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5 Other Prayers
This section lists some other common Catholic prayers and lists
occasions when they would be helpful.
5.1 Sign of the
Cross
This prayer is commonly used to start most services and sacraments and
public prayer sessions.
In
the name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
5.2 Our Father
This
prayer is
discussed in Part 4.
This is a good prayer to use on any
occasion, but it is certainly appropriate to pray as morning or evening
prayer, along with the Hail Mary, the Glory Be and the Guardian Angel
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.
5.3 Hail Mary
This
is a basic prayer that everyone should know. It is a great intercessory
prayer, asking God’s own mother to pray for us, to talk to Jesus on our
behalf. It is also used in the rosary. This prayer mostly comes from
the Gospel of Luke.
Hail Mary,
full of grace,
the Lord is with you.
Blessed are you 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.
5.4 Memorare
This
is another great prayer of intercessory petition to the Blessed Virgin Mary. We rely
on her with complete confidence to intercede on our behalf.
Remember
O most gracious Virgin Mary,
That never was it known,
That anyone who fled to they
protection,
Implored thy aid,
Or sought thy intercession,
Was left unaided.
Inspired by this confidence,
I fly to thee, O Virgin of virgins,
My Mother.
To thee I come, before thee I
stand,
Sinful and sorrowful.
O Mother of the Word Incarnate,
Despise not my petition,
But in thy mercy hear and answer
me!
Amen.
5.5 The Glory Be
This
is a very simple prayer, just like the sign of the cross. It is often
used to end a sequence of prayers, giving praise to the Holy
Trinity
and asking for God’s will to be done.
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.
5.6 Grace before Meals
This is a prayer of thanksgiving. You should say this before every
meal, whether at home or eating in a restaurant.
Bless
us O Lord,
And these thy gifts,
Which we are about to receive,
From Thy bounty,
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
5.7 Apostles Creed
This
is a very old creed, perhaps older than the Nicene Creed. It
is often said at children’s masses. It is also said to start the
rosary. The apostles
were
the first followers of Christ and the first bishops of the
Church. It is a tradition that they taught this prayer to teach the Faith.
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 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.
The
phrase "He descended into Hell" tells us that Jesus, after he
died, freed the souls from before that time so that those who had
followed the law of God could now receive eternal reward. This clearly
includes the Jews who followed the Law of the Old Covenant and non-Jews
who followed the Law of God that was written into their hearts.
5.8 Act of
Contrition
This
prayer is particularly suited for the Sacrament
of Penance. It is also
a very good prayer to say at the end of the day to ask forgiveness for
the sins of the day.
O
my God,
I am heartily sorry for having
offended Thee,
and I detest all my sins,
because I dread the loss of Heaven,
and the pains of Hell;
but most of all because I love
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.
An updated version often used for children follows:
My God, I am sorry for my sins with all my heart.
In choosing to do wrong and failing to do good,
I have sinned against you
whom I should love above all things.
I promise to try, with your help, to do penance,
to sin no more, and to avoid whatever leads me to sin.
Our Savior, Jesus Christ, suffered and died for us.
In His name, My God have mercy.
Amen
5.9 Act of Faith
This prayer is like a creed
and is an act of adoration to God. It is good to start each morning.
O
my God,
I firmly believe that Thou art one God in three Divine Person,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit;
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.
Amen.
5.10 Act of Hope
We
are reminded that we are not saved by our own efforts, but by the Mercy
of God. Relying on this Mercy in all that we do, we have hope that God
is in charge and will see that the proper outcome will occur.
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.
Amen.
5.11 Act of Love
God
is Love. He created us
out of love.
He became one of
us,
and died for us
out of love. The best things in our lives come
from love: our faith in God, our friends, our families. This prayer is
said in love, for love, hoping to grow in love and thus in God. It reflects the Great Commandment.
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.
Amen.
5.12
Guardian Angel Prayer
This
is a good prayer for children of all ages to say before going to bed
and upon waking up. God has given us all a Guardian
Angel to guard and protect us.
Angel of God,
my guardian dear,
to whom his love entrusts me here,
ever this day [night] be at my
side to light and guard,
to rule and guide.
Amen.
5.13 The Fatima Prayer
This prayer is said after the Glory Be’s in the Rosary. The Blessed
Virgin Mary taught this prayer to the children of Fatima.
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
thy mercy
5.14 The Hail Holy
Queen (Salve Regina)
This is usually said at the end of the rosary. It is also set to music
and sometimes sung during mass.
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 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 may be made worthy of the
promises of Christ
5.15 Come 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 shall renew the face of the earth.
O,
God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of
the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise
and ever enjoy His consolations. Through Christ Our Lord.
Amen.
5.16
Holy Rosary
The
rosary is a great prayer for all occasions. You can pray it for your
own intentions, the intentions of the Pope or the intentions of
friends and family. Meditating on the Mysteries of our faith draws us
into the Birth, Life, Death and Resurrection of Our Lord, Jesus Christ.
It is very focused on the Gospels.
The Holy Rosary is composed
of a series of prayers and meditations on the mysteries of our Catholic
Faith. It is prayed on a rosary (left). The sequence of the rosary is
as follows:
1. Make the Sign
of the Cross and then pray Apostles Creed
2. Pray the Our
Father
3. Three Hail
Marys
4. Glory Be
and (optional) Fatima Prayer
5. Say the first mystery (Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful or Glorious) meditate on it and then
pray an Our
Father
6. On the next 10 beads, pray Hail Marys
7. Glory Be
and (optional) Fatima Prayer
8. Next single bead, repeat for next Mystery
9. At the end, say the Hail
Holy Queen Prayer
5.16.1
Mysteries of the Rosary
The
Mysteries of the Rosary are composed of 4 sets of 5 mysteries based on the Bible. Each set
is used to pray the rosary. Traditionally, different sets of Mysteries are used
on different days of the week. The quotes in italics are from
the Bible
to help you think about the mystery.
