Prayers

There are a variety of different Acts of Contrition suggested in the Rite of Penance. Here are a few of them. 

An Act of Contrition 1

O my God,  I am heartily sorry for having offended you, 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 you, my God, who art all-good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of your grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen.

An Act of Contrition 2

Forgive me my sins, O Lord, forgive me my sins;
the sins of my youth, the sins of my age, the sins of my soul,
the sins of my body; my idle sins, my serious voluntary sins;
the sins I know, the sins I do not know; the sins I have concealed
for so long, and which are now hidden from my memory.

I am truly sorry for every sin, mortal and venial,
for all the sins of my childhood up to the present hour.

I know my sins have wounded Thy Tender Heart,
O My Savior, let me be freed from the bonds of evil through
the most bitter Passion of my Redeemer. Amen.

O My Jesus, forget and forgive what I have been. Amen.

Act of Contrition (traditional)

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 good and deserving of all my love.

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

Act of Contrition (alternate form)

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 firmly intend, 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.

An Act of Contrition inspired by the Gospels

Father of mercy, like the prodigal son I return to you and say: “I have sinned against you and am no longer worthy to be called your child.”

Christ Jesus, Savior of the world, I pray with the repentant thief to whom you promised Paradise: “Lord, remember me in your kingdom.”

Holy Spirit, fountain of love, I call on you with trust: “Purify my heart, and help me to walk as a child of light.”

An Act of Contrition inspired by the Gospels

Lord Jesus, you opened the eyes of the blind, healed the sick, forgave the sinful woman, and after Peter’s denial confirmed him in your love.

Listen to my prayer: forgive all my sins, renew your love in my heart, help me to live in perfect unity with my fellow Christians that I may proclaim your saving power to all the world.

An Act of Contrition to Our Lord Jesus

Lord Jesus, you chose to be called the friend of sinners. By your saving death and resurrection free me from my sins. May your peace take root in my heart and bring forth a harvest of love, holiness, and truth.

An Act of Contrition to Jesus, the Lamb of God

Lord Jesus Christ, you are the Lamb of God; you take away the sins of the world.

Through the grace of the Holy Spirit restore me to friendship with your Father, cleanse me from every stain of sin in the blood you shed for me, and raise me to new life for the glory of your name.

An Act of Contrition inspired by Psalm 51

Lord God, in your goodness have mercy on me: do not look on my sins, but take away all my guilt. Create in me a clean heart and renew within me an upright spirit.

The Jesus Prayer

Lord Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

O my God, I firmly believe that you are one God in three divine Persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I believe that your divine Son became man, 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 you have revealed them, who canst neither deceive nor be deceived. Amen

O MY GOD, relying on your almighty power and infinite mercy and promises, I hope to obtain pardon of my sins, the help of your grace, and life everlasting, through the merits of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Redeemer. Amen

O Lord God, I love you above all things 
and I love my neighbor for your sake 
because you are the highest, infinite and perfect
good, worthy of all my love. 

In this love I intend to live and die. 
Amen.

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.

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 your 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.

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 comfort be.

O good Jesus, listen to me.

In Thy wounds I fain would hide,
N’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 Thy saints to sing Thy love,
World without end. Amen.

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 arose again from the dead;
he ascended into Heaven
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty,
from there he will 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.

Bow at the words in italics

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
he has come to his people and set them free.

He has raised up for us a mighty savior,
born of the house of his servant David.

Through his holy prophets he promised of old
that he would save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all who hate us.

He promised to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant.

This was the oath he swore to our father
Abraham:
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life.

You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
to give his people knowledge of salvation 
by the forgiveness of their sins.

In the tender compassion of our God
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Come, Holy Spirit, Creator come, 
From your bright heavenly throne!
Come, take possession of our souls, 
And make them all your own.

You who are called the Paraclete,
Best gift of God above,
The living spring, the living fire, 
Sweet unction, and true love!

You who are sevenfold in your grace, 
Finger of God’s right hand,
His promise, teaching little ones
To speak and understand!

O guide our minds with your blessed light, 
With love our hearts inflame,
And with your strength which never decays
Confirm our mortal frame.

