For the Increase in Vocations to the Consecrated Life in the Community of St. Mary
The following Prayers and Collects may be used as part of a Novena (a Nine-day Cycle) of Prayer or may be incorporated into daily prayer for C.S.M.Prayers to be Said Daily“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8)
Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. 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. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.
Collect for the Community of St. Mary: Almighty God, who chose the blessed Virgin Mary to be the Mother of your Incarnate Son, grant to us your servants who bear her name so to yield ourselves to the operation of the Holy Spirit that we may be acceptable in your sight and may bring forth to you the fruit of good works, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
First Day: For an Increase in Numbers and Sanctification. O Father and lover of souls, pour upon your Church the spirit of religious vocation and grant the Community of St. Mary an increase in numbers and sanctification of Sisters, to your glory and for the benefit of your whole Church, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Second Day: For the Call to a Life Consecrated to God. Lord Jesus, as you have called men and women in every generation to a consecrated life, we ask you in our day to prompt women of your choosing to offer themselves to your service in the Community of St. Mary. May they answer “Yes!” to your call, after the example of your holy Mother, the Community’s patroness, through the grace of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Third Day: For an Evangelical Witness to Christ. Heavenly Father, hear us: We ask that you draw women to a life of poverty, chastity, and obedience as Sisters of St. Mary, as an Evangelical witness to the supremacy and vigor of the kingdom of your Son Jesus Christ and to your glory and praise. Amen.
Fourth Day: For Vowed Life as Type of the Church as Bride. Lord Jesus, even as we await eagerly the revelation of the whole Church Triumphant as your spotless and holy Bride, so we ask that you call women in our age to live the particular vocation of a vowed life, given wholly to the love of God. Prepare the hearts of these women by trimming and replenishing their interior lamps with the oil of your Holy Spirit Amen.
Fifth Day: For Consecration to a Life of Mediating Healing Love. Gracious Father, your Son Jesus calls us to heal the broken-hearted, to dry the tears of those who mourn, to give hope to those who despair, to rejoice in your steadfast love. Call forth from among us Sisters of St. Mary to mediate the healing love of Jesus Christ poured out through his Holy Spirit. Amen.
Sixth Day: For Monastic Witness & Dedication in Modern Times. Lord Jesus Christ, who called St. Anthony and the first monks to carry ascetic discipline into the desert and to engage in spiritual warfare, call men and women today to take up single-minded discipline as monks and nuns to carry your Gospel message of truth, bringing peace into the chaotic moral and spiritual world of our times. Amen.
Seventh Day: For Inquirers, Aspirants and their Families. Almighty and everlasting God, guide and strengthen all inquirers and aspirants to the Community of St. Mary. Bless their families, friends and communities at home with under-standing and joy in their choice to explore the possibility of religious vocation, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Eighth Day: For Wisdom in Discernment by the Community. Gracious Father, we ask you to pour gifts of wisdom and discernment on all who share the burden of guiding and evaluating those preparing to enter as Sisters of St. Mary. Give them welcoming hearts and faith in your guidance through the power of the Holy Spirit and in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Ninth Day: For a New Anointing for the Sisters of St. Mary. Heavenly Father: Renew and strengthen the Sisters of St. Mary in the love of your Son our Savior, Jesus Christ, who drew them to offer their lives in union with his perfect Oblation on the Cross. Pour the oil of your anointing upon this community, rekindling the light of love in each heart consecrated to Christ. We ask their patroness, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and all the angels and saints, to join with us in all our intentions.
Kindle also a similar living flame of love in the hearts of the women you call to consecrated life, so that the Community of St. Mary in this generation may shine forth in your Church to your glory and praise, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.