Humanae Vitae Anniversary Prayer

Almighty and All-loving God,
in the beginning
You created them male and female
as a sign of the Covenant with Your people,
the Covenant which You would later seal
with the Most Precious Blood of Your Son,
our Lord Jesus Christ.

We thank You for the sublime gift
that is the life-giving one-flesh union
of husband and wife,
and we ask You for the grace
always to cherish, revere and foster it
as You intended:
the foundational good of human society
and the icon of the union
between Christ and his Church.

As we celebrate these fifty years
of the Encyclical Humanae Vitae’s
articulation of the Church’s timeless teaching,
help us to be wise, bold and
charitable messengers of this good news,
so that a culture of love, life and marriage
may flourish in our land.

Open the minds and hearts
of those far away from this truth,
heal those harmed by its rejection,
and strengthen those committed to living it out
and inspiring others to do the same.

By means of this grace
grant us peace with one another
and happiness with You now in this life,
and to know its perfect fulfillment forever
in the life that is to come.

We ask this through our
Lord Jesus Christ Your Son,
Head and Bridegroom of the Church,
who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God forever and ever. Amen.

Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us.

St. John Paul II, pray for us.

Blessed Paul VI, pray for us.

Prepared by Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, Archdiocese of San Francisco