A spiritual motherhood dedicated to living a hidden vocation through the Little Way for the sanctification of priests.
WHO WE ARE
We are The Apostolate of Spiritual Motherhood for the Sanctification of Priests at the heart of the Church in Kampala Archdiocese. We dedicate our entire lives through our humble prayers, works, sufferings, and renunciations for the sanctification of our priests and praying for vocations.
Priests are really under attack today. The devil hates them because of their spiritual role, and he is ever on the prowl to tempt them to sin and to abandon their ordained vocation. Everyone in the Church needs to support them with prayer, as well as with encouragement whenever possible.
Venerable Archbishop Fulton Joseph Sheen said:
Every worldly priest hinders the growth of the Church; every saintly priest promotes it. If only all priests realized how their holiness makes the Church holy and how the Church begins to decline when the level of holiness among priests falls below that of the people!”
He added:
“Holy Christians guarantee holy priests!”
The Name of Our Apostolate is: “Therese the Little Flower Apostolate”. We follow St. Therese the Little Flower’s “Little Way of Spiritual Childhood” in praying for the sanctification of our priests with childlike trust and total surrender to the Divine Will of God by offering our little acts of everyday life with simplicity and humility; through Our Blessed Mother to Our Lord Jesus Christ for His beloved priests. St. Therese dedicated herself to pray for sinners and priests. She is also the patron saint of missionaries.
The principal aim of the Reform of Carmel is devotion to prayer for preachers and theologians. St. Therese was puzzled by this need to pray for the souls of priests whom she said: “I believed to be as pure as crystal.”
Following a trip to Italy, before she entered Carmel, she fully understood the necessity of such prayer for the souls of priests who she described as “weak and fragile men.” If holy priests, whom Jesus in His Gospel calls the “salt of the earth,” show in their conduct their extreme need for prayers, what is to be said of those who are tepid? Didn’t Jesus say too: “If the salt loses its savour, wherewith will it be salted?” (Matthew 5:13)
How beautiful, is the vocation, which has as its aim the preservation of the salt destined for souls! This is Carmel’s vocation since the sole purpose of our prayers and sacrifices is to be the apostle of the apostles. We are to pray for them while they are preaching to souls through their words and especially their example.” (Story of a Soul, p.122).
One of her quotes regarding her devotion of praying for priests says:
“…Let us be apostles…let us save especially the souls of priests; these souls should be more transparent than crystal …Alas there are many bad priests, priests who are not holy enough. …let us pray, let us suffer for them, and, on the last day, Jesus will be grateful”.
Our Lady of Kibeho requested us to pray fervently for the Church. One of the messages she gave to the 1st visionary Alfonsine Mumureke on the 15th of August 1983 and repeated it on the 28th of November 1983 was:
“Pray unceasingly for the Church because terrible tribulations are awaiting it in times to come.”
With this message from our Lady, repeating it several times also to the visionary Natalie, shows her emphasis, calling us to pray for the church. She requested Natalie to pray so much for priests because most of them were becoming unfaithful and breaking their promises.
Pope Benedict XVI encouraged us to form apostolates of praying for the sanctification of priests because scandals in the church have been spreading across America, Europe, Australia and other continents.
This call has been heeded and several groups of the faithful around the world have formed apostolates of “adopt a priest”, where Christian ladies of all ages anonymously adopt a priest by being given his name and prays for him throughout her entire life, even after he passed on. The priest will not know his spiritual mother until he is in heaven. The apostolate is yielding fruits as the prayers of these spiritual mothers obtain for them graces to overcome temptations and strengthen them in their sublime vocations.
Our Apostolate of Spiritual Motherhood for the Sanctification of Priests is to support our priests in the same way of “adopt a priest”, by mature Catholic spiritual mothers who are in full communion with the Church. They can be single, married, widowed or consecrated religious. A spiritual mother dedicates herself to live a life of offering her prayers, works, joys and sufferings in union with the Immaculate Heart of Mary, to assist priests to desire only the Divine Will of God, embrace their cross courageously, overcome temptations and thus be holy instruments and faithful representatives of Jesus Christ as Head, Shepherd and Spouse of the Church.
From Medical Doctor To Catholic Priest
Fr. Davis Ahimbisibwe was a medical doctor and he realized that even if he is a doctor, he treated people but still they ended up dying. He was frustrated by the fact that his heart’s desire to heal and save life was sometimes futile. He found that however much he tried to treat the body, he watched in dismay that he had no power to stop death on that body. The body is mortal. After much prayer and discernment, he found out that a priest is the best doctor because he treats souls which are immortal. He desired to treat a person to end in eternal happiness. He left his medical profession and joined a seminary. He is now a priest, “the doctor who treats souls” not bodies which die even after treatment!
