The Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph and many of our Associates and friends have responded to the Leadership Conference of Women Religious’ call to pray, fast, and advocate for issues affecting our nation and our world. We have chosen to commit to a day of prayer, fasting and advocacy once a month in June, July, and August, and offer these intentions for those days:
- Thursday, June 26, International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, for immigrants/migrants, survivors of torture, displaced and deported persons, those experiencing loss of due process protections;
- Saturday, July 26, Feast of Saints Joachim and Anne, for vulnerable populations such as those who are elderly, have disabilities, are homeless or live in substandard housing; and
- Tuesday, August 12, International Youth Day, for all programs supporting children and youth.
Each participant is encouraged to pray in the way that resonates most deeply with the Spirit within, and to fast from whatever keeps us from being Spirit-led and mission-focused.
We offer the following thoughts and suggestions and also invite you to join with Ursuline customs by including within each of these chosen days our traditional devotion to Our Lady of Prompt Succor.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor
The devotion to Our Lady of Prompt Succor is deeply significant to Ursuline Sisters because of their history and the miraculous events associated with the title. A statue of Our Lady of Prompt Succor, brought to New Orleans by one of the Sisters, became a focal point of prayer during difficult times, including fires, epidemics, and the Battle of New Orleans. The Ursulines’ prayers and the miraculous outcomes were attributed to Our Lady’s intercession, solidifying her importance to the Ursuline Sisters. During this time of anxiety, fear, and distress, please join us in calling on the intercession of Our Lady of Prompt Succor.
Prayer for Prompt Succor
God of Justice, who knows and desires peace for all your sons and daughters, grant in your merciful goodness that the Blessed Virgin Mother, Mother of Your Divine Son, may defend our world. May all people across the globe be protected, through her intercession, with PROMPT SUCCOR, may all Your children, in their diversity and uniqueness, be delivered from harm. God of Peace, heal us from actions and words of hostility and intolerance, and transform the hearts of all. May we move forward through this time of chaos into the future with dependence on you. We turn to You to act in haste to bring about peace, healing, and reconciliation.
Refrain:
Our Lady of Prompt Succor, hasten to help us.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor, hasten to help us.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor, hasten to help us.
Find the traditional Litany of Our Lady of Prompt Succor here
Fasting
As we are asked to fast from whatever keeps us from being Spirit-led and mission-focused, each person’s fast may vary. We might consider these and other ways of fasting:
- Fast from a particular food or drink.
- Fast from rhetoric that does harm to others.
- Fast from social media or non-essential technology.
- Fast from judging.
- Fast from a single meal.
- Fast from foods not available to the most vulnerable.
Prayer before Fasting:
As I begin this time of fasting, I pray that you will fill me with Your grace and grant me strength and resolution to endure the hunger and discomfort for the intention on my heart and the needs of our world. May this fast lead me, and those for whom I pray, a deeper faith, renewal, and healing. May this fast be instrumental in the dawning of a holy and just world built on love and peace. Amen.
Advocacy
For each of our chosen days we are encouraged to advocate for concerns or programs related to those for whom the day is dedicated. Advocacy takes many forms and could include these or others:
- Commit to one small act that connects to your passions, interests, and values for change and transformation.
- Volunteer or participate in a chosen service.
- Read and research about the topics and issues you are called to AND the ones that feel at the edge of your comfort zone.
- Check your privilege and reflect on systems of privilege and oppression in your own life or experience.
- Talk with friends and family about the issues you are curious about. Be authentic in naming your values and concerns to the extent that you are capable.
- Write letters or call local and federal politicians. Follow the legislation that is being proposed in your city and state, as well as at the federal level.
- Show support for issues you care about by signing on to petitions online.
- Explore your own biases and gaps in knowledge and experience.
- Practice self care AND collective care. Create time to pray, educate yourself and be refueled and recharged. Seek out others who have the same need and practice collective care.
- Care for the well-being of everyone, knowing that we need one another for our actions to be sustainable.