2026 Summer Novena of Saint Thorlak

July 11 begins the Summer Novena in Honor of Saint Thorlák, prayed during the nine days leading up to his summer feast day of July 20. As we do for St. Thorlák’s feast in December, we are again offering our novena prayers as a spiritual bouquet to the Diocese of Reykjavik, and encouraging everyone to join voices to our prayer.

INTENTIONS EACH DAY OF ST. THORLAK NOVENA

For the parishioners and clergy of…

Day 1 Parish of the Holy Cross, Selfoss (July 11)
Day 2 St. Joseph Parish and the Discalced Carmelites, Hafnarfjörður (July 12)
Day 3 St. John Paul II Parish, Keflavík (July 13)
Day 4 St. Mary Parish, Reykjavík; and for the Lay Missionaries of Charity there (July 14)
Day 5 St. Thorlák Parish: St. Thorlák Church, Reyðarfjörður; Corpus Christi Chapel, Egilsstaðir; Holy Family & St. John Vianney Church, Höfn (July 15)
Day 6 St. Peter’s Parish, Akureyri, and the Carmelite Sisters of the Divine Heart of Jesus there (July 16)
Day 7 St. John the Evangelist Parish, Ísafjörður (Westfjörds). (July 17)
Day 8 St. Francis of Assisi Parish, Stykkishólmur, including Borgarnes, Akranes, Ólafsvík, and Grundarfjörður (July 18)

Day 9 Christ the King Parish, Reykjavik, and for the Missionaries of Charity and the Missionary Sisters of Christ the King there. We pray today especially for the intentions of Bishop David Tencer, and for all clergy and religious in Iceland; and for blessings upon all souls harbored in St. Thorlak’s homeland, that they may know the love of God and the Peace of Christ (July 19)

JULY 20 = FEAST OF SAINT THORLAK

This bouquet reflects the prayer on a regular basis throughout the year by the Domestic Prayer Missionaries of Saint Thorlák, a volunteer corps of missionaries-in-place whose work is to pray from where we are, in our current circumstances, in our present states of body and mind. We are “domestic,” meaning, staying in place; we pray from wherever we are able to be, transforming “everywhere” into one, common household, one family of God: “Domestic” Missionaries of St. Thorlák do our work from within the “home” of God’s Household. Thus, the domestic form of missionary work differs from that of missionaries who leave home to do their work elsewhere, publicly.

The Domestic Prayer Missionaries’ focus is prayer in any way we are capable, including all forms of communication: fully spoken, low speaking, variably spoken and non-speaking. Our prayer takes the form of however we best express our hearts and intentions to God, in the place best suited to our abilities: at home, in chapel, outdoors; standing, kneeling, sitting, walking; wherever we connect fully with God at any given moment. Many Domestic Missionaries spend their time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, but others may pray better in motion. Some “practice the presence of God” throughout the day, offering as we go, and some simply focus on the breath in prayer (e.g., breathe in “My Jesus,” breathe out “Mercy”) to create a “chapel of the heart” wherever we happen to be. Domestic Missionary prayer deliberately minimizes physical and social demands to keep our efforts focused on prayer. We draw special inspiration from the ways of Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection, whose Practice of the Presence of God is an excellent model for anyone, in any state of ability or disability, to offer prayers efficaciously and sincerely alongside those called to more conventional and active forms of missionary work.

Please join us, and share with others who would be glad to pray with us for the Bishop and Diocese of Reykjavik! Novena prayers are free to download, print, and share from the Autism Consecrated website. An audio format of the novena may be found here.

Celebrating Saint Thorlak!

Celebrating Saint Thorlak!

The second half of December brings us to the days leading up to Þorláksmessa, the Feast of Saint Thorlak, December 23.

We are very pleased to share two ways to celebrate our patron saint this year.

First, the Novena in Honor of Saint Thorlak, December 14-22, is being prayed by the faithful worldwide, and also as a spiritual bouquet to the clergy and people of Iceland by the Domestic Prayer Missionaries of Saint Thorlak. The schedule of daily intentions can be found below.

Second, we are invited by Fr. Jakub Budkiewicz to the December 23 YouTube premiere of a 37-minute animated film, Saint Thorlak: The Patron of Iceland, by FableDock productions. The trailer for this project may be viewed here. Fr. Jakub was ordained in Iceland in 2007 and currently serves as a parish priest in a small town in Poland. The film has been in the works for several years and brings together Fr. Jakub’s love of St. Thorlak, talent in graphic design, and desire to create “Christian content and the teachings of the Catholic Church presented in a stunning, artistic, and fairytale-like visual form” (as quoted from FableDock’s YouTube channel).

Let us pray for all the intentions brought to Autism Consecrated from around the world as we celebrate our patron and mentor in faith on Þorláksmessa!

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Daily intentions of St. Thorlak Novena for the Clergy and People of Iceland:

12/14 We pray today for St. John the Evangelist Parish, Westfjörds: for parishioners and their families, and for the special intentions of the priests and religious who serve there.

12/15 We pray today for St. Peter Parish, North Iceland: for parishioners and their families, and for the special intentions of the priests and religious who serve there.

