Prayer for the Election of a New Pope

Soon and very soon (at 2pm today) the Catholic Church will be sede vacante ("the seat being empty").  That, by the way, is an example of an ablative absolute: a noun and (quite often) a participle cast in the ablative case  in order to indicate a fact that is related, though in some sense cut off (ab + solutus, away from + loosed) from the bulk of the sentence.  Kinda like the Pope himself, although he has promised that he will be intimately united to the heart of the Church in prayer and sacrifice.  Like his monastic namesake, Benedict happily chooses obscurity so that "He must increase."

I just finished cutting the tops off of sticky notes and covering over the places in the Missal that mention the name of the Pope, so that they currently read:

together with                                    N., our Bishop, with all the Bishops, ...

Eventually I will write someone's name over the sticky part.  Not mine!

Continued prayers for the conclave that will elect a new Holy Father.  Speaking of which, courtesy of the Roman Missal, we can pray this:

Prayer for the Election of a New Pope

O God, eternal shepherd, who govern your flock with unfailing care, grant in your boundless fatherly love a pastor for your Church who will please you by his holiness and to us show watchful care. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Meanwhile, life goes on in the Church.  The Sacraments will be celebrated, the Word will be proclaimed, and souls will be cared for.  Stay tuned for exciting times ahead!