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Oratio Imperata (Latin, "Obligatory Prayer") is a set of Roman Catholic invocative prayers consisting of a liturgical action and a short, general prayer which the local ordinary or prelate of the church may publicly pray when a grave need or calamity occurs.
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Common reasons for the religious invocation of the prayer are natural calamities such as storms, snow and drought while rare circumstances which merit the prayer are wars, plague and the disruption of public peace in society. The prayers are customarily invoked by an archdiocese on behalf of overwhelming popular requests, and is authorised by a high-ranking prelate or Metropolitan Archbishop.
History
The customary tradition of reciting such prayers are rooted in Apostolic age, when lay people asked the help and assistance of their bishops in the time of natural calamity, war or any grave public danger to society. In the Middle Ages, various saints (e.g. Saint Isidore the Farmer) were invoked for the assistance of granting rain, while Saint Roch was invoked for dire calamities and the Black Plague.
Present Catholic discipline allows that any collect prayers from the Mass may be prescribed by the local ordinary as this type of prayer. The prayer itself cannot be a permanent religious recitation, but rather only for used for a short period of time of need. The prayers are often recited postcommunion or after the conclusion or final benediction of the Mass. When the prayer itself is asked, composed, or canonically authorised by the Pope, it can also merit a plenary indulgence.
The invocative prayers prescribed as Oratio Imperata are:
In very rare cases of enduring public calamities lasting a longer time, (i,e. national war, calamitous plague, etc), the local ordinary may indeed impose a suitable Oratio Imperata for an extended period:
Difficulty of approval
At times, the approval to recite the prayers on a diocesan level have been known to be difficult to obtain, usually causing the faithful to rather demand in large numbers to an Archdiocese to release an Oratio Imperata. The most commonly authorised prayer is Oratio Imperata Ad Fluviam Petendam, in hopes of asking for rain in times of severe drought. Another one is Oratio Imperata Ad Calamitam et Bellonam, for casualties of war.
In the Philippines, the release of such prayers is often requested during the monsoon season, and their issuance by high-ranking prelates, such as the Archbishop of Manila and the Archbishop of Cebu, is primarily reported in various national media outlets.
Within the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in June 2008, a special prayer for the request of more priestly vocations merited the request for the prayers, recited post-communion during Sunday Masses in the San Fernando Valley but was prohibited in being prayed during weekly masses.