During his preaching at this morning’s Chrism Mass, Archbishop Vigneron announced that the Archdiocese of Detroit will engage in a Year of Prayer for Priestly Vocations beginning on June 4 (the Vigil of Pentecost) and concluding on May 28, 2023 (the Solemnity of Pentecost). This Year of Prayer will be a time for everyone in the Archdiocese—priests, deacons, religious, and laity—to come to understand and embrace our need to be united in prayer, working toward a culture that fosters and celebrates vocations to the priesthood.
To begin this Year of Prayer, Archbishop Vigneron plans to issue a pastoral note on Priestly Vocations in the coming weeks and will lead a Holy Hour for Priestly Vocations at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament. All are invited to join the Archbishop at the Cathedral for this Holy Hour, scheduled for 10 a.m. June 4.
Archbishop Vigneron is also asking that, at all Sunday Masses across the Archdiocese during the Year of Prayer, after the prayers of the faithful, priests lead the congregation in praying together as a community this prayer for priestly vocations:
Heavenly Father, Lord of the Harvest,
call forth vocations to the priesthood
from our archdiocese and families.
Jesus, Eternal High Priest,
give us men willing to sacrifice and serve.
Make their hearts after your own Sacred Heart.
Holy Spirit, Everlasting Love between Father and Son,
strengthen, inspire, and set men on fire with divine charity.
Grant them the courage to say yes to their vocation.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, Mother of priests,
comfort and protect your sons as they discern their call.
With Saint Joseph, may they know your love and companionship
as they deepen their relationship with Jesus.
Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us.
St. Anne, pray for us.
St. John Vianney, patron saint of priests, pray for us.
We encourage you to visit prayforvocations.com to learn more about our plans for this Year of Prayer. The website will include prayer cards (available in both English and Spanish) and other resources that can be ordered for your parish, plus digital resources that can be downloaded for use on your parish websites and social media channels. The website will also list opportunities and ideas for parishes to get involved, including hosting local Holy Hours for Priestly Vocations and praying the Rosary as a community.
We know that God continues to call men to the priesthood, so we pray that more men will hear and answer this call to become holy priests. Our 2014 Year of Prayer for a New Pentecost has borne so much good fruit throughout the Archdiocese of Detroit, and we are confident that our prayers this year will similarly be answered. Please join us in dedicating this next year to praying fervently that God will bring forth a new generation of holy priests for our local Church.
