St. Peter Chrysologus: The priesthood

“BE YOU the priest and the sacrifice of God; do not lose that which has been given to you by the authority of God. Clothe yourself with the garment of sanctity, gird yourself with the cincture of chastity; let Christ be the covering for your head; let the cross of Christ be the protection for your head; let the cross of Christ be the protection for your face; instil in your breast the sacrament of divine wisdom; let the odor of your prayers always ascend upon high; let your heart be, as it were, an altar, on which you may safely offer your body as a victim to God.”

~St. Peter Chrysologus (c. 380 – c. 450): Sermons, 108

The Seven Sacraments II: Ordination, by Nicholas Poussin.
Oil on canvas, 1647; National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh.

Hippolytus: Prayer

“FATHER, Who knowest the hearts of all, grant this Thy servant Whom Thou has chosen for the episcopate to feed Thy holy flock and serve as Thine high priest, that he may minister blamelessly by night and day, that he may unceasingly behold and propitiate Thy countenance and offer to Thee the gifts of Thy Holy Church. And that by the high priestly Spirit he may have authority to forgive sins according to Thy command, to assign lots according to Thy bidding, to loose every bond according to the authority Thou gavest to the apostles, and that he may please Thee in meekness and a pure heart, offering to Thee a sweet-smelling savor.”
--The Apostolic Tradition, 3. (Excerpt from the earliest known prayer for the consecration of a bishop, 3rd cent.)

“AND let every faithful man and woman when they arise from sleep at dawn before they undertake any work wash their hands and pray to God, and so let them go to their work.”
--The Apostolic Tradition, 35.

“PRAY also before thy body rests upon thy bed.”
--The Apostolic Tradition, 36.
~St. Hippolytus of Rome