Catholic Prayers

O Holy St. Anthony, gentlest of Saints, your love for God and Charity for His

creatures, made you worthy, when on earth, to possess miraculous powers.

Encouraged by this thought, I implore you to obtain for me [your request here]. 0

gentle and loving St. Anthony, whose heart was ever full of human sympathy,

whisper my petition into the ears of the sweet Infant Jesus, who loved to be

folded in yourarms; and the gratitude of my heart will ever be yours.

Amen.

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.

O most holy apostle, Saint Jude, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, the Church honoureth and invoketh thee universally, as the patron of hopeless cases, and of things almost despaired of.

Pray for me, who am so miserable. Make use, I implore thee, of that particular privilege accorded to thee, to bring visible and speedy help where help was almost despaired of.

Come to mine assistance in this great need, that I may receive the consolation and succor of Heaven in all my necessities, tribulations, and sufferings, particularly (here make your request) and that I may praise God with thee and all the elect throughout eternity.

I promise thee, O blessed Jude, to be ever mindful of this great favour, to always honour thee as my special and powerful patron, and to gratefully encourage devotion to thee.

Amen.

To you, O blessed Joseph,

do we come in our tribulation,

and having implored the help of your most holy Spouse,

we confidently invoke your patronage also.

Through that charity which bound you

to the Immaculate Virgin Mother of God

and through the paternal love

with which you embraced the Child Jesus,

we humbly beg you graciously to regard the inheritance

which Jesus Christ has purchased by his Blood,

and with your power and strength to aid us in our necessities.

O most watchful guardian of the Holy Family,

defend the chosen children of Jesus Christ; 

O most loving father, ward off from us

every contagion of error and corrupting influence; 

O our most mighty protector, be kind to us

and from heaven assist us in our struggle

with the power of darkness.

As once you rescued the Child Jesus from deadly peril,

so now protect God's Holy Church

from the snares of the enemy and from all adversity;

shield, too, each one of us by your constant protection,

so that, supported by your example and your aid,

we may be able to live piously, to die in holiness,

and to obtain eternal happiness in heaven.

Amen.

We believe in one God, 

the Father, the Almighty,

Maker 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, consubstantial

of one Being with the Father. 

Through him all things were made. 

For us and for our salvation

he came down from heaven:

and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate

he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,

and was made man. 

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;

he suffered death and was buried. 

On the third day he rose again

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. 

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 isworshipped 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.

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary,

that never was it known that any one who fled to thy protection,

implored thy help or sought thy intercession,

was left unaided. 

Inspired with this confidence,

I fly unto thee,

O Virgin of virgins my Mother;

to thee do I come,

before thee I stand,

sinful and sorrowful;

O Mother of thy Word Incarnate,

despise not my petitions,

but in thy clemency hear and answer me.

Amen.

O, my God, I am heartily sorry

for having offended you.

I detest all my sins because of your just punishment, but most of all because they offend you, my God, who are all-good and deserving of all my love.

I firmly resolve, with the help of Your grace, to sin no more and to avoid the near occasion of sin.

Amen.

The Rosary is a Scripture-based prayer. It begins with the Apostles' Creed, which summarizes the great mysteries of the Catholic faith. The Our Father, which introduces each mystery, is from the Gospels. The first part of the Hail Mary is the angel's words announcing Christ's birth and Elizabeth's greeting to Mary. St. Pius V officially added the second part of the Hail Mary. The Mysteries of the Rosary center on the events of Christ's life. There are four sets of Mysteries: Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious and –– added by Pope John Paul II in 2002 –– the Luminous.

The repetition in the Rosary is meant to lead one into restful and contemplative prayer related to each Mystery. The gentle repetition of the words helps us to enter into the silence of our hearts, where Christ's spirit dwells. The Rosary can be said privately or with a group.

The Five Joyful Mysteries are traditionally prayed on the Mondays, Saturdays, and Sundays of Advent:

The Annunciation

The Visitation

The Nativity

The Presentation in the Temple

The Finding in the Temple

The Five Sorrowful Mysteries are traditionally prayed on the Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays of Lent:   

The Agony in the Garden

The Scourging at the Pillar

The Crowning with Thorns

The Carrying of the Cross

The Crucifixion and Death

The Five Glorious Mysteries are traditionally prayed on the Wednesdays and Sundays outside of Lent and Advent:

The Resurrection

The Ascension

The Descent of the Holy Spirit

The Assumption

The Coronation of Mary

The Five Luminous Mysteries are traditionally prayed on Thursdays:

The Baptism of Christ in the Jordan

The Wedding Feast at Cana

Jesus' Proclamation of the Coming of the Kingdom of God

The Transfiguration

The Institution of the Eucharist

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, 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.

Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy,

our life, oursweetness 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 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.

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, full of grace.

Our 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.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Sprit.

As it was in the beginning

is now and ever shall beworld without end.

Amen.

Make the Sign of the Cross.

Holding the Crucifix, say the Apostles' Creed.

On the first bead, say an Our Father.

Say three Hail Marys on each of the next three beads.

Say the Glory Be.

For each of the five decades, announce the Mystery (perhaps followed by a brief reading from Scripture) then say the Our Father.

While fingering each of the ten beads of the decade, next say ten Hail Marys while meditating on the Mystery. Then say a Glory Be.

(After finishing each decade, some say the following prayer requested by the Blessed Virgin Mary at Fatima: O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell; lead all souls to Heaven, especially those who have most need of your mercy.)

After saying the five decades, say the Hail, Holy Queen, followed by this dialogue and prayer:

V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.

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

Let us pray: O God, whose Only Begotten Son,

by his life, Death, and Resurrection,

has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life,

grant, we beseech thee,

that while meditating on these mysteries

of the most holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary,

we may imitate what they contain

and obtain what they promise,

through the same Christ our Lord.

Amen.