The Apostleship of Prayer is a group of parishioners who have committed themselves to prayer intercessions for our community members who need spiritual support.
Through weekly emails or in an emergency basis, we pray daily upon rising with the Prayer of Surrender, Morning Offering, Special Prayers and at every Divine Liturgy your prayers are remembered in silence by the clergy.
When joining your confidentiality is strictly maintained and there are no meetings to attend.
In 1909, the Apostleship of Prayer was one of the first organizations to be established at Saint Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Church in Edmonton, Alberta.
The purpose of the Apostleship of Prayer is to nurture, teach, and encourage daily personal prayer, prayer for the intentions of others; to foster reverence for the Lord’s Day, regular participation in the Sunday Divine Liturgy, and an ever greater devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and His veiled Presence in the Mystery of the Holy Eucharist.
PRAYERS
Prayer of Surrender
O Heavenly Father, I surrender myself to You this day. I give You my heart, my will — my whole life. May Your holy will be accomplished in me. Amen.
Morning Offering
O Jesus, ever present among us in the Mystery of the Most Holy Eucharist, through the heart of Your most pure Mother I offer to You all my prayers, works, joys and sufferings of this day, for all the intentions of Your most merciful and loving Heart: for the salvation of souls, in reparation for sin, for unity of all Christians, and for the needs of Your Holy Church throughout the world.
Remember, O Lord, this day, the intentions of the Holy Father, Pope (Name), the intentions of our Patriarch (Name), and all our Bishops. Amen.
For the Beginning of the Day
This prayer was recited daily by the blessed hieromonk, Clement Sheptytsky
O Lord, grant, that I may meet this day and all that it shall bring, with spiritual peace.
Grant that I may submit myself completely to Your holy will.
In every hour of the day, be my support and my guide.
Whatever news I may receive today, teach me to accept it with a peaceful soul and with the firm conviction that Your will governs all things.
In all my deeds and words, guide my thoughts and feelings.
In unforeseen events, let me not forget that all are sent by You.
Teach me to act firmly and wisely, without embittering and embarrassing others.
O Lord, give me the strength to bear the fatigue of the coming day with all that it shall bring.
Direct my will. Teach me to pray, to believe, to hope, to endure all things, to forgive and to love. Amen.
To the Mother of God
Mary, most holy Mother of God, I entrust myself to You completely as my spiritual mother. At every moment of my life protect and guide me. Teach me to grow in the likeness of Your Son, our Lord God and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Evening Offering
Having kissed the cross, say:
Into Your hands, O Lord, Jesus Christ, I commend my spirit and body. Bless me, save me and grant me eternal life. Amen.
Consecration to the Love and Mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ
A prayer composed by the servant of God, blessed Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky. May those who enter the Apostleship of Prayer, recite this prayer for themselves, their loved ones and for all humanity.
O most-dearest and most-sweetest Jesus, Saviour of all humanity, look down upon us, humbly kneeling before You holy Altar. We belong to You and we want to be all Yours. Moved by desire to be ever more deeply united to You, today, we consecrate ourselves to Your Divine Love and Mercy.
There are many people, Lord, who have never known You. There are also many who have turned away from Your commandments and have rejected You. O most merciful Jesus, have mercy upon them and draw them close to Your loving Heart. O Lord – be King and Master not only for the faithful who have never departed from You, but also for Your prodigal children who have abandoned You. Return them quickly to Your fatherly embrace, so that they may not perish on account of misery and hunger.
Be King for those who have been deceived by false teachings, and those who have been separated by schism. Return them safely to the harbour of truth and the unity of the Faith, so that in the near future, there may be one shepherd and one fold.
Finally, be King to all those who are bound by incredulity, worldliness and idolatry; free them from darkness and lead them into Light and the Kingdom of God.
Grant, O Lord, that Your Church may abide in freedom; grant all nations harmony and peace; so that with one resounding voice, all humanity from one end of the world to other, may proclaim: “Glory to Your Divine Heart, which has given us salvation; to Him be all honour, power and glory, always, now and for ever and ever. Amen.