“Christ the Chief Spiritual Physician is not an option, he is a necessity”, Fr. Ahimbisibwe says. The former doctor now identifies himself as a “spiritual physician”
Therese the Little Flower Apostolate also encourages men both religious and the laity who desire to join the spirituality of praying for priests, to join “Therese and Vianney” cenacles. These cenacles are groups of men and women affiliated with the Apostolate of Spiritual Motherhood and, placing themselves under the intercession of St. Therese and St. Vianney, the Patron Saints for priests, come together to pray for priests and vocations. Taking inspiration from the Congregation of the clergy’s 2012 publication of the “Eucharistic Adoration for the Sanctification of Priests and Spiritual Maternity”, we have introduced both private and public Therese and Vianney Cenacles in order to magnify the Congregation’s worldwide initiative of intercessory prayer for priests, especially through Eucharistic Adoration.
There is a number of our brothers and fathers devoted to praying for priests but since the Apostolate has been designed to spiritual adoption of priests by women only, they seemed discouraged. Therese and Vianney cenacles are set up to solve this problem. The Cenacles are such a power house, which strengthens the Apostolate by assisting priests and spiritual mothers with their prayers too!
We have a booklet to help in this spirituality which has been approved by the Archdiocese of Kampala. This will help anyone interested in this Apostolate.
Our website will always be updated with upcoming events.
Our Blessed Lord will reward immeasurably anyone who offers herself to help his chosen souls as it was with the widow who cared for the Prophet Elijah (1Kings 17:7-16)
It is important to know that spiritual motherhood is not a vocation in itself. It does not replace the married state, the consecrated life, or celibacy for the sake of the Kingdom. Spiritual motherhood is a vocation “within a vocation” for women who discern a calling to assist priests in their vocation and pastoral ministry.
The first and foremost duty for any Christian is to answer the universal call to holiness within their particular state of life. After answering that call, then, women may choose to assist priests by being spiritual mothers. The same applies to all men and women who want to be part of the Therese and Vianney cenacles.
St. Luke tells the story of King Herod’s persecution of the early Church; how, after he beheaded James the brother of John and saw that this pleased the Jews, he decided to arrest Peter as well.
“He put Peter in prison, assigning four squads of four soldiers each to guard him in turn. Herod meant to try Peter in public after the end of Passover week. All the time Peter was under guard, the Church of God prayed for him unremittingly” (Acts 12:2-5).
“In like manner, St. Paul, in what is considered his first inspired Letter, closed the Epistle to the Thessalonians with the earnest plea, ‘Pray for us, my brothers’ (1 Thess. 5:25).
Here we have the revealed teaching of the Holy Spirit, as a practice (for Peter) and a petition (by Paul) that among the duties of a Christian, one is to pray for priests. Surely if Peter, the first Pope, and Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, needed prayers, how much more their successors in the papacy, episcopate and the priesthood are in dire need of our unceasing prayers in this chaotic generation where the forces of darkness are unleashed against the Church!
We can ask the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity, to guide all priests as they live out their vocation. Also, we can ask the intercession of Mary, Mother of All Priests, St. Therese the Little Flower and St. John Vianney, Patron Saints of priests.
In days past in some parts of the world, it was customary to set aside one Saturday of the month as a day devoted to praying for priests. This would be a beautiful custom to bring back! When Pope Benedict XVI emphasised Eucharistic Adoration for the sanctification of the clergy, the emphasis has been placed on Thursday adoration hours!
O Jesus, Eternal High Priest, have mercy on your priests!
This is a call for every Catholic to have a heart to pray for the chosen souls who are entrusted with the salvation of our souls but are human beings with human weaknesses.
- Full and Active Participation at Mass and the offering up of Holy Communion.
- Eucharistic Adoration before the Most Blessed Sacrament.
- Praying the Liturgy of the Hours, especially Morning Prayer (Lauds) and Evening Prayer.(Vespers)
- Praying the Holy Rosary, Way of the Cross, Chaplet of Divine Mercy and other Chaplets.
- Making Spiritual Communions (throughout the day).
- Fasting and renunciations.
- Offering up work, study, sufferings and sacrifices.
- Praying for them on a daily basis.
- Doing Penance and Mortification for them (prudently).
The inspiration for this apostolate is the document from the Congregation for the Clergy:
Eucharistic Adoration for the Sanctification of Priests and Spiritual Motherhood
“Each shepherd who walks in righteousness leads the flock to grace; but those who stray in their ways cause the faithful to falter. If only every pastor understood the profound impact of their virtue on the community, they would see that the spiritual health of the Church rises and falls with their own.”
– Saint John Chrysostom
The 2007 edition is available as a free PDF on our website. PDF version.