BELOVED CATHOLIC HYMN/PRAYER FOR PRIESTS

Keep them we pray Thee dearest Lord,
Keep them for they are Thine.
Thy Priests whose life burns out before
Thy consecrated shrine.
Keep them Thou knowest, dearest Lord
The world, the flesh are strong,
And satan spreads a thousand snares
To lead them into wrong.

Keep them for they are in the world,
Though from the world apart.
When earthly pleasures tempt allure,
Shelter them in Thy heart.
Keep them and comfort them in hours
Of loneliness and pain,
When all their life of sacrifice
For souls seems but in vain.

Keep them and O, remember, Lord
They have no one but Thee.
Yet they have only a human heart
With human frailty.
Keep them as spotless as the host
That daily they caress,
Their every thought and word and deed
Deign dearest Lord to bless. Amen.