Far from us drive our hellish foe 
True peace unto us bring,
And through all perils guide us safe
Beneath your sacred wing.

Through you may we the Father know,
Through you the eternal Son
And you the Spirit of them both
Thrice-blessed three in one.

All glory to the Father be,
And to the risen Son;
The same to you, O Paraclete,
While endless ages run. Amen.

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit, O Lord, and renew the face of the earth. Amen

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
And from your celestial home
Shed a ray of light divine!
Come, Father of the poor!
Come, source of all our store!
Come, within our bosoms shine.
You, of comforters the best;
You, the soul’s most welcome guest;
Sweet refreshment here below;
In our labor, rest most sweet;
Grateful coolness in the heat;
Solace in the midst of woe.
O most blessed Light divine,
Shine within these hearts of yours,
And our inmost being fill!
Where you are not, we have naught,
Nothing good in deed or thought,
Nothing free from taint of ill.
Heal our wounds, our strength renew;
On our dryness pour your dew;
Wash the stains of guilt away:
Bend the stubborn heart and will;
Melt the frozen, warm the chill;
Guide the steps that go astray.
On the faithful, who adore
And confess you, evermore 
In your sevenfold gift descend:
Give them virtue’s sure reward;
Give them your salvation, Lord;
Give them joys that never end.

To recite the Chaplet to the Divine Mercy, a normal rosary is used. The following prayers are said:

1. Sign of the Cross
2. Our Father
3. Hail Mary
4. The Apostles’ Creed

5. On the Our Father bead of a rosary, the following prayer is said:

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.

6. On the Hail Mary beads of a rosary, the following prayer is said:

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

7. The following invocation is repeated 3 times:

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

8. Optional closing prayer:

Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself.

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 Precious Blood.
Blessed be Jesus in the most holy Sacrament of the altar.
Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete.
Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most holy.
Blessed be her holy and Immaculate Conception.
Blessed be her glorious Assumption.
Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin and Mother.
Blessed be Saint Joseph, her most chaste spouse. 
Blessed be God in his angels and in his saints.

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them.
May they rest in peace. Amen.

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.

Hail, holy Queen, mother of mercy,
our life, our sweetness, and our hope.

To you we cry, poor banished children of Eve.

To you we send up our sighs,
mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.

Turn, then, most gracious advocate,
your eyes of mercy upon us;
and after this, our exile,
show unto us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus.

O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin 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,
now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.

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.

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary,
that never was it known 
that anyone who fled to thy protection, 
implored thy help, 
or sought thy intercession, 
was left unaided. 

Inspired by 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 the Word Incarnate,
despise not my petitions, 
but in thy mercy hear and answer me. 
Amen.

O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
I offer you my prayers, works, joys and sufferings of this day
for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart,
in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world,
for the salvation of souls, the reparation for sins,
the reunion of all Christians,
and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father this month.

Amen

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,
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.

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, Guardian of the Redeemer,
Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

To you God entrusted his only Son;
in you Mary placed her trust;
with you Christ became man.

Blessed Joseph, to us too,
show yourself a father
and guide us in the path of life.

Obtain for us grace, mercy, and courage,
and defend us from every evil. Amen.

Queen of Heaven, rejoice, alleluia!
For he, whom you chose to bear, alleluia!
Is risen as He said, alleluia!
Pray for us to God, alleluia!
Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia!
For the Lord is truly risen, alleluia!

O God, by the resurrection of your Son, our Lord, you were pleased make glad the whole world. Grant we beseech you, that through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, his Mother, we may attain the joys of everlasting life, through the same Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Saint Michael Archangel,
defend us in battle,
be our protection against the wickedness
and snares of the devil;
may God rebuke him, we humbly pray;
and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host,
by the power of God, cast into hell Satan
and all the evil spirits who prowl through the world
seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

My Jesus, 
I believe that you are present in the Most Holy Sacrament. 

I love you above all things, and I desire to receive you into my soul. 

Since I cannot at this moment receive you sacramentally, 
come at least spiritually into my heart.

I embrace you as if you were already there and unite myself wholly to you.

