Traditional Catholic Prayers

Glory Be to the Father (Doxology)

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,
world without end.
Amen.

Guardian Angel Prayer

Angel of God, my guardian dear,
to whom God's love commits me here,
ever this day be at my side,
to light and guard, to rule and guide.
Amen

Hail Mary
Hail Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with you.
Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.

Prayer to St. Joseph, the Protector of the Church

Father, you entrusted our Savior to the care of Saint Joseph. By the help of his prayers may
your Church continue to serve its Lord, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy
Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. 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.

Prayer to the Holy Spirit

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful.
And kindle in them the fire of your love.
Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created.
And you will renew the face of the earth.
Lord, by the light of the Holy Spirit
you have taught the hearts of your faithful.
In the same Spirit
help us to relish what is right
and always rejoice in your consolation.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Hail, Holy Queen

Hail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy,
hail, our life, our sweetness, and our hope.
To you we cry, the children of Eve;
to you we send up our sighs,
mourning and weeping in this land of exile.
Turn, then, most gracious advocate,
your eyes of mercy toward us;
lead us home at last
and show us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus:
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle.
Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou,
O Prince of the heavenly hosts, by the power of God,
thrust into hell Satan, and all the evil spirits,
who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.
Magnificat
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior;
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children forever.

Prayer for Vocations

God, in Baptism you called me by name
and made me a member of your people, the Church.
Help all your people to know their vocation in life,
and to respond by living a life of holiness.
For your greater glory and for the service of your people,
raise up dedicated and generous leaders
who will serve as sisters, priests, brothers, deacons, and lay ministers.
Send your Spirit to guide and strengthen me
that I may serve your people
following the example of your Son, Jesus Christ,
in whose name I offer this prayer. Amen.

Prayer for Generosity St. Ignatius of Loyola

Eternal Word, only begotten Son of God,
Teach me true generosity.
Teach me to serve you as you deserve.
To give without counting the cost,
To fight heedless of wounds,
To labor without seeking rest,
To sacrifice myself without thought of any reward
Save the knowledge that I have done your will. Amen.

Peace Prayer of Saint 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,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.

The Angelus
Leader: The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:
Response: And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.
All: Hail Mary...
Leader: Behold the handmaid of the Lord:
Response: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.
All: Hail Mary . . .
Leader: And the Word was made Flesh:
Response: And dwelt among us.
All: Hail Mary . . .
Leader: Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God,
Response: that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Leader: Let us pray: 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.
All: Amen.

The Apostle’s 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 Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into Hell; the third day He rose again from the dead;
He ascended into Heaven, and sitteth 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.

Anima Christi (commonly prayed after receiving communion)

Soul of Christ, sanctify me
Body of Christ, save me
Blood of Christ, inebriate me
Water from Christ's side, wash me
Passion of Christ, strengthen me
O good Jesus, hear me
Within Thy wounds hide me
Suffer me not to be separated from Thee
From the malicious enemy defend me
In the hour of my death call me
And bid me come unto Thee
That I may praise Thee with Thy saints
and with Thy angels
Forever and ever. Amen.

Christ, Candle of Hope Prayer (prayed while lighting a candle)

God, our loving Father, you sent your Son,
Jesus Christ, into this world to counter
all the forces of evil: sin, suffering and death,
and to overcome evil with the force of good;
hatred with the power of love,
your great love for us in Jesus.
Help us never to curse the darkness,
but to join with you in bringing
Your light into this world,
the light that is your Son,
born of the Virgin Mary, in Bethlehem.
Help us to be instruments of your light
and love by doing one special act of kindness
or by being your special instrument
of reconciliation this New Year.
May the Christ Candle we light symbolize
our desire to bring light into a world of darkness
and hope into a world of despair.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayer Before Mass (written by St. Thomas Aquinas)

Almighty and ever-living God,
I approach the sacrament of Your only-begotten Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ,
I come sick to the doctor of life, unclean to the fountain of mercy,
blind to the radiance of eternal light, and poor and needy to the Lord of heaven and earth.
Lord, in your great generosity, heal my sickness,
wash away my defilement, enlighten my blindness, enrich my poverty, and clothe my
nakedness.
May I receive the bread of angels, the King of kings and Lord of lords,
with humble reverence, with the purity and faith,
the repentance and love, and the determined purpose that will help to bring me to salvation.
May I receive the sacrament of the Lord's Body and Blood, and its reality and power.
Kind God, may I receive the Body of Your only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ,
born from the womb of the Virgin Mary, and so be received into His mystical body and
numbered among His members.
Loving Father, as on my earthly pilgrimage I now receive Your beloved Son under the veil of a
sacrament, may I one day see him face to face in glory, who lives and reigns with You for ever.
Amen.

Prayer of St. Teresa of Avila

Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing frighten you,
All things are passing away:
God never changes.
Patience obtains all things
Whoever has God lacks nothing;
God alone suffices.

Prayer of Abandonment
Father,
I abandon myself into your hands;
do with me what you will.
Whatever you may do, I thank you:
I am ready for all, I accept all.
Let only your will be done in me,
and in all your creatures -
I wish no more than this, O Lord.
Into your hands I commend my soul:
I offer it to you with all the love of my heart,
for I love you, Lord, and so need to give myself,
to surrender myself into your hands without reserve,
and with boundless confidence,
for you are my Father.
Fatima Morning Offering
O JESUS, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer You my prayers, works, joys, and
sufferings, all that this day may bring, be they good or bad: for the love of God, for the
conversion of sinners, and in reparation for all the sins committed against the Sacred Heart and
the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Offering of Daily Actions

ETERNAL FATHER, by virtue of Your generosity and love, I ask that You
accept all my actions, and that You multiply their value in favor of every
Soul in Purgatory. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
Act of Faith
O MY GOD, I firmly believe that Thou art one God in Three Divine Persons, Father, Son and
Holy Ghost. I believe that Thy 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 Thou hast revealed them, Who canst neither deceive nor be
deceived.

Act of Hope
O MY GOD, relying on Thy almighty power and infinite mercy and promises, I
hope to obtain pardon of my sins, the help of Thy grace, and Life Everlasting, through the merits
of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Redeemer.

Act of Charity
O MY GOD, I love Thee above all things, with my whole heart and soul, because Thou art all-
good and worthy of all love. I love my neighbor as myself for the love of Thee. I forgive all who
have injured me, and ask pardon of all whom I have injured.