Diocesan Prayer for the Year of St. Paul

Blessed are You, Lord Jesus Christ,
who gave St. Paul to your Church
as the Apostle to the Gentiles;
a teacher in faith and truth,
who gave his life spreading the Good News,
suffering great persecution and trials,
and dying joyfully a martyr.

Help me, Jesus, to know
that St. Paul is my teacher;
that he wants to speak to me today.
Grant me the grace to live by faith as he did,
to know you are worth any cost,
to suffer for your Church,
to find strength in my weakness,
and to bear witness to your Truth.
Help me, Jesus, to know that nothing can separate me from your love.

St. Paul, my guide,
teach me to strive for holiness.
Help me to know that the Cross is my only boast,
that I should carry my cross daily,
and offer my joys and sorrows for what lacks in Christ’s suffering.
Pray for me, St. Paul, that I will be strong in my trials,
and follow this narrow road that leads to true life.

St. Paul, who taught that Christ died for all,
uniting the nations in God’s love,
teach Christians to desire a unity of faith:
that we might be one as the Holy Trinity is one.
Show me my vocation, my part in God’s mission.
Pray for me, St. Paul, that I will nurture God’s plan for me,
that the Body of Christ may be built up by my humble service.

Great Apostle, whose zeal for God is a worthy example,
teach me to love our Lord in the Eucharist as you did,
who spread this gift of selflessness to many peoples
and defended it from ingratitude, neglect and abuse.
Pray for me, St. Paul, that my devotion will become like yours,
that I will long to receive the Blessed Sacrament,
recognize the profound beauty of the Mass, the greatest prayer,
and visit the Lord often in humble Adoration.

Most loving Father, by the power of the Holy Spirit
grant your Church many blessings this Jubilee Year:
That all Christians, by the intercession and example of St. Paul,
will grow in love and fellowship toward You and your Church.
We ask this through Christ, Our Lord.

Amen.