Never permit me to be separated from you. Amen.

St. Alphonsus Liguori (A.D. 1696-1787)

At Your feet, O my Jesus,
I prostrate myself and I offer you
repentance of my contrite heart,
which is humbled in its nothingness
and in your holy presence.

I adore you in the Sacrament of your love,
the ineffable Eucharist.

I desire to receive you 
into the poor dwelling that my heart offers you.

While waiting for the happiness of sacramental communion,
I wish to possess you in spirit.

Come to me, O my Jesus,
since I, for my part, am coming to you!

May your love embrace my whole being in life and in death.

I believe in you,
I hope in you,
I love you. Amen.

(Cardinal Rafael Merry del Val)

You are God: we praise you;
You are God: we acclaim you;
You are the eternal Father:
All creation worships you.

To you all angels, all the powers of heaven,
Cherubim and Seraphim, sing in endless praise:
Holy, holy, holy, Lord, God of power and might,
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.

The glorious company of apostles praise you.

The noble fellowship of prophets praise you.

The white-robed army of martyrs praise you.

Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you:
Father, of majesty unbounded,
Your true and only Son, worthy of all worship,
And the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.

You, Christ, are the king of glory,
The eternal Son of the Father.
When you became man to set us free
You did not spurn the Virgin’s womb.

You overcame the sting of death,
And opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.

You are seated at God’s right hand in glory.

We believe that you will come, and be our judge.

Come then, Lord, and help your people,
Bought with the price of your own blood,
And bring us with your saints
To glory everlasting.

Save your people, Lord, and bless your inheritance.

Govern and uphold them now and always.

Day by day we bless you.

We praise your name forever.

Keep us today, Lord, from all sin.

Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy.

Lord, show us your love and mercy;
For we put our trust in you.

In you, Lord, is our hope:
And we shall never hope in vain

In the Rosary we focus on 20 events or mysteries in the life and death of Jesus and meditate on how we share with Mary in the redemptive work of Christ. Reading a pertinent passage from the Bible helps to deepen meditation on a particular mystery. The scriptural references given here are not exhaustive. In many instances, other biblical texts are equally suitable for meditation.

• Begin the Rosary at the crucifix by praying the Apostles’ Creed
• At each large bead, pray the Lord’s Prayer
• At each small bead, pray the Hail Mary
• At the first three beads it is customary to pray a Hail Mary for each of the gifts of faith, hope and love
• For each mystery, begin with the Lord’s Prayer, then recite the Hail Mary ten times, and end with Glory Be to the Father.

Also: How to pray the Rosary (USCCB)

The Joyful Mysteries
(recited Monday and Saturday)

The Annunciation (Luke 1.26-38)
The Visitation (Luke 1.39-56)
The Nativity (Luke 2.1-20)
The Presentation (Luke 2.22-38)
The Finding in the Temple (Luke 2.41-52)

 The Mysteries of Light
(recited Thursday)

The Baptism of Jesus (Matthew 3.13-17)
The Wedding Feast of Cana (John 2.1-12)
The Proclamation of the Kingdom, with the call to Conversion (Mark 1.15)
The Transfiguration (Luke 9.28-36)
The Institution of the Eucharist (Matthew 26.26-29)

 The Sorrowful Mysteries
(recited Tuesday and Friday)

The Agony in the Garden (Matthew26.36-56)
The Scourging at the Pillar (Matthew 27.20-26)
The Crowning with Thorns (Matthew 27.27-30)
The Carrying of the Cross (Matthew 27.31-33)
The Crucifixion (Matthew 27.34-60)

 The Glorious Mysteries 
(recited Wednesday and Sunday)

The Resurrection (John 20.1-18)
The Ascension (Acts 1.9-11)
The Descent of the Holy Spirit (John 20.19-23)
The Assumption (John 11.26)
The Coronation of Mary Queen of Heaven and Earth (Philippians 2.1-11)

(including excerpts from Living With Christ)

We fly to Thy protection, O Holy Mother of God.

Do not despise our petitions in our necessities,
but deliver us always from all dangers,
O Glorious and Blessed Virgin.