Prayer library
Prayers for real life
Read prayers in full, arranged by need, occasion, and theme. References accompany individual texts, and editorial reflections are identified separately from the prayers. Many texts come from Catholic devotional sources; each prayer is labelled with its tradition.
Pray for a need or occasion
How to pray when you don’t know what to say →
Begin with a short example prayer and explore Jesus’ teaching with Scripture in context.
Pray the Rosary →
A quiet, step-by-step guide to praying the Rosary.
Ignatian practice · Prayer toolThe Daily Examen →
A guided five-step Ignatian examen for prayerful review of the day.
40 prayers
Prayers for a need
Prayer for Peace
A traditional prayer asking to become an instrument of peace, mercy, and hope.
The Memorare
A traditional Marian prayer of confidence in times of fear or urgent need.
Out of the Depths (Psalm 129)
The Douay-Rheims rendering of a psalm for grief, mercy, and patient hope.
A Prayer Before Surgery
An original prayer for calm, skilled care, and trust before a procedure.
Catholic Grace Before and After Meals
The Catholic grace before and after meals, "Bless us, O Lord", word for word from the 1889 Baltimore Manual of Prayers.
Luther's Table Prayers (Small Catechism)
Martin Luther's table prayers from the Small Catechism: how a household asks a blessing and returns thanks, in the 1921 Concordia Triglotta translation.
The General Thanksgiving (Book of Common Prayer)
The Book of Common Prayer's General Thanksgiving, added to the Prayer Book in 1662, as printed in the 1928 American Book of Common Prayer.
Collect for Thanksgiving Day (1928 Prayer Book)
The collect for Thanksgiving Day from the 1928 American Book of Common Prayer, giving thanks for the harvest and the fruits of the earth.
Grace Before Meat (1928 Prayer Book)
Two short graces before meals from Family Prayer in the 1928 American Book of Common Prayer.
Make a Joyful Noise (Psalm 100)
Psalm 100 in the King James Version: a five-verse psalm of thanksgiving, short enough to read aloud before a meal.
His Mercy Endureth For Ever (Psalm 136)
Psalm 136 in the King James Version, with its refrain "for his mercy endureth for ever" for reading together at table.
Eternal Rest (Requiem Aeternam)
The Catholic prayer for the dead, "Eternal rest grant unto them", in Latin and English, with the form for one person, from the 1889 Baltimore Manual of Prayers.
Burial and Anniversary Prayers (1928 Prayer Book)
Burial prayers and the anniversary prayer from the 1928 American Book of Common Prayer: some pray for the departed, others for the living.
O God of Spirits: Orthodox Prayer for the Departed
The Orthodox prayer for the departed from the Requiem Office, with its closing exclamation, in Isabel Hapgood's 1906 Service Book translation.
Shared Christian
Our Father
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…
Sign of the Cross
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Glory Be (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.
Nicene Creed
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only-begotten Son of God, born of…
Gloria
Glory be to God on high, and on earth peace to men of good will. We praise Thee; we bless Thee; we worship Thee; we glorify Thee. We give Thee thanks for Thy great glory, O Lord…
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 Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary…
Catholic devotion
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…
Prayer to Your Guardian Angel
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.
Morning Offering
Divine Heart of Jesus, I offer to Thee, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, all my prayers, actions and sufferings of this day, in union with all the intentions for which Thou…
Act of Contrition (common form)
O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins because of thy just punishments, but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, who art all…
Act of Contrition (Baltimore Catechism)
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 they offend…
Act of Contrition (short form)
Lord Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
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…
Act of Hope
O my God! relying on Thy infinite goodness 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…
Act of Love
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…
Angelus
V. The angel of the Lord declared unto Mary. R. And she conceived of the Holy Ghost. Hail Mary, full of grace! the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed…
Anima Christi
Soul of Christ, be my sanctification; Body of Christ, be my salvation; Blood of Christ, fill all my veins; Water of Christ's side, wash out my stains; Passion of Christ, my…
Divine 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…
Hail, Holy Queen (The Salve Regina)
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…
O Sacrum Convivium
O sacred banquet, wherein Christ is received; the memory of His passion is renewed, the mind is filled with grace, and the pledge of future glory is given unto us.
Tantum Ergo
Down in adoration falling, Lo! the sacred Host we hail! Lo! o'er ancient forms departing, Newer rites of grace prevail; Faith for all defects supplying Where the feeble senses…
Oh My Jesus
O my Jesus, forgive us our sins. Save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls into heaven, especially those in most need of thy mercy. Amen.
Vocation Prayer
O my God, Thou who art the God of wisdom and of counsel, Thou who readest in my heart the sincere will to please Thee alone, and to govern myself with regard to my choice of a…
Morning Prayer
O Lord, God Almighty, who hast brought us to the beginning of this day: let Thy power so defend us therein, that this day we fall into no sin, but that all our thoughts, words…
Evening Prayer
Now that the daylight dies away, By all Thy grace and love, Thee, Maker of the world, we pray To watch our bed above. Let dreams depart and phantoms fly, The offspring of the…
Afternoon Prayer
O Thou true life of all that live! Who dost, unmov'd, all motion sway; Who dost the morn and evening give, And through its changes guide the day: Thy light upon our evening…
Cross references