Prayer for the Church in our Country
The Catholic Church lives her pilgrimage in history always incarnated in a concrete Country: in a culture, in a language, in a people. The Church in Brazil — under the patronage of Our Lady of Aparecida, declared Patroness of Brazil by Pius XI in 1930 — today has the largest Catholic population in the world, with abundant vocations and proper challenges. The National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (CNBB), founded on 14 October 1952 with the assistance of Dom Hélder Câmara, is the organ of communion of the Brazilian Bishops among themselves and with the Apostolic See. This prayer may be adapted for any country, substituting «Brazil», «Our Lady of Aparecida» and «CNBB» with the patronage and the Conference of the respective nation.
Lord God, Father of all peoples, who guided the history of our beloved Brazil from the first Mass of Fr Henrique de Coimbra OFM on 26 April 1500 until today — through struggles, crises and graces beyond counting: look with mercy upon your Church pilgrim in our Country.
Preserve her faithful to the Magisterium of the Successor of Peter; grant to our Bishops gathered in the National Conference of Bishops the wisdom of good collegial governance; to our priests, the holiness of daily example; to religious women and men, fidelity to the foundational charism; to our families, the courage of public faith amid the secularising pressures of our time.
Raise up among us generous missionary vocations — not only for our land, but for the poor brothers and sisters of Africa, of Asia, of Latin America where the number of priests is fewer. May the Brazilian Church cease to be only a land of Mission, and become also a land of Missionaries.
Through the intercession of Our Lady of Aparecida, Patroness of Brazil; of St José de Anchieta, Apostle of Brazil; of St Frei Galvão, first Brazilian saint; and of all the saints and blesseds of our Country: protect our Church, our people, our civil authorities, our simple and good people.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory be.