December 11, 2021
O Saint Damasus, Bishop of Rome
who guided the bark of Peter through difficult waters,
who kept her on the course set for her by the Lord
even as she grew in this world
from a Church of the blood of martyrs
to one entering the light of day,
of acceptance by the city of man.
You who sought so diligently to preserve
the memory of the martyrs
lest it should pass away,
and the Cross of Christ with it,
pray that today, too, the Church will remember its root,
the root of Jesse and His sacrifice,
and that as she grows
our Mother on earth will be well understood
by those called into her walls.
Pray that the martyrs pray for us,
that in their blood we will always find our growth.
Amen.