Please join us in prayer as we discern future leadership and direction.
Father Dan Dorsey

This June Glenmary brothers, priests and students, along with six of our coworkers, will gather at the Catherine Spalding Center in Nazareth, Ky., for our 14th General Chapter. For us it will be a time of prayer, communal dialogue, discussion and discerning the “signs of the times.” During the 12 days of this Chapter we will elect new leadership for Glenmary and set the direction for our ministry and community for the next four years.

A General Chapter is a significant event in the life of a religious community. While in session a General Chapter is the supreme authority of the religious community.

This year’s Chapter, which is representative of all members of Glenmary, will convene June 18 and close on June 29. The theme is “Community of Missioners.”

As a society of the apostolic life, Glenmary reflects a unique blend of zeal for the apostolate and the need for community. Our task of initiating and fostering salvation through Jesus Christ in rural areas and small towns of the United States can be challenging and, at times, difficult. As a “community of missioners,” we recognize that in unity there is strength and that, where many unite together, there is a variety of talents to meet the challenges which our missionary work presents.

As Glenmary’s partners in mission, I invite you to participate in our upcoming Chapter by becoming a prayer participant. As a prayer participant, I ask you to commit yourself to pray daily (until June 29) for the success of our Chapter. Specifically, I am asking you to pray the prayer at the end of my column.

Please know that I thank God each day for you. You play an important role in Glenmary’s home mission ministry. Thank you for saying yes and partnering with us!

Prayer for a Fruitful Glenmary Chapter

Loving Father, you are the source of life and goodness.
We rejoice in the gift of your Son, Jesus,
who dwells constantly in our midst and reveals to us the splendor of your love.
Shower your grace upon Glenmary during their 14th Chapter.

Give them a spirit of trust in you and in each other.
Renew their sight so they may see with hope-filled eyes.
Help them to grow in the love and service of our Church.
Imbued with that love and your wisdom,
may they discern how to best serve the mission regions
of the United States in the coming years.

Lord Jesus Christ, Master of the Harvest, you are the true light come into the world.
Grant a fruitful outcome to this 14th Chapter of Glenmary
so that your gospel may shine through them, as a Community of Missioners, to even the most forgotten and neglected areas of our country.

Holy Spirit, you open the heart and the mind to the Divine call;
you make effective every impetus toward good, toward truth, toward charity.
Bless this 14th Chapter of Glenmary
and inspire its participants with zeal, generosity and courage to seek only the Father’s will.

Amen.

To download this prayer is PDF format