Prayers of the Saints
These prayers were written by Christians whose lives the church has held up as worth imitating. Many were composed in the middle of real trouble — imprisonment, plague, exile, doubt.
Each entry includes who wrote it and the circumstances behind it, because knowing the situation a prayer came out of usually changes how it reads.
89 prayers
- A Prayer of St. John Chrysostom
Taken from the Byzantine Liturgy attributed to St. John Chrysostom (d. 407) and placed by Cranmer at the close of Morning and Evening…
- Act of Oblation to Merciful Love (St. Thérèse of Lisieux)
Thérèse made this offering on 9 June 1895, the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity, and copied it into her notebook; it is the theological heart…
- Act of Spiritual Communion (St. Alphonsus Liguori)
Composed by St. Alphonsus Liguori in the eighteenth century for people unable to attend Mass. It was recovered globally during the COVID-19…
- Adoro Te Devote (Humbly We Adore Thee)
Composed by St. Thomas Aquinas around 1264 for the new feast of Corpus Christi. It is a Eucharistic hymn, moving from confession of faith…
- Alone with None but Thee (St. Columba)
Attributed to St. Columba of Iona (521–597), the Irish monk who evangelised western Scotland, and preserved in the Celtic tradition of caim…
- Anima Christi
A 14th-century prayer that predates St. Ignatius of Loyola but which he placed at the front of the Spiritual Exercises, making it forever…
- Be at Peace (St. Francis de Sales)
Drawn from the spiritual letters of St. Francis de Sales, Bishop of Geneva, written in the early 1600s to lay people trying to live devout…
- Blessing of Animals and Pets
A blessing for pets, working animals, and livestock, traditionally prayed on the feast of St. Francis.
- Blessing of Religious Articles
A blessing for crosses, medals, rosaries, icons, and other devotional articles.
- Canticle of the Sun (Canticle of the Creatures)
Composed by St. Francis of Assisi in 1225, near the end of his life and while nearly blind. It is generally considered the earliest…
- Christ Has No Body Now But Yours (St. Teresa of Ávila)
A prayer that grew out of St. Teresa's teaching in The Interior Castle and her letters, and reached its present form in the devotional…
- Colloquy Before the Crucified (St. Ignatius of Loyola)
The first colloquy of the Spiritual Exercises, written by St. Ignatius around 1522–24 at Manresa. Its three questions have been asked by…
- Eternal God, Eternal Trinity (St. Catherine of Siena)
From The Dialogue of St. Catherine of Siena (1378), a Doctor of the Church and mystic. It captures her characteristic paradox: the more she…
- Flower of Carmel (Flos Carmeli)
Composed by St. Simon Stock, English Prior General of the Carmelite Order, around 1251, on the occasion of the vision in which Our Lady…
- Gaze, Consider, Contemplate (St. Clare of Assisi)
From St. Clare of Assisi's Second Letter to Agnes of Prague (thirteenth century). Clare's counsel — gaze, consider, contemplate, imitate —…
- Hail, White Lily of the Trinity (St. Gertrude the Great)
From St. Gertrude the Great of Helfta (thirteenth century), a Benedictine mystic. Her prayers are dense with Marian and Eucharistic imagery…
- Help Me, O Lord, to Be Merciful (St. Faustina)
A prayer from Faustina's Diary in which she asks for mercy in each part of her body, one sense at a time. It has become a standard…
- I Am Yours, Born for You (St. Teresa of Ávila)
Teresa's poem Vuestra soy, para vos nací, written in her own hand and set to music in Spanish convents. Its refrain, '¿Qué mandáis hacer de…
- Into Thy Hands (St. Edmund of Abingdon)
A morning commendation by St. Edmund of Abingdon, Archbishop of Canterbury (d. 1240), preserved in medieval English primers and still…
- Invocation of the Entire Heavenly Court
A summoning of intercession rather than a command: the one praying asks God to send the whole company of heaven — Our Lady, the archangels,…
- Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee (St. Bernard of Clairvaux)
Edward Caswall's translation of the medieval Jesu dulcis memoria, traditionally ascribed to St. Bernard of Clairvaux. Sung in Catholic,…
