Prayers

The Sign of the Cross

In the name of the Father,
and of the the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

The Lord's Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.
Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Amen.

Hail Mary

Hail Mary, full of grace,
The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art Thou among women
And blessed is the fruit of Thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,
Pray for us sinners,
Now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.

Ave Maria

Ave Maria, gratia plena,
Dominus tecum.
Benedicta tu in mulieribus
et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Jesus.

Sancta Maria, Mater Dei,
ora pro nobis peccatoribus,
nunc et in hora mortis nostrae.
Amen.

Apostles' Creed

I believe in God the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth;
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord;
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary;
suffered under Pontius Pilot,
was crucified, died and was buried.
He descended into hell;
on the third day He arose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty;
from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit;
the Holy Catholic Church;
the Communion of Saints;
the forgiveness of sins;
the resurrection of the body;
and life everlasting.
Amen.

Nicene Creed

We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God,
Light from Light,
True God from True God,
begotten, not made, one in being with the Father;
through Him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation He came down from heaven,
by the power of the Holy Spirit He was born of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.
For out sake He was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
He suffered, died and was buried.
On the third day He rose again in fulfillment of the scriptures;
He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and His kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the Giver of Life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
with the Father and the Son He is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the prophets.

We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come.
Amen.

Hail Holy Queen

Hail Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life our sweetness and our hope.
To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve;
To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.
Turn then, most gracious advocate,
thine eyes of mercy toward us
and after this our exile
show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus,
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

Pray for us,
O Holy Mother of God,
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Amen.

Memorare

Prayer to Our Lady

Remember, O most loving Virgin Mary,
that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection,
implored your help,
or sought your intercession was left unaided.
Inspired with this confidence,
we turn to you, O Virgins of virgins,
our Mother.
To you we come, before you we stand, sinful and sorrowful.
O Mother of the Word Incarnate,
do not despise our petitions,
but in your mercy hear us and answer us.
Amen.

The Angelus

(To be said at 6am, noon and 6pm daily, except during the Easter season)

V. The angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.
R. And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

Hail Mary,...

V. Behold the handmaid of the Lord
R. Let it be done unto me according to thy word.

Hail Mary,...

V. And the Word was made flesh
R. And dwelt among us.

Hail Mary,...

V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord,
Thy grace into our hearts,
That we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ, Thy Son,
was made known by the message of an angel,
may, by His Passion and Cross,
be brought to the glory of His Resurrection,
Through the same Christ, Our Lord.
Amen.

The Magnificat

My soul magnifies the Lord,
And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
For He has regarded the lowliness of his handmaiden,
And behold,
From henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
For He that is mighty has done to me great things
And His name is holy.
His mercy is on those who fear him,
From generation to generation.
He has shown strength with His arm,
And scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He has put down the mighty from their seat
And exalted the humble and the meek.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
But the rich He has sent empty away.
He has helped His servant Israel,
As He promised to out forefathers,
Abraham and his children forever.
Amen.

The Regina Caeli

(To be said instead of the Angelus during the Easter Season)

Joy to thee, O Queen of Heaven, Alleluia!
He whom thou wast fit to bear, Alleluia!
As He promised, hath risen, Alleluia!
Pour for us to God thy prayer, Alleluia!
Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, Alleluia!
For the Lord hath risen indeed, Alleluia!

Apostles' Creed

I believe in God the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth;
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord;
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary;
suffered under Pontius Pilot,
was crucified, died and was buried.
He descended into hell;
on the third day He arose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty;
from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit;
the Holy Catholic Church;
the Communion of Saints;
the forgiveness of sins;
the resurrection of the body;
and life everlasting.
Amen.

Nicene Creed

We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God,
Light from Light,
True God from True God,
begotten, not made, one in being with the Father;
through Him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation He came down from heaven,
by the power of the Holy Spirit He was born of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.
For out sake He was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
He suffered, died and was buried.
On the third day He rose again in fulfillment of the scriptures;
He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and His kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the Giver of Life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
with the Father and the Son He is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the prophets.

We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come.
Amen.

Prayer of St. Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.

O, Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
it is in dying that we are born again to eternal life.
Amen.

The Devine Praises

Blessed be God. Blessed be His Holy Name.
Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true Man.
Blessed be the Name of Jesus.
Blessed be His Most Sacred Heart.
Blessed be His Most Precious Blood.
Blessed be Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.
Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete.
Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most Holy.
Blessed be her Holy and Immaculate Conception.
Blessed be her Glorious Assumption.
Blessed be the Name of Mary, Virgin and Mother.
Blessed be St. Joseph, her most chaste spouse.
Blessed be God in His Angels and in His Saints.
Amen.