Consecration to Mary – the Most Holy Theotokos
O Virgin Mary, most holy Sovereign Lady and Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and Earth, Mother of Mercy and Refuge of Sinners, we consecrate ourselves to You in a very special way. To you we consecrate our life, our vocation, our family, our parish, eparchy, the Church, and the whole world.
Today, we renew our baptismal commitment to live a life of holiness and obedience to God’s commands, united to your Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ, and to his beloved bride, the Church.
Strengthen us, O Virgin Mary, in the true Faith; rescue us from the evil one, sustain us in all purity and righteousness, so that we may always be children of light, sealed by the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Protect each of us with your prayers until the end of time, so that being saved by your help and intercession, we may give glory, praise, thanksgiving and honour for all, to the Most Holy Trinity, One God and Creator of all, now and for ever and ever. Amen.
FROM THE WRITINGS OF METROPOLITAN ANDREY SHEPTYTSKY
A Word to Priests
“The age-old practice of the Church and the teaching of the Gospels confirms for us that the source of God’s Love is the Most Holy Eucharist. Do you want to lead people into God’s Love? Then encourage them to receive Holy Communion frequently, with great reverence. More generally speaking, you must teach the people to have a deep reverence for the Most Holy Eucharist, Jesus Christ, Who offers Himself in our behalf in the sacrifice of the Eucharist, and in His love for us remains present among us under the appearance of bread …”
Metropolitan ANDREY
Moral-Pastoral Works, page 166
“… the first brotherhood of every parish should be the Brotherhood of the Most Holy Eucharist, and the first task of all pastoral work is growth in reverence for Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.”
Moral-Pastoral Works, page 166
“It seems to me, that all our acts of worship must be eucharistic in character. Every act of our soul must be anointed with the Blood of Christ: the Blood of Royal Purple, which on Golgotha was poured out for our salvation and for the price by which we have been bought (1 Cor 7:23), and the Eucharistic Blood, the chalice of which we drink. If enough pressure were to be applied to the breviary (Book of Hours) from which we pray, the Most Precious Blood of Christ would begin to flow from it. Since the prayers in it are anointed with His Blood, so infinite in its worth is the breviary. It is from this precious well of angelic holiness, that we draw.”
Ascetic-Moral Works, page 50
“ Today, having been washed in the Blood of Christ, holding in our hands the chalice of His Sacrifice and with the Holy Spirit in our hearts, as Christ-bearers and Spirit-bearers we stand before the very Throne of the Almighty, somewhere far above in Heaven itself, together with the ‘seven’, we bow in worship before God, Who alone is worthy of our praise.”
Ascetic-Moral Works, page 50
To All Faithful
“When Jesus Christ enters into the depths of our heart under the appearance of the Eucharistic Bread, He teaches us directly to put into practice His instruction. This may at first seem difficult to fulfill. Nevertheless, in His teaching it is a foundational condition for ever prayer: “But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Mt 6:6). Jesus was thinking about the room of our heart …”
Ascetic-Moral Works, page 54
“Since His Sacrifice on the Cross was to become the nourishment for all humanity, the source from which all people would draw eternal life, as a man drawing earthly life from bread, He took into His hands the symbol of that life-giving Sacrifice which would nourish all — bread; and since that Sacrifice was to be accomplished by the shedding of His own Blood on the Cross, He took into his hands the chalice of wine, for wine is the most noble blood of all of God’s fruits and has such an effect on human blood. He then says these words: “THIS IS MY BODY” — “THIS IS MY BLOOD.”
Look now at the profound depth of power to be found in every word the Saviour. By the power of THESE TWO WORDS for centuries upon centuries, in all the countries of the world, His Blood will continue to flow in streams. All generations of the world will bath in these streams, all peoples of the world will eat this Bread and be nourished by His Sacrifice on the cross.
