Cardinal Dolan asks for prayer for the Holy Father on the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter


Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan

Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York is calling on his archdiocese to pray in a particular way for Pope Benedict on Feb. 22, the Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter.

“I have...asked that tomorrow, February 22, the Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, we remember Pope Benedict in a special way with special Masses and Eucharistic adoration,” Cardinal Dolan wrote today in his column for “Catholic New York.”

“In these days of novelty and uncertainty, when many may be anxious and nervous, we need more than ever to return to the Lord, as individuals and together as the Church.”

On Feb. 11, Pope Benedict announced his intention to resign the office of the papacy, which will be effective on Feb. 28. It marks the first time a pope has abdicated since Gregory XII in 1415.

Cardinal Dolan has also instituted a novena in the New York archdiocese lasting from Feb. 20 to 28 to pray in thanksgiving for Pope Benedict, for his health, and for “guidance as awe await his successor.”

The Chair of Peter is an important feast for the papacy, Cardinal Dolan explained, because it marks the authority and mission of the pope for the universal Church and reminds us of the history of the office, stretching back to Christ's appointment of Saint Peter as “universal pastor.”

“We need Peter among us. Without the charism of Peter in the Church, we would be tossed about by every gust of wind, every false doctrine, every silly trend,” reflected Cardinal Dolan.

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Read Cardinal Dolan's entire article here.

Recite this Prayer for the Church and Pledge to Pray here.
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