- Late Have I Loved You (St. Augustine)
From Book X of Augustine's Confessions, written around 400, this is the most quoted passage in Western Christian spirituality. It is the…
- Leave Me Alone with God (St. Aidan of Lindisfarne)
A prayer of the Lindisfarne tradition associated with St. Aidan (d. 651), whose island monastery is cut off by the tide twice a day. It has…
- Let Me Know Myself, Let Me Know You (St. Augustine)
A prayer drawn from Augustine's Soliloquies, written shortly after his conversion while waiting for baptism. Its double request —…
- Litany of St. Joseph
Approved for public use by Pope St. Pius X in 1909, this litany gathers the traditional titles of St. Joseph found in patristic and…
- Litany of the Saints (Short Form)
The oldest litany of the Roman Church, sung in some form since at least the sixth century in the penitential processions of St. Gregory the…
- Novena to Saint Anne
Prayed for nine consecutive days, usually leading up to St. Anne's feast on July 26. Devotion to the mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary is…
- Novena to St. Anthony of Padua
St. Anthony of Padua (1195–1231) was a Franciscan preacher and Doctor of the Church, known for miracles during his lifetime. His novena —…
- Novena to St. Joseph
St. Joseph has been invoked as patron of workers, of families, and of a peaceful death since the Middle Ages, and was declared Patron of…
- Novena to St. Jude, Patron of Hopeless Cases
St. Jude Thaddeus was one of the twelve apostles, and because his name was so close to that of Judas Iscariot, Christians for centuries…
- Novena to St. Padre Pio
St. Pio of Pietrelcina (1887–1968), the Capuchin friar known throughout the world as Padre Pio, bore the visible stigmata for fifty years…
- Novena to St. Rita of Cascia
St. Rita of Cascia (1381–1457) was an Italian wife, mother, widow, and finally an Augustinian nun. She endured an abusive marriage and the…
- Novena to St. Thérèse of Lisieux (The Rose Novena)
Before her death in 1897, St. Thérèse of Lisieux promised to “let fall a shower of roses” from heaven. Those praying this novena…
- O Blood and Water (St. Faustina)
Recorded in the Diary of St. Faustina Kowalska (1930s). It became a foundation of the Divine Mercy devotion and is prayed daily by many…
- O God, I Love Thee (St. Francis Xavier)
The Latin hymn O Deus ego amo te, long attributed to St. Francis Xavier, in Gerard Manley Hopkins's celebrated English version. It is the…
- O Sacrum Convivium (St. Thomas Aquinas)
The antiphon Aquinas wrote for the feast of Corpus Christi in 1264 at the request of Pope Urban IV, together with its collect. It is sung…
- Offering of the Day (St. Francis de Sales)
An offering from the Introduction to the Devout Life and the Salesian tradition, meant to be prayed at the start of a day already known to…
- Peace Prayer of St. Francis
Though named for St. Francis, this prayer first appeared in 1912 in the French Catholic magazine La Clochette. Its wide use by St. John…
- Pierce, O Most Sweet Lord Jesus (St. Bonaventure)
From St. Bonaventure's Prayer After Mass, thirteenth century. Bonaventure was a Franciscan mystic and Doctor of the Church. His prayer…
- Prayer Before Mass (St. Ambrose)
The prayer of St. Ambrose of Milan, printed for centuries in the Roman Missal among the priest's preparation for Mass and assigned to a day…
- Prayer Before the Blessed Sacrament (St. Alphonsus Liguori)
The opening of St. Alphonsus Liguori's Visits to the Blessed Sacrament (1745), a book that shaped Catholic eucharistic devotion for two…
- Prayer for Generosity (St. Ignatius of Loyola)
Attributed to St. Ignatius of Loyola and popularized by the Jesuits. Its five refusals of self-protection have made it a favorite prayer of…
- Prayer for Humility (St. Philip Neri)
St. Philip Neri, the sixteenth-century 'Apostle of Rome', prayed some version of this every morning; his biographers record the words as…
- Prayer for Mercy on the Whole World (St. Faustina)
From the Diary of St. Faustina Kowalska, and printed as the concluding prayer of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. Faustina's Polish text was…
