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MANUAL OF COMMON PRAYERS
FOR THE BALTIMORE AND MT. ALPHONSUS SEMINARY I grew up in
Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, and my family was a member of St.
Alphonsus Church, a Redemptorist parish. In late summer 1978, one of
our parish priests, Father James Nugent, convinced me to attend Holy
Redeemer College in Waterford,
Wisconsin. HRC was a college-level seminary run by the priests and
brothers of the St. Louis Province (now known as the Denver Province) of the
Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (C.Ss.R, or "Congregation
Sanctissimi Redemptoris "), the Redemptorists. Although I only
spent a year at HRC, and I'm no longer a member of a Redemptorist-run
parish, my year at HRC made an indelible and long-lasting impression on
me.
While I was at HRC, I obtained a copy of a 96-page booklet entitled
"Manual of Common Prayers for the Baltimore and St. Louis Provinces." The
manual was published by Mt. St. Alphonsus Seminary in Esopus, New York,
which was the Redemptorist's major, or graduate-level, seminary. After
spending four years at HRC and one year in the Novitiate, you'd go on to
take a Master of Divinity degree from "the Mount." You would then be
ordained a priest.
Sadly, HRC and the Mount no longer exist as seminaries because of sharp
enrollment declines that have occurred during the last 20 years. When I
was at HRC, there were 48 undergraduate students, excluding those at the
Novitiate in Oconomowoc,
Wisconsin. But HRC closed its doors in 1985, only six years after I left.
According to the Denver province's Web site,
"the handwriting had already been on the wall for some time. There was
only one post-novitiate student for the Redemptorists. Most of the rest of
the student body were night-class students."
Pre-novitiate Redemptorist seminarians are now trained at the St. John
Neumann House at St. Louis University.
The Mount is now a retreat center,
and the major seminarians are trained at Washington Theological Union in D.C.
As a tribute the Redemptorists, I hope to eventually put the whole
Manual on this Web site. |
| Prayers | Introduction |
|---|---|
Introduction:
Morning Prayers: Novena Prayers Table Prayers Prayers at Domestic Meetings Evening Prayers Night Prayers Prayers for the Renewal of Life Solemn Renewal of Vows Prayers for Canonical Visitation Service for the Installation of Provincial and Local Sup Suffrages for the Deceased Appendixes |
There is no
need to establish the necessity of prayer for us as Christians or
religious. All we need do is dwell on the words of St. Alphonsus: "He who
prays is certainly saved. He who prays not is certainly damned." (1). Our
Constitution and Statutes remind us that "In addition to liturgical
prayer, the members have the right and duty to devote every day at least
an hour to other forms of prayer" (2). They go on to emphasize the need
for meditation: "With the object of participating with more depth and with
greater fruit in the Mystery of the Holy Eucharist and the liturgical
life, the confreres, both in the religious house and outside of it, shall
attach the greatest importance to mental prayer (cf. Matt. 6:6). They
shall direct it especially to the mysteries of the Redemption" (3). "Since
it is their duty to preach the Word of God, they must be constantly
nourished on it, and apply themselves constantly to meditation on the
mystery of salvation" (4). "So as to share truly the love the Son bears to
his Father and to men, they shall cultivate the spirit of contemplation.
This latter gives increase and imparts strength to their faith. In this
way they are enabled to see God in the persons they meet with and in the
happenings of everyday life. They can see in its true light his plan of
salvation, and in fine they are able to distinguish that which is real
from deceitful appearances." (5).
They emphasize the need for silence and solitude: "Almost every month,
for one day, and annually for eight says, they shall give themselves more
completely to interior communion with God through means of the Spiritual
Exercises." (6). And they point out that we must have great devotion
to the Blessed Sacrament: "Since the Eucharistic Mystery is an expression
of the community, sustains it and fosters its growth, it is very desirable
that it be concelebrated, or be offered with community participation." In
addition, the confreres shall have much at heart daily conversation with
Christ our Lord in thanksgiving after Communion and in visits and personal
devotion to the Most Holy Eucharist." (7).
While these statements can be said to stress the individual's need for
prayer, prayer itself cannot however remain simply a personal matters in
one's relationship with God. It must involve others both in its content
and in its form. St. James tells us that we must "pray for one another"
(Jas. 5:16). Our Constitution and Statutes remind us that although at
times it will be impossible to preach the Gospel directly or completely,
still we must give witness to the charity of Christ, in part through
prayer (8). They see the prayer-life of the aged and sick confreres as a
source of inspiration for the younger members of the Congregation (9). And
they call on us to pray continually for vocations (10).
Prayer must have expression under the aspect of community if it is to
find its origin and growth, if it is to induce us to internal prayer and
its expression. Pius XII has said that while the duty to pray "is
incumbent first of all on men as individuals... it also binds the whole
community together by mutual social ties" (11). Christ's call to "pray to
your Father in secret" (Matt. 6:6) must therefore be tempered with a
realization that we are a community. It is for this reason that Paul
exhorts "that with one heart and voice you may glorify God, the Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom. 15:6). This community aspect is emphasized in
our own Rule: "Since the members must live and work in community, they
shall come together for prayers in common" (12), and "Since the
Eucharistic Mystery is an expression of the community, sustains it and
fosters its growth, it is very desirable that it be concelebrated, or be
offered with community participation" (13).
It has been written that, "Jesus wishes us to pray as a people. 'In
this manner therefore shall you pray: Our Father who are in
heaven...'" (Matt. 6:9). "We cannot fulfill our calling as Christians by
isolating ourselves from our fellow-man in prayer" (14). It can be added
that we cannot fulfill our calling as Redemptorists by isolating ourselves
from our parishioners in prayer, since we are called to be signs and
witnesses before men (15). The "community" aspect of prayer must in some
way touch the members of the parish as well as the members of the
Congregation. The priests, the Brothers, and the laity must become one in
spirit as well as one in locale. Where possible, then, the members of the
Congregation should attempt to involve the people of the parish in their
prayer-life in the church and inviting parishioners to attend and actively
participate.
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*Used with the permission of the Redemptorists.
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Created on August 7, 2001, updated on August 25, 2004.