Act of Faith

O my God,
I firmly believe that you are one God in three divine Persons,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit;
I believe that your divine Son became man and died for our sins,
and that he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe these and all the truths which the Holy Catholic Church teaches,
because you revealed them,
who can neither deceive nor be deceived.
Amen.

Act of Hope

O my God,
relying on your infinite goodness and promises,
I hope to obtain pardon of my sins,
the help of your grace,
and life everlasting,
through the merits of Jesus Christ,
my Lord and Redeemer.
Amen.

Act of Love

O my God,
I love you above all things,
with my whole heart and soul,
because you are all good and worthy of all my love.
I love my neighbor as myself for the love of you.
I forgive all who have injured me
and I ask pardon of all whom I have injured.
Amen.

Confiteor

I confess to almighty God,
to blessed Mary ever Virgin,
to blessed Michael the Archangel,
to blessed John the Baptist,
to the holy apostles Peter and Paul,
and to all the saints that I have sinned exceedingly
in thought, word, and deed,
through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault.
Therefore, I beseech blessed Mary ever Virgin,
blessed Michael the Archangel,
blessed John the Baptist,
the holy apostles Peter and Paul,
and all the saints,
to pray for me to the Lord our God.
Amen.

Act of Contrition

O my God,
I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee.
I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of heaven and he pains of hell,
but most of all because they offend Thee, my God,
who art all-good and deserving of all my love.
I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace,
to confess my sins,
to do penance
and to amend my life.
Amen.

Glory Be

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning,
is now,
and ever shall be.
Amen.

Prayer Before Communion

Father in heaven, you have made us for yourself;
our hearts are restless until they rest in you.
Fulfill this longing through Jesus,
the bread of life,
so that we may witness to him who alone satisfies the hungers of the human family.
By the power of your Spirit lead us to the heavenly table
where we may feast on the vision of your glory for ever and ever.
Amen.

Prayer Before Meals

Bless us O Lord
and these Thy gifts
which we are about to receive,
from Thy bounty,
through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Prayer After Meals

We give Thee thanks,
Almighty God,
for all Thy benefits;
Who lives and reigns,
world without end.
Amen.

Angel of God

Angel of God,
my Guardian dear,
to whom His love
commits me here,
ever this day (night)
be at my side,
to light and guard,
to rule and guide.
Amen.

Anima Christi

Soul of Christ, sanctify me.
Body of Christ, save me.
Blood of Christ, inebriate me.
Water from the side of Christ, wash me.
Passion of Christ, strengthen me.
O good Jesus, hear me.
Hide me within Thy wounds.
Never permit me to be separated from Thee.
From the malignant enemy, defend me.
At the hour of my death, call me,
And bid me to come to Thee,
That with Thy saints, I may praise Thee
For everlasting ages.
Amen.

Litany of the Saints

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 2559) states, “Prayer is the raising of one’s mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God.”

We are probably all familiar with the second part of this definition. Who among us, in some time of need or distress, has not called upon God for assistance? But, what does the first part of this definition really mean? What does it mean to raise one’s mind and heart to God?

Most of us can come to a basic understanding of this by answering the question, “What does it mean to unite our mind and heart with a fellow human?” We do this by talking to the person and spending time with them, sharing our thoughts, emotions, experiences, values and goals, by putting our trust in someone and by demonstrating our own trustworthiness. The more we spend time with, communicate and work together toward common objectives, the closer relationship we develop with that person. In the closest relationships, we often are happy just to be in the presence of that person; when we deeply love someone we want to share all of their experiences, whether that be sharing in joyful occasions or comforting them in times of sorrow.

This is also what it means to raise one’s mind and heart to God. God wants a close, intimate relationship with us, a relationship which involves Him in every aspect of our lives. He wants us to trust in Him, to share our good times and troubles, to request His assistance. But we will not have such a relationship if we fail to spend time with Him. We do this through prayer. We use our minds and hearts to bless, adore and praise God as our divine creator, and strive to understand God. We ask God to help us in our daily needs and in times of trouble. We should give thanksgiving for all of the blessings and graces He provides us.

How many of us would expect a good marriage to exist, if a couple rarely spoke to one another, and rarely spent time together? How would we expect the couple to really love one another if they only spoke when they needed something from the other person? A loving relationship requires that both partners set aside time for each other, that they communicate, know, trust and support one another in good times and bad. In summary, a good relationship is hard work.

We know that these things are required to have a good marriage. Why then, do so many people expect to have a good relationship with God, with little or no effort toward that relationship? We must work toward a good relationship with God.