12/16 We pray today for St. Thorlak Parish, East Iceland: for parishioners and their families, and for the special intentions of the priests and religious who serve there.

12/17 We pray today for St. Mary Parish, Reykjavik/South Iceland: for parishioners and their families, and for the special intentions of the priests and religious who serve there.

12/18 We pray today for St. Joseph Parish, Hafnarfjörður: for parishioners and their families, and for the special intentions of the priests and religious who serve there.

12/19 We pray today for St. John Paul II Parish, Southwest Iceland: for parishioners and their families, and for the special intentions of the priests and religious who serve there.

12/20 We pray today for Parish of the Holy Cross, South Iceland: for parishioners and their families, and for the special intentions of the priests and religious who serve there.

12/21 We pray today for St. Francis of Assisi Parish, West Iceland: for parishioners and their families, and for the special intentions of the priests and religious who serve there.

12/22 We pray today for Christ the King Parish, Reykjavik; for Bishop David Tencer, and for all clergy and religious in Iceland: for blessings upon all souls harbored in St. Thorlak’s homeland, that they may know the love of God and the Peace of Christ.

DECEMBER 23 = FEAST OF SAINT THORLAK 😊

* * *

This bouquet reflects the prayer on a regular basis throughout the year by the Domestic Prayer Missionaries of Saint Thorlák, a volunteer corps of missionaries-in-place whose work is to pray from where we are, in our current circumstances, in our present states of body and mind.  We strive to exemplify what a fully accessible, universally-designed ministry can be for people of all abilities to pray side by side, neurodivergent and neurotypical. We are “domestic,” meaning, staying in place; we pray from wherever we are able to be, transforming “everywhere” into one, common household, one family of God: “Domestic” Missionaries of St. Thorlák do our work from within the “home” of God’s Household. This Domestic form of missionary work differs from that of missionaries who leave home to do their work elsewhere, publicly.

The Domestic Prayer Missionaries’ focus is prayer in any way we are capable, including all forms of communication: fully spoken, low speaking, variably spoken and non-speaking. Our prayer takes the form of however we best express our hearts and intentions to God, in the place best suited to our abilities: at home, in chapel, outdoors; standing, kneeling, sitting, walking; wherever we connect fully with God at any given moment. Many Domestic Missionaries spend their time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, but others may pray better in motion. Some “practice the presence of God” throughout the day, offering as we go, and some simply focus on the breath in prayer (e.g., breathe in “My Jesus,” breathe out “Mercy”) to create a “chapel of the heart” wherever we happen to be. Domestic Missionary prayer deliberately minimizes physical and social demands to keep our efforts focused on prayer. We draw special inspiration from the ways of Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection, whose Practice of the Presence of God is an excellent model for anyone, in any state of ability or disability, to offer prayers efficaciously and sincerely alongside those called to more conventional and active forms of missionary work.

To learn more about the Domestic Prayer Missionaries of Saint Thorlák, or to become a Prayer Missionary yourself, download our prayer manual or contact us at AutismConsecrated.Com.

Domestic Missionaries of Saint Thorlak – Prayer Booklet

 

Domestic Prayer Missionaries of Saint Thorlak

Tomorrow (14 December) begins the Novena in Honor of Saint Thorlák, prayed during the nine days leading up to his feast day of 23 December.

This year, we would like to suggest praying this novena as a spiritual bouquet to the clergy serving in the Diocese of Reykjavik: offering our prayers for the intentions and wellbeing of its sixteen priests, one deacon and one seminarian.

This bouquet reflects the prayer on a regular basis throughout the year by the Domestic Prayer Missionaries of Saint Thorlák, a volunteer corps of missionaries-in-place whose work is to pray from where we are, in our current circumstances, in our present states of body and mind.  We are “domestic,” meaning, staying in place; we pray from wherever we are able to be, transforming “everywhere” into one, common household, one family of God: “Domestic” Missionaries of St. Thorlák do our work from within the “home” of God’s Household. This Domestic form of missionary work differs from that of missionaries who leave home to do their work elsewhere, publicly.

The Domestic Prayer Missionaries’ focus is prayer in any way we are capable, including all forms of communication: fully spoken, low speaking, variably spoken and non-speaking. Our prayer takes the form of however we best express our hearts and intentions to God, in the place best suited to our abilities: at home, in chapel, outdoors; standing, kneeling, sitting, walking; wherever we connect fully with God at any given moment. Many Domestic Missionaries spend their time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, but others may pray better in motion. Some “practice the presence of God” throughout the day, offering as we go, and some simply focus on the breath in prayer (e.g., breathe in “My Jesus,” breathe out “Mercy”) to create a “chapel of the heart” wherever we happen to be. Domestic Missionary prayer deliberately minimizes physical and social demands to keep our efforts focused on prayer. We draw special inspiration from the ways of Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection, whose Practice of the Presence of God is an excellent model for anyone, in any state of ability or disability, to offer prayers efficaciously and sincerely alongside those called to more conventional and active forms of missionary work.

To learn more about the Domestic Prayer Missionaries of Saint Thorlák, or to become a Prayer Missionary yourself, download our prayer manual or contact us at AutismConsecrated.Com.

 

Domestic Missionaries of Saint Thorlak – Prayer Booklet