Common Prayers

Our Father (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.

Hail Mary

Hail Mary, full of grace,

the Lord is with thee,

blessed art thou 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.

Glory Be

Glory be to the Father,

and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirirt.

As it was in the beginning,

is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

AMEN.

The 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 Pilate,

was crucified, died and was buried.

He descended into hell.

On the third day he rose again from the dead.

He ascended into heaven

and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty;

from thence he will come again 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.

The Nicene Creed

I believe in one God,

the Father almighty,

maker of heaven and earth,

of all things visible and invisible.

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,

the Only Begotten Son of God,

born of the Father before all ages.

God from God, Light from Light,

true God from true God,

begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;

through him all things were made.

For us men and for our salvation

he came down from heaven,

(At the words that follow up to and including and became man, all bow)

and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate

of the Virgin Mary,

and became man.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,

he suffered death and was buried,

and rose again on the third day

in accordance with 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.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,

who proceeds from the Father and the Son,

who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,

who has spoken through the prophets.

I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.

I confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins

and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead

and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Acts of Contrition

O my God,

I am very sorry that I have sinned against you,

because you are so good,

and with your help

I will try not to sin again.

Act of Contrition

Lord, you know all things, you know that I love you (John 21:17)

The Mysteries of the Rosary

The Joyful Mysteries

Prayed Mondays and Saturdays

The Annunciation: Mary conceives Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit

The Visitation: Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth whose baby leapt in her womb for joy

The Nativity: Jesus is born of the Virgin Mary

The Presentation: Mary and Joseph present the Child Jesus in the temple

The finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple

The Sorrowful Mysteries

Prayed Tuesdays and Fridays

The Agony in the Garden: Jesus agonizes over His coming passion

The Scourging: Jesus is scourged and whipped at the pillar

Jesus is crowned with thorns

Jesus Carries His cross

The Crucifixion: Jesus dies on the cross, forgiving all those who crucified Him

The Glorious Mysteries

Prayed Wednesdays and Sundays

The Resurrection: Jesus rises from the dead

The Ascension: Jesus ascends to Heaven

The Holy Spirit descends upon the apostles

The Assumption of our Blessed Mother into Heaven

The Crowning of the Blessed Mother as Queen of Heaven

The Luminous Mysteries

Prayed on Thursdays

The Baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan

The Wedding feast in Cana where Jesus turns water into wine

The proclamation of the Kingdom of God and the call to conversion

The transfiguration

The institution of the Eucharist at the last supper

How to pray the Rosary

Make the Sign of the Cross and say the Apostles' Creed while holding the crucifix.
Say the Our Father while holding the first bead.
Say three Hail Mary's on the consecutive beads above the crucifix.
Say the Glory Be while holding the fifth bead.
Announce the First Mystery and then say the Our Father.
As you finger each of the 10 beads, say the Hail Mary while meditating on various facets of the Mystery.
After each decade say the Glory Be and O My Jesus prayers.
Note: In November and when Praying for the Deceased the Requiem Prayer may be used
Announce the Second Mystery and then say the Our Father. Repeat steps 6 and 7 and continue with the Third, Fourth and Fifth mysteries in the same manner.
Say the Hail Holy Queen after the five decades are completed.

Fatima Prayer (O My Jesus)

O my Jesus,

forgive us our sins,

save us from the fires of Hell.

Lead all souls to Heaven,

especially those in most need of Your mercy.

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, O most gracious advocate,

Thine eyes of mercy towards 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 be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

AMEN.

The Memorare

The Memorare of St. Bernard

Remember, O most gracious 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 by this confidence,

I fly to you O Virgin of Virgins, my mother.

To you I come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful.

O Mother of the Word Incarnate,

despise not my petitions,

but in your mercy, hear and answer me.

AMEN.

The Divine Mercy Chaplet

Begin with the Sign of the Cross, 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary and The Apostles' Creed

Then on the Our Father beads say the following:

Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.

On the 10 Hail Mary beads say the following:

For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

(Repeat step 2 and 3 for all five decades).

Conclude with (three times):

Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

Origins of the Chaplet

In 1933, God gave Sister Faustina Kowalska a striking vision of His Mercy. She tells us:

"I saw a great light, with God the Father in the midst of it. Between this light and the earth I saw Jesus nailed to the Cross and in such a way that God, wanting to look upon the earth, had to look through Our Lord's wounds and I understood that God blessed the earth for the sake of Jesus."

Of another vision on Sept. 13, 1935, she writes: "I saw an Angel, the executor of God's wrath... about to strike the earth...I began to beg God earnestly for the world with words which I heard interiorly. As I prayed in this way, I saw the Angel's helplessness, and he could not carry out the just punishment...."

The following day an inner voice taught her to say this prayer on ordinary rosary beads:

"First say one 'Our Father', 'Hail Mary', and 'I believe'. Then on the large beads say the following words:

'Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.'

On the smaller beads you are to say the following words: 'For the sake of His sorrowful Passion have mercy on us and on the whole world.'

In conclusion you are to say these words three times:

'Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world'.

Jesus said later to Sister Faustina:

"Say unceasingly this chaplet that I have taught you. Anyone who says it will receive great Mercy at the hour of death. Priests will recommend it to sinners as the last hope. Even the most hardened sinner, if he recites this Chaplet even once, will receive grace from My Infinite Mercy. I want the whole world to know My Infinite Mercy. I want to give unimaginable graces to those who trust in My Mercy...."

"....When they say this Chaplet in the presence of the dying, I will stand between My Father and the dying person not as the just judge but as the Merciful Savior".

Requiem Prayer

Eternal rest grant unto him/her/them O Lord

and let perpetual light shine upon them.

May he/she/they rest in peace.

AMEN.

Spiritual Communion

Prayers before Mass: Spiritual Communion

I wish, my Lord, to receive you

with the purity, humility and devotion

with which your most Holy Mother received you,

with the spirit and the fervour of the saints.

Prayers before Mass: prayer to Saint Joseph

Prayers before Mass: Prayer to Saint Joseph

O happy man, Saint Joseph,

to you it was given to see and hear the God

whom many kings longed to see but did not see

and to hear but did not hear.

Not only that, but you were privileged even

to bear God in your hands, to kiss him,

to dress him and to watch over him.

Pray for us, Saint Joseph,

That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Prayers after Mass: Prayer to Saint Michael

Prayers after Mass: to Saint Michael Archangel

Saint 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 you, O prince of the heavenly host,

by the power of God thrust into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world for the ruin of souls. Amen.

Prayers after Mass: Soul of Christ

Soul of Christ, be my sanctification,

Body of Christ, be my salvation,

Blood of Christ, fill all my veins,

Water from Christ's side, wash out my stains.

Passion of Christ, my comfort be.

O good Jesus, listen to me.

In thy wounds I fain would hide,

ne'er to be parted from thy side

Guard me should the foe assail me,

Call me when my life shall fail me,

bid me come to thee above

with all thy saints to sing thy love.

World without end. Amen.

Angelus

The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary:

And she conceived of the Holy Spirit. (Hail Mary…)

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word. (Hail Mary…)

And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us. (Hail Mary…)

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

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. Amen.

Regina Coeli

(Substitutes the Angelus midday prayer during the Easter season)

Queen of Heaven, rejoice, alleluia. / For He whom you did merit to bear, alleluia.

Has risen, as he said, alleluia. / Pray for us to God, alleluia.

Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia. / For the Lord has truly risen, alleluia.

Let us pray. O God, who gave joy to the world through the resurrection of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, grant we beseech you, that through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, His Mother, we may obtain the joys of everlasting life. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.