Prayer on Behalf of the Synod
Fr. Hugh Gillespie, SMM
Prayer on Behalf of the Synod
A round the globe, numerous dioceses have organized Synods to engage both religious leaders and the laity in discussions on various topics.
These Synods also take place at a national level. Later this year, Bishops, priests, and members of the laity will gather in Rome to deliberate upon the outcomes of these Synods.
Consequently, the Bishops have requested prayers, specifically at Marian Shrines. In response to this appeal, a special prayer has been formulated to seek the protection and guidance of Our Lady over these Synods.
To gain further insight, you can listen to a seven-minute audio clip. The initial segment, approximately three minutes long, offers a detailed explanation, while the second half features the recitation of the prayer. If you wish to follow along with the prayer, you can expand the link provided below to reveal the text.
Pentecost: Stain Glass: The Church of St. Therese of Lisieux – Roman Catholic Parish in Montauk, New York
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Prayer on Behalf of the Synod
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PRAYER ON BEHALF OF THE SYNOD
Like the first disciples of the Lord who gathered around Our Lady, united in prayer on that great Sunday when the Holy Spirit descended in wondrous power upon the Church, we unite ourselves with one another and most especially with Our Blessed Lady as we call out to Heaven for a renewed outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Church, and most especially upon the upcoming Synod in Rome:
V. O Mary, conceived without Sin,
R. Pray for us who have recourse to thee.
Our Lady of the Island,
Mother of mercy and Queen of all hearts,
Spouse of the Holy Spirit and Mother of the Church,
through you and with you on the great Sunday of Pentecost
the Holy Spirit knit those gathered disciples
who had united with you in prayer into the unified Body of Christ commissioned
to make disciples of all nations.
Disciples from those very nations,
the fruit of that first and greatest Pentecost,
members of that same Mystical Body of Christ,
striving after greater unity as its members and
greater responsiveness to the movement of the Holy Spirit,
once more unite in placing themselves under your protection
and the guidance of your ever prayerful, ever attentive Immaculate Heart.
Grant them, and indeed all members of the Body of Christ,
a sharing in the obedience and humility with which
you yourself both heard the word of Heaven and surrendered to its call,
a sharing in that lively and generous faith with which
you believed that all things are truly possible for Almighty God,
and a sharing in that deep and attentive listening and contemplation
by which you held all things related to your Son in your heart
as the very greatest of treasures and by which
you understood that the one who is truly blessed among all others
is most fully the servant of the Lord and his people.
Faithful Spouse of the Holy Spirit,
by your prayer rising from the very heart of the Body of Christ,
obtain for your sons and daughters who gather for the Synod
a renewed and mighty outpouring of the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit
and pray with us now as we call upon that same
Spirit of the Father and the Son,
whom we rightly name Lord and Giver of life:
Holy Spirit, who has gathered us in the name of Christ,
who alone are the true Guide of the Church
and who is pleased to dwell within our hearts,
illumine us and instruct us in the way you would have us travel
and how you would have us walk along it.
We who are weak, we who are sinful,
ask that you free us from all spirit of disorder;
that you protect us from all spirit of ignorance
which would place our feet on the wrong path,
that you deliver us from our spirit of partiality and self-interest
which too easily and too often influences our actions.
Let us, O Holy Spirit, find our true unity in you
that we may walk always together along the way that leads to eternal life
and not stray from the pathway of truth, nor turn away from what is right.
By the powerful intercession of the Holy Virgin Mary
we ask all this of you who are ever at work in all times and in all places
in communion with the Father and the Son for ever and ever. Amen.
V. Prayer for us, O Holy Mother of God.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
