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Writer's pictureProfiles in Catholicism

Pregnancy and Pregnancy Challenges

Updated: Sep 3, 2020



A Message from the Editor

My mother had two miscarriages which has haunted me all my life. Miscarriage is one of the Pregnancy Challenges that we address in this issue. Faith can provide healing and hope, especially during the darkest times like miscarriage. That baby is a child of God, I also thank Francis Etheredge for possibly the most beautiful prayer that I have ever read titled A prayer for those who have lost a child through miscarriage.

I also thank Father Shay Cullen for agreeing to be on our Board of Directors. Having someone who has been nominated four times for a Nobel Peace prize is a great honor. I hope that our readers will support his critical work.

Profiles in Catholicism is distributed to several thousand people in 68 countries. We rely on our readers for donations to continue and expand our mission. If you support our mission and find our publication of value, please make a tax-deductible donation.

A Quote to Remember

"Let nothing rob you of the interior joy of motherhood. With great affection I urge all future mothers: keep happy and let nothing rob you of the interior

joy of motherhood. Your child deserves your happiness.

Don’t let fears, worries, other people’s comments or problems lessen your joy at being God’s means of bringing a new life to the world.

Prepare yourself for the birth of your child, but without obsessing, and join in Mary’s song of joy: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord and my spirit exults in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant” (Lk 1:46-48).

Try to experience this serene excitement amid all your many concerns, and ask the Lord to preserve your joy, so that you can pass it on to your child."

by Pope Francis

Special Prayer

Prayer for Pregnant Women


Dearest Lord - As you look upon us with all of the challenges facing our world today, I beg you to help us to open our hearts and minds to your will. Among other problems, we are in desperate need of a better understanding of how to help the mothers of unborn children. Help us to find ways to meet the needs of pregnant women everywhere, whether they deal with job discrimination, health issues, coercion, family concerns or other barriers to life. Help us to respect and love both mother and child. by Denise Mackura Profiles in Catholicism


A prayer for those who have lost a child through miscarriage


Your Presence in Our Loss Oh Holy Family, at the heart of heaven, dwelling |midst angels uncountable, we turn to you to welcome The innocent child who has come to you today.

We do not wholly understand the passing of one so Innocently lost and we entrust our child, Unbaptized and full of the beauty of beginning, Plunging into your fountainous love, nestling In your gathering, outstretched and embracing arms:

Named in the mystery of Love’s loving to bless: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Like the seed awakening in the soil, The dew-bright sparkling existence of the Gift of a child transplanted into eternal day To dwell amidst the extended family of all Utterly at peace, happy and blessed beyond telling.

Oh Holy Mother of God, Virgin Mother of Jesus, Take to your maternal heart the child whose life, Given without recall by the Creator-Father of all, and Enwrap this child, this mother and father and their loss,

In the folds of gentle love, tending tenderly their pain. Oh Joseph, virgin and spouse, foster-father of Jesus, You understood being with your wife and child Through all the difficulties of life, as long as you lived, Give encouragement, wisdom and most of all an Understanding heart to all husbands and fathers.

Oh Jesus Christ, Redeemer of all, opening what is closed, Take all our uncertainty, blame, guilt, recriminations, All the fruitless bitterness, belittling, and pain, And begin again the blessing of your love-in-us: The hope of helping others with your help to us.

Oh Holy Family, at the heart of heaven, dwelling Amidst angels unimaginable, we turn to you to turn Our mourning into rejoicing and your presence in our loss: Help us to hope on coming, too, to meet with love’s not lost, Filling our loss with over-spilling thanksgiving As we are reunited, as all are, with the company of the blessed. by Francis Etheredge Profiles in Catholicism


Oh, Lord, one in four young adults in our country have considered suicide in just the last month. Especially in danger are racial and ethnic minorities, essential workers and unpaid adult caregivers.

Oh Lord, the pandemic does not just endanger those who might catch the disease, but increasingly all of us as we strive to cope with the traumas of our changed lives.

Help us Oh Lord to reach out to each other safely and perceive your image in all of our fellow humans. Help us to open our hearts and souls to You that you may enter into us all and bring us peace, love and hope.

Help those of us who are especially vulnerable to ending their fears and sufferings by ending their own lives.

