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"Adopt" or pray for a par- ticular priest or bishop that you find particularly chal- lenging rather than one you like. This requires a greater sacrifice and, therefore, will school us in the selfless love of Christ and be more meritorious and efficacious. Our charity is like a chain, as strong as its weakest link. By working on our "weak links" of charity, we ourselves will grow and contribute more to the building up of Christ's Body, the Church. Our priests need our support! While they need equipped leaders to be on mission with them, they first and foremost need our prayers. The answer to this need is not a particular prayer or form of prayer but rather frequent prayer and sacrifices for our priests and their holiness. Here are 12 ideas to spiritually support our spiritual fathers from Opus Angelorum, an international Catholic movement seeking to promote "a more conscious collaboration with the holy angels in daily life for [the faithful 's] own personal salvation, the salvation of souls and the sanctification of priests," as the organization states on their website. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Pray especially for newly ordained priests. They are like young plants in the garden: tender and in need of special care. Their immer- sion into the apostolate, their lack of experience, isolation and, at times, disillusionment are especially painful at the beginning of their ministry. One study reported that an estimated 10-15 percent of Ameri- can priests leave the priesthood within five years of their ordination. Offer up a portion of your sufferings for priests – be they sickness, hardship, sleepless nights, an upcoming operation or other discomforts. Pray for the souls of priests in purga- tory, asking them to intercede for their fellow priests on earth. It would be good to gain at least one plenary indulgence a week for them. In general, prayers for the poor souls who cannot help themselves are a great work of mercy, to which is attached a great work of mercy: when they get to Heaven through our prayers, they never forget to pray for us poor sinners. To their gratitude, we can recommend and direct their prayers for priests. Offer up at least one rosary a day for priests. When possible, pray the rosary in a Church before the Blessed Sacrament and with others. Fast with prudence and the approval of a priest or spiritual director for the sanctification and conversion of priests, especially for those in the state of mortal sin and in the grip of the devil. For as Christ Himself has told us, there are some kinds of demons that can only be driven out by prayer and fasting (see Mk 9:29). And Pope St. John Paul II has stated that the " first and most effective weapons against the forces of evil are prayer and fasting." (Evangelium Vitae, 100). If you say the Liturgy of the Hours, offer it up in reparation for all the priests who have stopped praying their Office. If you do not know how to pray the Liturgy of the Hours, consider learning how to do so; it is the official prayer of Christ, our High Priest, in and with the Church. ⊲ 11 DENVER CATHOLIC | AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2024