At that word it was equally possible for the sun to be extinguished, or for millions of new suns to arise; the earth could have been destroyed by fire, or the heavens could have descended to the very earth. None of these loud and visibly great events have occurred, but what happens is a million times more dignified and greater than anything existing until this time. This world, almost invisible to humans for it is veiled by the appearance of a portion of bread, is the Most Holy Eucharist. It is the world of worlds. In it and by it lives all humanity. It is that hidden Life, which alone is true Life. It is a world, which embraces the heavens and the earth; it is a world that gives birth to millions of Saints who in their triumphant yet unceasing march, marked by footsteps soaked in blood, conquers the world and the universe. It is a world, which only briefly, for a moment, the veil is lifted before our eyes. It is a world, that brings the Kingdom of God, for IT IS the Kingdom of the Father, which begins amidst the blood and sweat of the way of the Cross of Christ and all who follow Him on this road; and ends here, on this earth, with the word “IT IS FINISHED,” which resounds with every generation. With this spoken word, begins the triumphal resurrection of all mankind, renewed and sanctified by Christ.
It is the words of Christ that have such power.
Ascetic-Moral Works, page 68
“The Most Holy Eucharist … within itself it encompasses all the sacrifices of the Apostles, of all priest-martyrs, martyrs, venerable ones, teachers, monks, hermits, priests and all others, others without end. It encompasses not only all Divine Liturgies ever offered, but also all Holy Communions, from the first Holy Communion received by the most-pure Virgin after the Mystical Supper to the final Communion to be received after times eternal. And not only this. It also embraces the sacrifices of all people, all those drops of water which are poured into the wine that will become the Blood of Christ — beginning with the sacrifice of the most pure Virgin which she offered beneath the cross, and upon its offering, drew on the power of her first Holy Communion. It embraces the deaths of all martyrs, all the sufferings of the Saints, all the ‘podvyhs’, trials, difficulties and self-sacrificing battles of Christian life; all the monastic vows of male and female communities, all prayers offered by humanity and to be offered through the ages. It was from the Sacrifice of Christ that all those sacrifices and offerings received their strength and worth. And so, it is to the Most Holy Eucharist of ages that they belong. All work of sanctifying mankind from generation to generation — everything belongs to the Most Holy Eucharist. Every step in that work, every human breath and every heartbeat, which in any way had invoked God or had turned to Him, — all has been bought with the price of Christ’s Blood, all has been cleansed and sanctified by the Most Holy Eucharist.”
Ascetical-Moral Works, page 122
“Every word of our prayer must be such, that at the base of its meaning we will find the Eucharist — Christ.”
Ascetical-Moral Works, page 122
STATUTES FOR THE APOSTLESHIP OF PRAYER
St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral, Eparchy of Edmonton
І. NAME
Established in 1909 at St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Church (Cathedral since 1948), the name of this association of faithful is the “The Apostleship of Prayer.”
ІІ. OBJECT
The purpose of the Apostleship of Prayer is to nurture, teach, and encourage daily personal prayer, intercessory prayer for the needs and intentions of others; to foster reverence for the Lord’s Day, regular participation in the Sunday Divine Liturgy, and an ever greater devotion to the Heart of our Lord, Jesus Christ, and His veiled Presence in the Mystery of the Holy Eucharist.
ІІІ. PROGRAM
То accomplish its objective, the Apostleship of Prayer shall adhere to the following program of activity.
ON THE LEVEL OF PERSONAL SPIRITUAL LIFE
- Daily Prayer & Offering. With the Morning Prayer of Surrender and Offering, to daily consecrate oneself to God, to offer to Him all prayers, activity, joys and sufferings of that day — to commit to God one’s whole life.
- Holy Confession. Approach the sacrament of penance often, at least once a month. Appropriately prepare for every confession with a good examination of conscience and to make a firm resolution to amend one’s life.
- Divine Liturgy and Holy Communion. Participate in the celebration of the Divine Liturgy every Sunday, on holy days and if possible, even on certain weekdays. Spiritually prepare for every Holy Communion. Having received the most holy Gifts, to sincerely give thanks for all graces received.
- Daily Prayer and Meditation. Be committed to daily personal prayer and to the deepening of one’s knowledge and understanding of prayer. Pray often as a family, parents together with children. In prayer, remember the intentions of the Holy Church and all members of the Apostleship of Prayer.
- a) Morning Prayer — having risen from sleep, begin the day with morning prayer, as provided by a chosen prayer book.
