ayude a los pastores, a los teólogos, a los catequistas y a los animadores empeñados al servicio de la Palabra de Dios, a transmitir con valentía las verdades de la fe, en comunión con toda la Iglesia.
NOVIEMBRE
Para que el testimonio de amor ofrecido por los Santos fortifique a los cristianos en la entrega a Dios y al prójimo, imitando a Cristo que vino para servir y no para ser servido.
DICIEMBRE
Para que, frente a la creciente expansión de la cultura de la violencia y de la muerte, la Iglesia por medio de sus actividades apostólicas y misioneras, promueva con valentía la cultura de la vida.