5.16.2
Joyful Mysteries (Monday and Saturday)
These are from the Gospel of Luke about the Joy of the birth of the
Lord.
1 The
Annunciation:
The Angel Gabriel announces to Mary that she is to be the mother of
God and Mary says YES.
“Hail Mary, full of Grace, the Lord has found favor with you!” Luke
1:28.
2 The Visitation:
Mary travels to meet St. Elisabeth, the mother of John the Baptist. She
does this out of love of her cousin even though it's very difficult.
St. Elisabeth greets her,
“who am I that the mother of my Lord should come to me!” Luke 1:43
John the Baptist, the infant in Elisabeth’s womb, jumps with joy at the
presence of Jesus in Mary’s womb.
3 The Incarnation:
Our Lord, Jesus Christ is born
in Bethlehem. ”For
today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is
Messiah and Lord” Luke 2:15
4 The
Presentation of the Lord: Jesus is taken to the temple to
be dedicated to God as Mary’s first born son, to obey the law God gave
to Moses. Simeon
says: “a light for
revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel!” Luke 2:32
5 The Finding
in the Temple: Jesus is found talking to the elders in
Jerusalem. He was there in obedience to the law. "Why were you looking for me?
Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" Luke 2:49
5.16.3
Luminous Mysteries (Thursday)
These
highlight the life of Christ from the start of his ministry. Pope John
Paul II added them for the celebration of the millennium (2000).
1 The Baptism
of the Lord: Jesus is baptized by John the Baptist,
starting his public ministry. “This
is my Beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased!” Matt 3:17
2 The Wedding
Feast at Cana: Jesus turns water into fine wine. “His mother said to the
servers, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’” John 2:5. Here we see Mary interceding for the wedding couple. This is
one reason to ask Mary to intercede for us, since Jesus did what his
mother asked him to do.
3 The
Proclamation of the Kingdom of God: Jesus preaches about
the Kingdom of God on Earth and what we need to do to be part of the
Kingdom on Earth and in Heaven.
“Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God: ‘This is the time
of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in
the gospel.’" Mark 1:14-15
4 The
Transfiguration of the Lord: Jesus is Transfigured. He
becomes whiter than the whitest snow and Moses and Elijah appear with
him. "This is my
beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him."
Matt 17:5.
This mystery teaches us several things: Jesus is God, there is eternal
life, since Moses and Elijah appear with the Lord and Jesus shows the
apostles
what his glorified,
resurrected body will be like.
5 The
Institution of the Eucharist: At the Last Supper, on the
night before he dies, Jesus gives us the Holy
Eucharist, Holy Communion. "This is my body, which will be
given for you; do this in memory of me." Luke 22:19
5.16.4
Sorrowful Mysteries (Tuesday and Friday)
These highlight the passion and death of Jesus.
1 The Agony in
the Garden:
Jesus suffers in the Garden
of
Gethsemane (Garden of Olives) as he
begins his passion – or the suffering that leads to his death. “He was in such agony and he
prayed so fervently that his sweat became like drops of blood falling
on the ground.” Luke 22:44
2 The Scourging
at the Pillar: Jesus is whipped
by the roman soldiers, even though Pontius Pilate has
declared him innocent. “Then
Pilate took Jesus and had him scourged.” John 19:1
3 The Crowning
with Thorns: the Roman soldiers weave a crown from thorns
and press them onto Jesus’ head, mocking him. “And
the soldiers wove a crown out of thorns and placed it on his head, and
clothed him in a purple cloak, and they came to him and said,
‘Hail, King of the Jews!’ And they struck him repeatedly.” John 19:2-3
4 Jesus Takes
up His Cross: Jesus carries
his cross to Calvary, the place where he is to be nailed to
the cross. “and
carrying the cross himself he went out to what is called the Place of
the Skull, in Hebrew, Golgotha.” John 19:17
5 Jesus is
Crucified and Dies on the Cross: Jesus is nailed
to the cross
where he suffers and dies for our sins. The good thief says to Jesus: “’Have
you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? And
indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received
corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal’ Then
he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ He
replied to him, ‘Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in
Paradise.’" Luke 23:40-43
5.16.5
Glorious Mysteries (Wednesday and Sunday)
These highlight the glory of Jesus’ return to life and life everlasting.
1 The
Resurrection: Jesus rises
from the dead. Two angels say to the holy women: "Why do you seek the living one
among the dead? He is not here, but has been raised!” Luke 24:5
2 The
Ascension: Jesus ascends
into heaven to sit
at God’s right hand, to be our mediator. “So
then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them, was taken up into heaven
and took his seat at the right hand of God.” Mark 16:19
3 The Descent
of the Holy Spirit:
On Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descends on the Apostles. This
is
the birthday of the Church. Jesus had promised
the Holy Spirit to
them “Then
there appeared to
them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of
them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak
in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.” Act 2:3-4
4 The
Assumption of Mary into Heaven:
Mary body is taken into heaven.
Mary never sinned during her life and
she did not have original sin, so her body is not allowed to decay and
become corrupt. “The
woman herself fled into the desert where she had a place prepared by
God” Rev 12:6
5 The Crowning
of Mary as Queen of the Angels and Saints:
Mary is crowned the Queen of all the Angels and Saints. She is the
mother of Jesus and thus the Queen Mother (as David's mother was
queen). “A great sign
appeared in
the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet,
and on her head a crown of twelve stars.” Rev 12:1
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