60-hour adoration to mark Pope's 60 years of priesthood.

(June 22, 2011) The Vatican’s Congregation for the Clergy is inviting the faithful to mark the 60^th anniversary of Pope Benedict XVI's priestood on June 29 with sixty hours of prayer. A letter signed by Cardinal Mauro Piacenza and Archbishop Celso Morga Iruzubieta, prefect and secretary of the congregation, said that the anniversary is a "particularly propitious" occasion to draw near to Pope Benedict and to express gratitude, affection and communion in the service of God and his Church . The hours of adoration can be continuous or distributed throughout the month of June and are addressed in particular to involve priests, said the letter. The congregation proposed that the prayer vigil can culminate on July 1, feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Day of Prayer for Priests.
The Congregation for the Clergy then indicated some guidelines for the prayer, particularly centered on the Apostle Peter. It suggested Gospel passages from John 20 and 21 and Matthew 16. In addition to praying for the Pope's life, health, happiness and protection from every evil, the faithful are asked to pray for bishops, priests, deacons and all ministers of the Gospel, that they may be faithful to their vocation, and to pray for the Church, for vocations, the laity and deceased priests.