FOR THE INCREASE OF PRIESTSO ALMIGHTY God, look mercifully upon thy Church, and incline the hearts of many of her sons to offer themselves for the work of the sacred ministry, so that by their labours, thy Light may shine in the darkness of the world, and the coming of thy Kingdom may be hastened by the perfecting of thine elect. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
FOR A PRIEST
O LORD Jesus Christ, great High Priest and gracious Shepherd; receive thy servant N., whom thou hast consecrated to minister to thee in holy things; and grant him such purity of heart and life, and such zeal for souls that he may bring many into union with thee, and fulfill his ministry in holiness to thy glory, our Lord and Saviour. Who livest and reignest, world without end. Amen.
ANOTHER PRAYER FOR A PRIEST
JESUS, eternal Priest, keep this thy holy one within the shelter of thy Sacred Heart, where none may touch him. Keep unstained his anointed hands, which daily touch thy sacred Body; keep unsullied his lips, purpled with thy precious Blood; keep pure and unearthly his heart, sealed with sublime marks of thy glorious priesthood. Let thy holy love surround him, and keep him ever unspotted from the world. Bless his labours with abundant fruit, and may they to whom he has ministered be here below his joy and consolation, and in heaven his beautiful and everlasting crown. Amen.
from St. Augustine's Prayer Book (Anglican), 1967
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