The Diocese of Richmond will be praying a novena January 30-February 7, 2022 asking Servant of God Frank Parater–a seminarian of the diocese who died in 1920 whose cause for beatification is open–to intercede before the Throne of God requesting an abundance of holy vocations to the priesthood and his beatification. All dioceses are in need of priestly vocations, so I wanted to share this project with those who are interested.
Fr. Anthony Ferguson of the Diocese of Richmond has created a prayer card featuring Frank Parater that has the intercessory prayer approved by our late bishop that we will be praying each day for 9 days beginning on Sunday, January 30, 2022 and ending on Monday, February 7, 2022, which is the anniversary of Frank’s death. Our parish will end with a holy hour for vocations, which is open to everyone in the area at 6:30 pm and we encourage other parishes to offer holy hours for priestly vocations as well.
If you reach out to me through the Contact form, I’d be happy to email you the PDFs of both the prayer card and the pamphlet for the novena, which you can then have printed for your parish. We ask that the information on the prayer card and pamphlet stay as is. Unlike the 54-Day Rosary Novena for Priests last June-August, we want this novena tied to our diocese because any spiritual favors granted through Frank’s intercession should be reported to the diocese in order to help advance his cause for beatification. Your parish can obviously pray for vocations to the priesthood through Frank’s intercession in your own diocese and the universal Church.
I will post any articles I have written for this project as they publish in the next two weeks. You can also find out more about Frank’s life at https://richmonddiocese.org/office/francis-j-prater/
May God in His infinite love and mercy raise up an abundance of holy vocations to the priesthood to guide the Church in these dark days.
Frank Parater Intercessory Prayer
Loving Father, your servant Frank Parater sought perfection as a student, scout and seminarian. He offered himself to you completely through the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Through his intercession, may young people answer your call to follow Jesus as priests, deacons and religious.
Grant, as well, the favors I seek, so that your Church will recognize his holiness and proclaim him Blessed.
Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Imprimatur Bishop Walter Sullivan, February 7, 2002
Frank Parater, ora pro nobis.
Swimming the Depths 