by Pope Pius XII

O Jesus, you are the eternal High Priest, the Good Shepherd,
the Source of life.
Through the singular generosity of Your most sensitive heart,
You have given us our priests for the purpose of fulfilling in us
that plan of sanctification which Your grace inspires in our hearts.

We beg You come to their aid with Your merciful assistance.
O Jesus, may they possess faith which energizes their actions,
Hope which is unshakable in trials,
And charity which permeates their endeavors.

Through their constant meditation, may your word,
Which is an outpouring of eternal wisdom,
Become the everlasting nourishment of their interior life;
And may their conduct and suffering
reflect the example of Your life and Passion,
So as to serve for our instruction,
and as a beacon of consolation in our sorrows.

O Lord, grant that our priests be detached from all worldly interests,
and labor only for Your glory.
With a pure conscience may they persevere
in their duties faithfully until their dying breath.
And when death has claimed their bodies, and they place back into
Your hands the account of their faithful stewardship,
May they enjoy in You, Lord Jesus, their divine teacher on earth,
the everlasting reward of the crown of justice in the splendor
of the Saints.
Amen