- b) The Jesus Prayer — alone, while travelling, at work or at home, to recite the prayer of the “Most Holy Name” (the Jesus Prayer) with the aid of a prayer rope, or rosary. “And it shall be that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved (Acts 2:21; Rom 10:13). “Тhere is no salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12).
- c) Rosary Prayer — to foster a personal love for the Marian Rosary and prayer to the Mother of God. To pray at least five decades of the Rosary every day, with the appropriate mysteries of the given day.
- d) Silent Meditation — to dedicate time for quiet, private and spontaneous prayer, as if sitting at the feet of Jesus; to just abide silently in His Presence, to contemplate Him with love, to converse with Him spontaneously, in ones own words, and to be attentive to His holy inspirations.
- e) Reading of Holy Scripture — to feed one’s soul with “spiritual bread”, the word of God. To strive to read the entire New Testament once every year. To foster a love for the Holy Scriptures, to attentively meditate upon what is being read and to be open to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit.
- f) Evening Prayer — before sleep, to recite the evening prayers (according to a chosen prayer book), to daily examine one’s conscience, repent of sins committed, resolve to amend one’s life, and to offer to God praise and thanksgiving for all.
- Work and the Duty of the Moment. To work and to fulfill all responsibilities (duties) of the given moment with great love for God, as faithful servants employed to serve Him alone. To seek the face of Jesus in every situation of our day. When working for fulfilling our duties — to consciously do them for Jesus Himself, united to Him, cooperating with God the Creator. All our works are to become instruments in God’s hands for our own personal sanctification, for the salvation of human souls, for the spread of the Kingdom of God and the sanctification of the world.
- Fasting and Works of Mercy. To foster works of mercy — to aid the sick and those in need — to do all these things with love, with an open an sincere heart. To follow the prescribed fasts, especially Fridays. To prepare for Holy Communion with the Eucharistic Fast.
ON THE LEVEL OF COMMUNITY AND ORGANIZATIONAL ACTIVITY:
- Common Prayer. Organize vigil prayer on feast days, or once a month (on the first Friday or Saturday) which conclude with confession and the celebration of the Most Holy Eucharist for the needs and intentions of the Holy Church, the needs of the world and the membership of the Apostleship.
- Prayer & Bible Study. To organize Prayer and Bible Study groups with the help of a spiritual guide; to gather for common prayer, reading of Holy Scripture and meditation.
- Dissemination of good literature. To support the publication and dissemination of religious materials on the topic of prayer and spiritual life, to encourage spiritual growth among the faithful through the reading of Holy Scripture, good books, magazines, brochures and articles.
- Sowing God’s Word through the media. To foster good teaching about prayer and Christian living through the media of television and radio.
ІІІ. MEMBERSHIP
Requirements
Every Christian who has been initiated into the Church through the Mysteries of Holy Baptism, Chrismation and Eucharist, may become a member of the Apostleship of Prayer.
To become a member, all that is required from the candidate is good will, personal consecration to Jesus and to the Mother of God, and voluntary enrollment in the Apostleship register.
Active members strive to recite daily: The Prayer of Surrender, the Prayer of Offering, the Prayer at the Beginning of the Day, the Prayer to the Mother of God, and the Evening Offering.
Fees & Dues
There shall be no initiation fees or annual dues for members of the Apostleship of Prayer. All activities of the Apostleship shall be sustained by voluntary donations, from members and non-members.
Obligations
To maintain active membership in the Apostleship, every member is obligated to strive daily to greater Christian perfection, to seek greater communion with God; to grow ever more in holiness, love, faith and prayer, resisting all temptations and passions; to strive to faithfully fulfill ones obligations in life and to follow Christ. “You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Mark 8:34).
ІV. ORGANIZATION
The leadership of the Apostleship of Prayer at St. Josaphat Cathedral shall consist of one to three persons, appointed by the pastor.
MEMBERSHIP ENROLLMENT
____________________________________________
(Name and Surname)
having made his/her Consecration and with the blessing of a priest, is enrolled into the membership of the Apostleship of Prayer
date _______________________________ year ________
at
____________________________________________
(Name of the Church)
___________________________
(city/town/region)
_________________________________
Signature of the new member
_________________________________
Signature of the parish priest (spiritual director)