The Great Wednesdays of Saint Nicholas
Eighth Wednesday
Invitation: Nicholas protects Bari and all seaside cities
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Gathered in the name of the Lord, in the presence of our Patron Saint Nicholas, we pause devoutly in prayer to reflect on God's great love for humankind. Although condemned to earn their bread by the sweat of their brow and amid so many dangers, he nevertheless holds them under his divine protection, aiding and defending them even against the unbridled forces of nature, calming storms and commanding the winds not to harm.
Let us consider, on this eighth Wednesday, how he chose to give sailors, through Saint Nicholas, a great patron and protector. By entrusting sailors to him, God entrusted to him all the people of the sea, their families, especially those of the city of Bari, which guards his relics as the most precious of treasures, but also those of all those cities around the world that draw their sustenance from the sea and its waterways.
We pray to
Almighty and Eternal God, master of the sea and all it contains, look kindly upon sailors and upon all those throughout the world, and in Bari in particular, who draw sustenance and well-being from the sea, so that, through the watchful protection and assistance of your servant and our Patron Saint Nicholas, they may easily overcome the difficulties of navigation and reach a safe harbor. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Responsory Chant
If you ask for miracles,
the blind see,
the lame walk
and the bones of Nicholas
sweat manna.
The dangers cease,
the storms calm,
say the sailors.
Return to Father Adeodatus
and the Hagarenes are amazed,
and three virgins are saved,
say the people of Patara.
You, O beloved land, guard
the sacred bones received as a pledge
for all peoples,
which come to you from afar,
O happy Bari.
To the sailors who call upon you,
quickly offer your help
and the sea is calm.
Praying to you, Mary,
you intercede with God
in the pains of childbirth
for the mothers who invoke you.
May your holy manna
be health and a pledge.
May all be freed
from the dangers of life,
from wars, from hunger,
O glorious Saint Nicholas,
great Father. Amen
Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit
The dangers cease,
the storms calm,
say the sailors.
After a short pause
Pray for us, Holy Father Nicholas,
That we may be made worthy of Christ's promises.
O God, who have worked and continue to work miracles daily through Saint Nicholas, your glorious confessor and bishop, grant, we beseech you, that through his merits and intercession we may be freed from the pains of hell and from every danger. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Prayer for Christian Unity:
Lord Jesus Christ,
on the eve of your passion
you prayed that all your disciples
might be perfectly united as you are in the Father and the Father in you,
grant that we may painfully feel the pain of our divisions
and that we may honestly discover within ourselves and eradicate
every feeling of indifference, distrust and mutual hatred.
Grant us the grace to encounter everyone in you,
so that from our hearts and our lips
your prayer for the Christian unity may rise unceasingly,
as you desire and by the means you desire.
In you, who are perfect charity,
grant that we may find the path that leads to unity
in obedience to your love and your truth. Amen.
Concluding Chant
Come, O mighty Shepherd of Myra!
A ray of holy goodness inspires us.
Light our hearts with celestial love:
protect and defend our city.
A divine ray shines In your eyes:
on the harsh path you are a faithful guide.
For how many dying people you are a blossoming hope!
Your welcome manna can save everything.
You come, and you call from remote lands
foreign people are devoted to Bari.
O sun of Lycia, decorum of Bari,
lord of the seas, comfort and virtue.
From the Basilica di San Nicola, Bari, Italy. Used by permission.