Many of us have known priest who were accused of wrong-doing personally. And in many cases, the priests were again reinstated to their former positions.
We all need to pray.
Some people don’t understand, because they have had no contact with someone falsely accused in this manner.
We thank you, God our Father, for those who have responded to your call to priestly ministry.
Accept this prayer we offer on their behalf: Fill your priests with the sure knowledge of your love.
Open their hearts to the power and consolation of the Holy Spirit.
Lead them to new depths of union with your Son.
Increase in them profound faith in the Sacraments they celebrate as they nourish, strengthen and heal us.
Lord Jesus Christ, grant that these, your priests, may inspire us to strive for holiness by the power of their example, as men of prayer who ponder your word and follow your will.
O Mary, Mother of Christ and our mother, guard with your maternal care these chosen ones, so dear to the Heart of your Son.
Intercede for our priests, that offering the Sacrifice of your Son, they may be conformed more each day to the image of your Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Saint John Vianney, universal patron of priests, pray for us and our priests
This icon shows Jesus Christ, our eternal high priest.The gold pelican over His heart represents self-sacrifice.
The border contains an altar and grapevines, representing the Mass, and icons of Melchizedek and St. Jean-Baptiste Vianney.
Melchizedek: king of righteousness (left icon) was priest and king of Jerusalem. He blessed Abraham and has been considered an ideal priest-king.
St. Jean-Baptiste Vianney is the patron saint of parish priests.
Yes, but not all. Nowadays, even the words "Administrative Leave" invite speculation. I have a friend who works in a parish where an employee was placed on Administrative Leave by the pastor and subsequently fired and it had something to do with verbal abuse in front of a group. Anyway, this happened right before the pastor went on retreat and the stories running through the parish were apparently pretty harsh and bore no resemblance to the truth. The worst of it was, the other teachers were under a gag order and couldn't set things right. The pastor came back to one massive mess, that's for sure.