Come to them in your goodness and help them to find your Love in their hearts and souls so that they may live for the sake of us all. by Dr. Eugene Fisher Profiles in Catholicism


Prayer for the passing of Archbishop Oscar Cruz

He was a true prophet of the Lord, the voice of the voiceless,

the defender of the oppressed and the friend of the victims of abuse.

Lord you gave us a champion in our brother and spiritual leader

Archbishop Oscar Cruz who has departed from among us.

He was totally committed to your Gospel Jesus and bravely

stood against social evil, presidential corruption, child abuse.

He lived simply and spoke the truth without compromise.

Inspired by you he dedicated his life to your service and that

of the people of God.

His inspiration lives on, motivating true Christians everywhere to sacrifice

for others, to serve the poor and oppressed to bring true love into the world

everyday by acts of justice ,kindness and service.

Jesus, your friend Oscar, a faithful servant lived for you and the people,

he brought the Gospel values to life in his prophet voice and action,

and that love lives on among us everyday. Amen. 

Prayer to Saint Joseph Saint Joseph, guardian of Jesus and chaste husband of Mary, you passed your life in loving fulfillment of duty. You supported the Holy Family of Nazareth

with the work of your hands. Kindly protect those who trustingly come to you You know their aspirations, their hardships, their hopes. They look to you because they know you will understand and protect them. You too knew trial, labor, and weariness. But amid the worries of material life, your soul was full of deep peace and sang out in true joy through intimacy with God's Son entrusted to you and with Mary, His tender Mother. Assure those you protect that they do not labor alone. Teach them to find Jesus near and to watch over Him faithfully as you have done. Amen

Oración del Santo Papa Juan XIII a San José San José, guardián de Jesús y célibe esposo de María, pasaste tu vida cumpliendo tu deber con amor. Apoyaste la Sagrada Famlia de Nazareth con la labor de tus manos. Por favor, protejea los que en tí confían. Tú comprendes sus aspiraciones,sus problemas, su esperanza. Te procuran porque sabenque los entiendes y los protejes. Tú sabes como ellos sabían de tribulaciones y fatigas. Desde las aflicciones materiales, tu alma llena de profunda paz cantaba sobre el verdadero gozo de la intimidad con el Hijo de Dios confiado a tu cargo y con Su Madre, nuestra Madre. Asegura a los que protejes que no trabajamos solos. Enséñanos a encontrar a Jesús al acatar Su voluntad como tú lo hiciste. Amen.

A Prayer for our Murdered Brethren in Cameroon

Good and loving God,

We ask you to bless those wounded and killed as reported by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency who strongly condemns an unprovoked and brutal attack on a site hosting 800 internally displaced people (IDPs) near the village of Nguetchewe, in Cameroon’s Far North region. We ask you to hold in your warm embrace those 18 people who were killed and 11 injured in the incident during the early hours of Sunday 2 August when assailants threw an explosive device, thought to be a grenade​e, into the makeshift camp while people were sleeping. Those in union with the mission of the UN Refugee Agency wish to implore you Lord for your helpful kindness in reaching out to those most in need. Some of the wounded were evacu​ated to Mokolo district hospital, an hour’s drive from Nguetchewe. Lord, this is a sad and painful time for all of us and we ask for your assistance. Some 1,500 people, including terrified residents of the hosting village, have fled to the nearby town of Mozogo for safety

.

The pain of the community fills our hearts with pain and sadness the UNHCR is deploying an emergency mission to assess the situation and evaluate the protection and health needs of those affected. Please help the local communities in this impoverished area who are often the first responders to those fleeing growing insecurity and violence in the area which covers Lake Chad and north-east Nigeria. They are sometimes related and they share with them the few resources they have. Against the background of growing insecurity, UNHCR anticipates enhanced community protection, shelter, water and sanitation will be needed as the country responds to the COVID-19 pandemic. We ask you Lord to see how UNHCR calls on all actors to respect the civilian and humanitarian character of IDP camps, and to respond promptly to the urgent needs of people who have fled violence and suffered multiple displacements. This attack follows a significant rise in violent incidents in Cameroon’s Far-North Region in July, including looting and kidnapping by Boko Haram and other armed groups active in the region. The Far North region, tucked between Nigeria’s Borno and Adamawa states and Lake Chad, currently hosts 321,886 IDPs and 115,000 Nigerian refugees.