- Prayer for Ordering a Life Wisely (St. Thomas Aquinas)
One of the prayers preserved in the Dominican collection of St. Thomas Aquinas's private devotions. It is a prayer about the shape of a…
- Prayer for the Church (St. Catherine of Siena)
Catherine of Siena spent her short life pleading with popes and cardinals for the reform of a divided Church, and her Dialogue and letters…
- Prayer for the Grace of Repentance (St. Anselm)
Attributed to St. Anselm of Canterbury (1033–1109), theologian and Doctor of the Church. The prayer asks for the nine fruits of the Spirit…
- Prayer for the Poor (St. Vincent de Paul)
St. Vincent de Paul (1581–1660) organised charity for the poor of France on a scale no one had attempted, and taught the Daughters of…
- Prayer for the Vision of God (St. Bede the Venerable)
The closing sentence of Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People, completed at Jarrow in 731 — the prayer with which the first…
- Prayer of a Soul Taken with Love (St. John of the Cross)
From the Sayings of Light and Love, written by St. John of the Cross for the nuns under his direction. It is the boldest statement of…
- Prayer of Abandonment (Charles de Foucauld)
Charles de Foucauld was a French soldier and explorer who converted dramatically in 1886 and spent the rest of his life as a hermit among…
- Prayer of Abandonment to God's Will (St. Elizabeth Ann Seton)
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (1774–1821), a widowed mother of five who became the first native-born American saint and founded the Sisters of…
- Prayer of St. Augustine — Breathe in Me, O Holy Spirit
St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430) converted after years of restless searching, famously praying, "You have made us for yourself, and our…
- Prayer of St. Basil the Great Against Evil Spirits
St. Basil the Great, Bishop of Caesarea and one of the four great Eastern Doctors of the Church, died in 379. The exorcism prayers…
- Prayer of St. Benedict Against Evil
The words inscribed on the Medal of St. Benedict, whose Latin initials — C S S M L, N D S M D, V R S N S M V, S M Q L I V B — encode this…
- Prayer of St. Monica for a Wayward Child
St. Monica prayed for the conversion of her son Augustine for nearly thirty years. Her patronage of mothers of wayward children rests on…
- Prayer of St. Padre Pio After Holy Communion
St. Pio of Pietrelcina (1887-1968) prayed this after Mass, and his spiritual children copied it from his notes; it is the fullest form of…
- Prayer of St. Richard of Chichester
St. Richard of Chichester, an English bishop, is said to have prayed these words on his deathbed in 1253. The prayer was little known…
- Prayer of St. Thérèse of Lisieux
Widely circulated as a prayer of St. Thérèse of Lisieux and consistent with her “Little Way,” though its exact provenance in her writings…
- Prayer of St. Thomas Aquinas Before Study
St. Thomas Aquinas, the thirteenth-century Dominican who wrote the Summa Theologiae, prayed before every period of study and dictation,…
- Prayer to Jesus (St. Anselm of Canterbury)
Adapted from St. Anselm of Canterbury's Prayers and Meditations, written for lay people in the eleventh century so that they could pray…
- Prayer to Overcome Evil Passions and to Become a Saint
A prayer that turns the whole logic of deliverance toward its proper end. The Christian tradition has always taught that the passions are…
- Prayer to Radiate Christ (St. John Henry Newman)
Adapted by Mother Teresa from a longer meditation by St. John Henry Newman on the priestly life, published in his Meditations and Devotions…
- Prayer to Saint John Vianney
St. John Vianney (1786–1859), the Cure of Ars, is the patron saint of parish priests. Canonized in 1925 and named universal patron of…
- Prayer to St. Anne
St. Anne, honored by tradition as the mother of the Blessed Virgin, has been venerated since at least the sixth century in the East and…
- Prayer to St. Anthony for Something Lost
St. Anthony of Padua (1195–1231), a Franciscan and Doctor of the Church, gained his reputation as the finder of lost things after a runaway…
