Note: The following was written and distributed by Bishop Joseph Strickland at the second annual “Catholic Prayer for America” gala at Mar-a-Lago on Wednesday, March 19.

(LifeSiteNews) — Dear brother priests,

I pray that these Lenten days we presently journey through are a time of abundant grace for you, deepening your life as a priest of Jesus Christ and renewing your heart in His truth and love.

I urge you to acquaint yourself with St. Peter Damian, a fearless defender of truth who stood against the corruption of his time. He lived in an age much like our own, when the rot of sodomy was like an acid eating away at the Church. Yet, I believe that if St. Peter Damien were to speak to us today, he would warn that the decay we now face is even more insidious and entrenched than what he confronted in his day.

As we lift up Pope Francis and all the bishops in prayer, we must do so with abundant charity but also with unyielding clarity in the truth. If the Holy Father, and the many cardinals, bishops, and priests who clamor to his side, refuse to reject the siren call of sodomy, we must remain steadfast. True mercy toward our brothers in Holy Orders demands that we tirelessly call them back to the truth, regardless of how deaf their ears may remain to our pleas.

If you are reading this, it’s likely that you have already suffered the consequences of speaking the truth of the Deposit of Faith that is our treasure. You are among a throng of faithful brothers who have remained steadfast and unshaken, and who have refused to embrace the modern trend of the Church to be in the world AND of the world.

It is true that the institution of the Church in the world has compromised herself in grievous and devastating ways. We must fight against this constant erosion of the faith in Jesus Christ who is the only path to salvation of our souls and eternity with God. Although the betrayers and betrayals in these days are many, we must fight sodomy as the most malignant and virulent of all the attacks. It attacks our manly purity, the sanctity of marriage, and the foundation of society which is meant to be holy families.

I write to you now in order to offer my support to lay the foundation for creating a community of priestly brothers united in prayer and truth. To foster this bond, I have established an email, [email protected], as a means of gathering us into a prayerful community dedicated to strengthening one another in our sacred calling as priests of Jesus Christ. Please share this with any of our brothers who stand with us in the unwavering pursuit of our vocation to be true priests of Jesus Christ.

The simple request I begin with is that we make Thursdays our day to pray and fast for each other. Let us offer Holy Mass on these days for our priestly brothers, that all of us may grow closer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Mother.

Let us implore the intercession of St. Peter Damian as we begin this quest together.