The incident is also a sad reminder of the intensity and brutality of the violence in the wider the Lake Chad Basin region that has forced more than three million people to flee: 2,7m are internally displaced in Northeast Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger, while 292,682 Nigerian refugees fled into neighboring countries. Cameroon reports that since January this year, it has recorded 87 Boko Haram attacks on its northern border with Nigeria. Twenty-two of them were in the northern district of Mozogo alone. Violent attacks have cost the lives of 30,000 people and displaced more than 3 million in Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger and Chad. Please Lord respond to all those in your loving care, through Christ Our Lord. Amen by Eileen Quinn Knight, Ph.D. Profiles in Catholicism

A Prayer for Jacob Blake, his Family, and the People of Kenosha Wisconsin.

Oh Lord, the One God of Jews, Christians and Muslims,

and people of all faiths and backgrounds,

we pray for Jacob Blake, shot by the police

in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

As we pray, Jacob is in the hospital, fighting for his life.

He may never be able to walk again, even if he survives.

His family, especially his children, who witnessed the tragedy

are deeply troubled, even traumatized.

It will take years for them to return to normal.

We pray, Oh Lord, that they may be healed,

in heart and soul.

We pray also for the people of Kenosha, Wisconsin,

many of whom are also deeply hurt by what happened.

Oh Lord, may all be healed.

And may our country find reasonable ways

to make progress to heal its racial and religious divides.

Out of many, One, Oh Lord.

May our country once again be united

in hope, faith and love.

Amen by Dr. Eugene Fisher Profiles in Catholicism

Prayer for all who suffer from Hurricane Laura.

Lord when the force of nature descends upon our communities, homes and families and wreak them,

causing destruction and havoc we pray Heavenly Father for the strength and courage to endure and

overcome.

Be with us Lord as we struggle to survive Hurricane Laura ,give eternal life to those who have died and healing to those that suffer injuries or loss. Give the spirit of generosity and love to all who will come to help their injured brothers and sisters.

We know these natural forces and not sent you, all loving and caring God, but sometimes come from human activity that causes climate change that has disastrous consequences.

Lord help us survive disaster, give us the wisdom to respect your creation and may our faith be seen in action to prevent the global warming and to care for the planet.

Lord God may we have your grace and the spiritual strength to survive and live in your presence in creation so we can prevent such natural events.

May You Lord be with us and we with you all times but especially at times of disasters. We live with you in hope and love. Amen.

by Father Shay Cullen Profiles in Catholicism


Prayer to Our Lay of Guadalupe in Times of the Coronavirus

Holy Virgin of Guadalupe: In these times of trial and testing, shelter us under the mantle of your protection; keep us in the embrace of your arms; help us to always know the LOVE of your Son that we might be spared the worst of this illness. by Carmen Julia Rodríguez Profiles in Catholicism


A Prayer for Chadwick Boseman

Lord, please welcome the soul of Chadwick Buseman into your loving embrace.

He was s a role model and hero to Black children and cared deeply for all children

Also, please address the special challenges that our Black Brothers and Sisters

face with cancer with markedly later diagnosis and earlier mortality

by Gordon Nary Profiles in Catholicism

Dear Lord, Your Word is filled with accounts of miraculous protection. We

pray for an end to their captivity and for the safety and well-being of these children, Please return these children safely to their loving parents. by Gordon Nary Profiles in Catholicism

Hail Mary

Hail Mary, full of Grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women,

and blessed is the Fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God pray for us sinners, now and in the hour of our death. Amen.


Chwała Ojcu

Chwała Ojcu…Chwała Ojcu i Synowi i Duchowi Świętemu. Jak była na początku, teraz i zawsze,|i na wieki wieków. Amen.


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  • Please send a donation to help save the life of my close friend Alwin Rex in India. Please read the article How do we love our neighbor as ourselves? and send a donation of $10.00 or more to help cover his healthcare costs to PayPal link: https://www.paypal.me/AlwinRex Thank you Gordon Nary Editor, Profiles in Catholicism

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Closing Prayer

A Prayer for Those Who Have Made Donations to Profiles in Catholicism

God most kind,

Bless all those who have supported Profiles in Catholicism

with their donations and kind words of support.

Let their generosity bear much fruit.

Let those of us who benefit from this publication

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by Father Louis Cameli Profiles In Catholicism

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