Feast of San Carlo Borromeo

San Carlo Borromeo, ora pro nobis

November 4th is the Feast of San Carlo Borromeo (1538-1584), Bishop and Confessor. Patron saint of seminarians, catechists, bishops and cardinals, he was a central figure in the Council of Trent and many of the reforms of the Catholic Church during the Counter-Reformation.

In celebration, I’m posting a Prayer for Priests by Saint Charles Borromeo. The accompanying photo of the right altar panel depicting the great saint was taken at the Cappella delle Anime al Purgatorio (Chapel of the Souls of Purgatory) during my 2010 pilgrimage to the Palatine Chapel inside the Castel Nuovo (Maschio Angioino) in Napoli. Evviva San Carlo Borromeo! 

Prayer for Priests by Saint Charles Borromeo 

O Holy Mother of God, pray for the priests your Son has chosen to serve the Church. Help them, by your intercession, to be holy, zealous, and chaste. Make them models of virtue in the service of God's people. Help them be pious in meditation, efficacious in preaching, and zealous in the daily offering of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Help them administer the Sacraments with love and joy. Amen.