The Rosary for Vocations, the Sorrowful Mysteries, presented by Bishop James V. Johnston, Jr. and the seminarians of the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau.
Opening Intention O Lord, I unite my heart with all the Saints in heaven and with all the Just on earth; I unite with You, my Jesus, to praise Your holy Mother worthily and to praise You in her and through her. I renounce all the distractions that may come to me while I am praying this rosary. O Lord, I offer You this rosary for the increase in vocations to the priesthood, religious life and the permanent diaconate and for a strengthening of all current vocations, lay or religious. O Lord, I offer You this opening Creed to honor the faith You brought to Your Apostles upon this earth and to ask You to permit me to share in that same faith. Most Holy Trinity, I offer You this opening Our Father to adore You in Your oneness and to acknowledge You as the first cause and the last end of all things. O Heavenly Father, I offer You these three opening Hail Mary’s to thank You for all the graces which You have given to Mary and which You have given to Your followers through her intercession. O Jesus, may Your Mother Mary watch over and protect all young men and women considering a vocational call to priestly or religious life. The First Sorrowful Mystery: The Agony in the Garden - Jesus asked His Apostles to pray “that you may not undergo the test.” Our Lord knew they needed to pray in order to endure what would soon happen. Let us offer this decade for those men and women whom God is calling to be priests and religious, that they might have a deep and abiding life of prayer. Through the strength given to them through their spiritual life may they respond courageously to God’s call. The Second Sorrowful Mystery: The Scourging at the Pillar - Our Lord’s suffering during the scourging was excruciating. For our sake Jesus offered Himself to obtain our salvation. Let us offer this decade for the grace that many young people might feel the desire in their hearts to offer themselves to God as priests and religious. The Third Sorrowful Mystery: The Crowning with Thorns - Jesus endured the terrible ridicule and mockery of the soldiers even to the point of accepting the painful crown of thorns. Let us offer this decade for those who have a calling to the priesthood or religious life but find it difficult to say “yes” because of fear or other painful obstacles in their lives. May peer pressure or concern over other people’s reactions never stand in their way of following God’s will. The Fourth Sorrowful Mystery: The Carrying of the Cross - On the way to Calvary, our Lord found comfort and assistance from a number of people: Simon of Cyrene, the women of Jerusalem, His Mother, and Veronica. How much those acts of love must have meant to Jesus! Let us offer this decade for the grace to always support, with our prayers and sacrifices, those whom God is calling to become priests and religious. May God find us seriously engaged in this very important apostolate! The Fifth Sorrowful Mystery: The Crucifixion and death of Our Lord - At the foot of the Cross, there came into existence a new type of family. Before Jesus died He entrusted to the maternal care of Mary all of humanity, represented in the person of the “beloved disciple.” Through the New Covenant the notion of family is greatly enlarged, it takes on a different dimension. Let us offer this decade for those who are being called but are hesitant because of fears of not being able to have a family and living a lonely life. Help them, O Lord, to see that in serving You as a priest or religious, their desires for family will indeed be completely fulfilled.
Opening Intention
O Lord, I unite my heart with all the Saints in heaven and with all the Just on
earth; I unite with You, my Jesus, to praise Your holy Mother worthily and to praise
You in her and through her. I renounce all the distractions that may come to me
while I am praying this rosary.
O Lord, I offer You this rosary for the increase in vocations to the priesthood,
religious life and the permanent diaconate and for a strengthening of all current
vocations, lay or religious.
O Lord, I offer You this opening Creed to honor the faith You brought to Your
Apostles upon this earth and to ask You to permit me to share in that same faith.
Most Holy Trinity, I offer You this opening Our Father to adore You in Your
oneness and to acknowledge You as the first cause and the last end of all things.
O Heavenly Father, I offer You these three opening Hail Mary’s to thank You for
all the graces which You have given to Mary and which You have given to Your
followers through her intercession. O Jesus, may Your Mother Mary watch over and
protect all young men and women considering a vocational call to priestly or religious
life.
The First Sorrowful Mystery: The Agony in the Garden - Jesus asked His Apostles
to pray “that you may not undergo the test.” Our Lord knew they needed to pray in
order to endure what would soon happen. Let us offer this decade for those men
and women whom God is calling to be priests and religious, that they might have a
deep and abiding life of prayer. Through the strength given to them through their
spiritual life may they respond courageously to God’s call.
The Second Sorrowful Mystery: The Scourging at the Pillar - Our Lord’s suffering
during the scourging was excruciating. For our sake Jesus offered Himself to obtain
our salvation. Let us offer this decade for the grace that many young people might
feel the desire in their hearts to offer themselves to God as priests and religious.
The Third Sorrowful Mystery: The Crowning with Thorns - Jesus endured the
terrible ridicule and mockery of the soldiers even to the point of accepting the painful
crown of thorns. Let us offer this decade for those who have a calling to the
priesthood or religious life but find it difficult to say “yes” because of fear or other
painful obstacles in their lives. May peer pressure or concern over other people’s
reactions never stand in their way of following God’s will.
The Fourth Sorrowful Mystery: The Carrying of the Cross - On the way to Calvary,
our Lord found comfort and assistance from a number of people: Simon of Cyrene,
the women of Jerusalem, His Mother, and Veronica. How much those acts of love
must have meant to Jesus! Let us offer this decade for the grace to always support,
with our prayers and sacrifices, those whom God is calling to become priests and
religious. May God find us seriously engaged in this very important apostolate!
The Fifth Sorrowful Mystery: The Crucifixion and death of Our Lord - At the foot
of the Cross, there came into existence a new type of family. Before Jesus died He
entrusted to the maternal care of Mary all of humanity, represented in the person of
the “beloved disciple.” Through the New Covenant the notion of family is greatly
enlarged, it takes on a different dimension. Let us offer this decade for those who
are being called but are hesitant because of fears of not being able to have a family
and living a lonely life. Help them, O Lord, to see that in serving You as a priest or
religious, their desires for family will indeed be completely fulfilled.