St. John Mary Vianney

St. John Mary Vianney

( Patron saint of all priests)

Jean-Baptiste-Marie Vianney (8 May 1786 – 4 August 1859)

Feast day: August 4

 

Also known as "Curé d'Ars".

Ordained as a deacon in June, 1815.

Ordained as a priest on 12 August, 1815. (French priest)

In 1818, Jean-Marie Vianney was appointed parish priest of the parish of Ars.

His life was filled with works of charity and love.

He passed on August 4, 1859, and was canonized May 31, 1925 by Pope Pius XI.

Pope Benedict XVI placed the Year for Priests (June 2009-June 2010) under St John Vianney's patronage with the following words on 16 June 2009 from His letter "Proclaiming a Year for Priests on the 150th Anniversary of the "Dies Natalis" of Curé of Ars", which officially marked the beginning of the year dedicated to priests.

"…On the forthcoming Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Friday 19 June 2009 – a day traditionally devoted to prayer for the sanctification of the clergy –, I have decided to inaugurate a “Year for Priests” in celebration of the 150^th anniversary of the “dies natalis” of John Mary Vianney, the patron saint of parish priests worldwide. This Year, meant to deepen the commitment of all priests to interior renewal for the sake of a stronger and more incisive witness to the Gospel in today’s world, will conclude on the same Solemnity in 2010. "The priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus”, the saintly Curé of Ars would often say This touching expression makes us reflect, first of all, with heartfelt gratitude on the immense gift which priests represent, not only for the Church, but also for humanity itself. I think of all those priests who quietly present Christ’s words and actions each day to the faithful and to the whole world, striving to be one with the Lord in their thoughts and their will, their sentiments and their style of life...."

(http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/letters/2009/documents/hf_ben-xvi_let_20090616_anno-sacerdotale_en.html) 

 

Notable for his saintly life, mortification, his persevering ministry in the sacrament of confession, and his ardent devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Philomena.

PRAYER OF ST. JOHN VIANNEY

I love You, O my God, and my only desire is to love You until the last breath of my life.
I love You, O my infinitely lovable God, and I would rather die loving You, than live without loving You.
I love You, Lord and the only grace I ask is to love You eternally...
My God, if my tongue cannot say in every moment that I love You, I want my heart to repeat it to You as often as I draw breath.

Litany of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Priest and Victim
Lord, have mercy, Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy, Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy, Lord, have mercy.
Christ hear us, Christ hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us,
Christ, graciously hear us.

God the Father of Heaven,
* Have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, *
God the Holy Spirit, *
Holy Trinity, One God, *
Jesus, Priest and Victim, *
Jesus, Priest forever according to
the order of Melchizedek, *
Jesus, Priest Whom God sent to preach
the Gospel to the poor, *
Jesus, Priest Who at the Last Supper instituted
the form of the eternal sacrifice, *
Jesus, Priest Who lives forever to intercede for us, *
Jesus, High Priest whom the Father anointed with
the Holy Spirit and power, *
Jesus, High Priest chosen from among men, *
Jesus, made High Priest for men, *

Jesus, High Priest of our confession of faith, *
Jesus, High Priest of greater glory than Moses, *

Jesus, High Priest of the true tabernacle, *

Jesus, High Priest of the good things to come, *
Jesus, High Priest, holy, innocent and undefiled, *
Jesus, High Priest, faithful and merciful, *
Jesus, High Priest, inflamed with zeal
for God and souls, *
Jesus, High Priest, perfect forever, *
Jesus, High Priest, Who by Your own Blood
entered the heavens, *
Jesus, High Priest, who opened a new way for us, *
Jesus, High Priest, who loved us and washed us
from our sins in Your Blood, *
Jesus, High Priest, who offered Yourself to God
as an oblation and sacrificial Victim, *
Jesus, sacrificial Victim of God and men, *
Jesus, holy and immaculate sacrificial Victim, *
Jesus, pleasing sacrificial Victim, *
Jesus, peace-making sacrificial Victim, *
Jesus, Sacrifice of propitiation and praise, *
Jesus, sacrificial Victim of reconciliation and peace, *
Jesus, sacrificial Victim in whom we have
confidence and access to God, *
Jesus, sacrificial Victim living forever and ever, *

Be merciful, Spare us, Jesus.
Be merciful, Graciously hear us, Jesus.

 

From rashly entering the clergy,
*Deliver us, Jesus.
From the sin of sacrilege, *
From the spirit of incontinence, *
From sordid pursuits, *
From every lapse into simony, *
From the unworthy administration of
the Church’s treasures, *
From the love of the world and its vanities, *
From the unworthy celebration of Your Mysteries, *
Through Your eternal priesthood, *
Through the holy anointing whereby You were
constituted a priest by God the Father, *
Through Your priestly spirit, *
Through that ministry whereby You glorified
Your Father on earth, *
Through the bloody immolation of Yourself
made once and for all upon the Cross, *
Through that same sacrifice daily renewed
upon the altar, *
Through that divine power which You exercise
invisibly in Your priests, *

That You would deign to maintain the whole priestly
order in holy religion,
* We beseech You, hear us.
That You would deign to provide Your people
with Priest after Your own heart, *

That You would deign to fill them with the spirit
of Your priesthood, *
That the lips of Your priests might preserve
true knowledge, *
That You would deign to send faithful workers
into Your harvest, *
That You would deign to multiply the faithful
dispensers of Your Mysteries, *
That You would deign to grant them perseverance
in the service of Your will, *
That You would deign to give them gentleness
in their ministry, resourcefulness in their actions,
and constancy in prayer, *
That through them You would deign to promote
the veneration of the Blessed Sacrament everywhere, *
That You would deign to receive into Your joy
those who have served You well, *

Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world,
Spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world,
Graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world,
Have mercy on us, O Lord.
Jesus, Our Priest, Hear us.
Jesus, Our Priest, Graciously hear us.

 

Let us pray:
O God, Sanctifier and Guardian of your Church, raise
up in her through Your Spirit suitable and faithful
dispensers of the holy Mysteries, so that by their ministry
and example, the Christian people may be guided under
Your protection in the path of salvation. Through Christ
our Lord. Amen.
O God, who, while the disciples were worshiping and
fasting, ordered Saul and Barnabas to be set apart for the
work to which You had called them, be present now to
Your Church in prayer, and You, who know the hearts of
all, indicate those whom You have chosen for ministry.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Ecclesiastical approval for English translation:
–Adam Cardinal Maida, Archbishop Emertitus of Detroit

The Litany of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Priest and Victim, was often
prayed by Pope John Paul II as a seminarian in Kracow, and later
in life as a priest, bishop and pope. This prayer leaflet was printed in honor of the Year of the Priest proclaimed by Pope Benedict XVI from
June 19, 2009—June 19, 2010.