- Prayer to St. Christopher for Travellers
The name Christopher means 'Christ-bearer', and the legend tells of a giant who ferried travellers across a river and one night carried a…
- Prayer to St. Dymphna for Mental Health
St. Dymphna, according to a thirteenth-century account, was an Irish girl of the seventh century who fled her father's madness and was…
- Prayer to St. Joseph (To Thee, O Blessed Joseph)
Pope Leo XIII published this prayer with his 1889 encyclical Quamquam Pluries and asked that it be added to the Rosary during October. Its…
- Prayer to St. Maximilian Kolbe
St. Maximilian Kolbe (1894-1941) was a Polish Franciscan who, imprisoned at Auschwitz, stepped forward to take the place of a condemned man…
- Prayer to St. Michael (Longer Form)
The longer exorcism prayer to St. Michael composed by Pope Leo XIII in 1890 and later published as a private devotional prayer. The shorter…
- Prayer to St. Paul (St. Anselm of Canterbury)
From the Prayers and Meditations of St. Anselm (c. 1070), addressed to St. Paul and famous for its maternal imagery of Christ — language…
- Prayer to St. Peregrine for the Sick
St. Peregrine Laziosi (c. 1265-1345), a Servite friar of Forlì in Italy, developed a cancer of the leg that was to be amputated; after a…
- Prayer to St. Raphael the Archangel
St. Raphael, whose name means "God heals," appears in the Book of Tobit as the angel who accompanies Tobias and restores his father's…
- Prayer to St. Rita, Patron of Impossible Causes
St. Rita of Cascia (1381-1457) endured an abusive marriage and the violent deaths of her husband and sons before entering the Augustinian…
- Prayer to St. Thérèse for a Difficult Decision
St. Thérèse of Lisieux (1873-1897), a Carmelite who died at twenty-four and was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1997, taught the 'little…
- Restless Until It Rests in You (St. Augustine)
The opening paragraph of the Confessions, and the sentence that has defined Christian anthropology ever since: we are made for God and…
- St. Anthony's Brief (Ecce Crucem Domini)
Known as St. Anthony's Brief, this short formula is attributed to St. Anthony of Padua, who is said to have written it out for a woman…
- St. Gertrude Prayer for the Holy Souls
Attributed to St. Gertrude the Great in Catholic devotional tradition. It is prayed as an act of intercession for the dead, and often as a…
- St. Patrick's Breastplate
Known as the Lorica, or breastplate, this prayer is traditionally attributed to St. Patrick in the fifth century, though the text as we…
- St. Teresa's Bookmark (Let Nothing Disturb You)
These lines were found written on a bookmark in the breviary of St. Teresa of Ávila after her death in 1582. Teresa was a Carmelite…
- Thanksgiving After Communion (St. Thomas Aquinas)
The Gratias tibi ago, printed in the Roman Missal among the prayers of thanksgiving after Mass. Aquinas wrote it for his own use; the…
- The Blessing of Saint Clare
The final blessing of St. Clare of Assisi, given to her sisters before her death in 1253.
- The Chaplet of St. Joseph
The chaplet honors St. Joseph in fifteen groups, echoing the traditional Seven Joys and Seven Sorrows of the foster-father of Jesus.…
- The Chaplet of St. Michael
Based on a private revelation reported by the Portuguese Carmelite Antónia d'Astónaco in the eighteenth century and approved for devotional…
- The Daily Examen of St. Ignatius
A structured evening review drawn from the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola (1548). Ignatius considered it the one practice a…
- The Golden Arrow Prayer
Revealed by Our Lord to Sister Mary of St. Peter, a Carmelite of Tours, in 1843 as an act of reparation for blasphemy and the profanation…
- The Suscipe (Prayer of St. Ignatius)
The Suscipe — Latin for "receive" — comes at the climax of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola, written between 1522 and…
- Vade Retro Satana (Prayer of the Medal of St. Benedict)
These verses are inscribed in abbreviated form on the Jubilee Medal of St. Benedict, one of the Church's most widely used sacramentals. The…