Prayers of the Faithful for Consecrated Life: 7 Sets

Here are seven sets of prayers of the faithful for consecrated life. Use them on the World Day for Consecrated Life (February 2, often kept on the nearest Sunday), at a jubilee of religious profession, or at a parish Mass of thanksgiving for the sisters, brothers and priests of a religious community. Each set prays for a different form of consecrated life: religious orders, cloistered monasteries, consecrated virgins, secular institutes, hermits, missionaries; and for those discerning, for families, and for the parish.

How to use these prayers

Choose one set and adapt it; you may swap in an intention from another set.
Keep it short. Four to six intentions are enough; the Church asks that intentions be “sober” and “succinct” (GIRM 71).
Fill in names where you see N. or (Names).
Give the reader a printed copy and agree on the response, usually “Lord, hear our prayer.”
Name the communities that have served your parish, past and present.
Add the world and those in need. These sets concentrate on consecrated life; on a Sunday add intentions for those who govern and for people who suffer.
Remember religious who have died, by name, in a final intention.

Option 1: For All Consecrated Men and Women, Those Discerning and Their Families

For the holy Church of God, that she may be renewed in the spirit of the evangelical counsels, let us pray to the Lord.
For all men and women in consecrated life, that they may be faithful witnesses to Christ’s poverty, chastity, and obedience, let us pray to the Lord.
For those discerning a religious vocation, that the Lord may grant them wisdom and courage to follow His call, let us pray to the Lord.
For parents and families, that they may nurture and support vocations to the consecrated life, let us pray to the Lord.
For our parish community, that we may cherish and uphold the gift of consecrated life in the Church, let us pray to the Lord.

Option 2: For Religious Communities, Cloistered Monasteries and Consecrated Virgins

For the Church, that she may draw ever closer to Christ through the witness of consecrated persons, let us pray to the Lord.
For religious orders and communities, that the Holy Spirit may continually renew their fervor and commitment, let us pray to the Lord.
For those in cloistered monasteries, that their hidden lives of prayer may obtain graces for the world, let us pray to the Lord.
For consecrated virgins, that their spousal love for Christ may inspire others to spiritual fruitfulness, let us pray to the Lord.
For our local community, that we may esteem and support the consecrated life as a precious treasure, let us pray to the Lord.

Option 3: For Secular Institutes, Hermits and the Call of All the Baptized to Holiness

For the Church, that the radical way of life proposed by the evangelical counsels may flourish within her, let us pray to the Lord.
For members of secular institutes, that they may be leaven for the Kingdom of God in the world, let us pray to the Lord.
For hermits dedicated to prayer and penance, that the Lord may sustain their vocation of solitude, let us pray to the Lord.
For the laity, that they may discover the universal call to holiness and live the spirit of the evangelical counsels, let us pray to the Lord.
For our parish family, that we may foster vocations to the consecrated life through our prayers and encouragement, let us pray to the Lord.

Option 4: For Brothers and Sisters, Apostolic Ministries and Those Who Have Left

For the Church, that she may always cherish the gift of consecrated life as a sign of the Kingdom, let us pray to the Lord.
For religious brothers and sisters, that their lives of service, prayer, and self-giving may bear abundant fruit, let us pray to the Lord.
For consecrated persons in apostolic ministries, that they may be authentic witnesses to the joy of the Gospel, let us pray to the Lord.
For those who have left the consecrated life, that they may find peace and renewed purpose, let us pray to the Lord.
For our community, that we may support and reverence those who have embraced the consecrated life, let us pray to the Lord.

Option 5: For Religious Priests and Deacons, the Sick and Elderly, and the Young

For the Church, that the spirit of the beatitudes may flourish within her through the witness of consecrated persons, let us pray to the Lord.
For religious priests and deacons, that their lives of sacrifice and prayer may sanctify the people they serve, let us pray to the Lord.
For consecrated persons living with illness or diminished faculties, that they may experience the tender care of the Lord, let us pray to the Lord.
For young people, that they may be open to the call of radical discipleship in the consecrated life, let us pray to the Lord.
For our local Church, that we may honor and support consecrated life as a gift from God, let us pray to the Lord.

Option 6: For Missionaries, Those Who Serve Religious and Families Who Gave a Child

For the Church, that she may be continually sanctified by the holiness of those in the consecrated life, let us pray to the Lord.
For missionaries from religious orders and institutes, that their zeal may enkindle faith across the globe, let us pray to the Lord.
For those who minister to consecrated persons, that they may be instruments of God’s care and providence, let us pray to the Lord.
For families who have given children to the consecrated life, that they may rejoice in this spiritual fruitfulness, let us pray to the Lord.
For our parish community, that our love and reverence for the consecrated life may inspire future vocations, let us pray to the Lord.

Option 7: For Contemplatives, the Persecuted and Those in Formation

For the Church, that the witness of consecrated persons may draw all people to the love of Christ, let us pray to the Lord.
For contemplative religious orders, that their lives of prayer may obtain abundant graces for the Church, let us pray to the Lord.
For consecrated persons facing persecution, that their courage and fidelity may be a light in the darkness, let us pray to the Lord.
For priests and religious in formation, that they may be formed in holiness and zeal for the Kingdom, let us pray to the Lord.
For our local Church, that we may foster a culture that nurtures and celebrates vocations to the consecrated life, let us pray to the Lord.

A sample introduction and closing prayer

The priest introduces and concludes the intentions (GIRM 71). These samples were written for this guide; the celebrant may use his own words.

Introduction:

Brothers and sisters, the Lord calls some of his disciples to follow him in poverty, chastity and obedience. Let us give thanks for them and pray for the whole Church.

Concluding prayer:

Lord God, you inspire men and women to leave everything and follow your Son. Hear our prayers: keep them faithful and joyful, and let their lives turn our hearts toward your kingdom. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Frequently asked questions

When is the World Day for Consecrated Life?

February 2, the feast of the Presentation of the Lord. Pope John Paul II instituted it in 1997. Many parishes keep it on the nearest Sunday.

What is consecrated life?

A way of following Christ by publicly professing poverty, chastity and obedience. It includes religious orders and congregations, monasteries, secular institutes, hermits and consecrated virgins.