Orate The prayers of the Church, kept at home
The Prayer Book
The prayers Catholic women have prayed for centuries, in public-domain English with the Latin beside it where the Church prays it in Latin. Each page names the book it was copied from. The few prayers written for this site are labelled as such.
43 prayers
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Marian prayers 14
- Act of Consecration to Jesus through Mary (St. Louis de Montfort)St. Louis de Montfort’s act of total consecration to Jesus by the hands of Mary, word for word in Faber’s 1863 translation, with how he says to prepare.
- Ave Maris Stella (Hail, Thou Star of Ocean)Ave Maris Stella, the Church’s ancient evening hymn to Our Lady, in Latin with Edward Caswall’s English as the 1910 Raccolta prints it, and what it asks of her.
- Hail, Holy Queen (Salve Regina)The Hail, Holy Queen in public-domain English and the Church’s Latin, with where the anthem comes from and why it so often closes the Rosary.
- Prayer to Our Lady of GuadalupeThe prayer to Our Lady of Guadalupe from the 1930 Raccolta, indulgenced by Pope St. Pius X in 1908, with the account of Tepeyac and her feast on 12 December.
- Regina Caeli (Queen of Heaven, Rejoice)The Regina Caeli, the Easter prayer that takes the Angelus’s place from Easter to Pentecost, in public-domain English with the Church’s Latin.
- Stabat Mater (At the Cross Her Station Keeping)The Stabat Mater in Latin with Edward Caswall’s English of 1849, “At the Cross her station keeping,” with where it comes from and when the Church prays it.
- Sub Tuum Praesidium (We Fly to Thy Patronage)Sub Tuum Praesidium, the ancient one-line prayer for Mary’s protection, in Latin and the 1910 Raccolta’s English, with what is and isn’t known of its age.
- The AngelusThe Angelus in the Baltimore Catechism’s public-domain English and the Church’s Latin, with when to pray it and how the bell-prayer grew.
- The Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows (Rosary of the Seven Dolours)The Servite Rosary of the Seven Dolours of Our Lady as the 1910 Raccolta gives it, with each sorrow’s Gospel passage in the Douay-Rheims and how to pray it.
- The Hail Mary (Ave Maria)The Hail Mary in the Baltimore Catechism’s public-domain English and the Latin Ave Maria, with the Gospel words inside it and how the Church came to pray it.
- The Magnificat (The Canticle of Mary)Mary’s Magnificat word for word from the Douay-Rheims (Luke 1:46–55), with the Latin Vulgate and the story of the two mothers at its first singing.
- The MemorareThe Memorare in the public-domain English of the 1910 Raccolta, with its Latin, what each line asks, and what is really known about who wrote it.
- The Miraculous Medal Prayer (O Mary, Conceived Without Sin)“O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee”: the prayer of the Miraculous Medal, its origin in Paris in 1830, and what it asks.
- The Prayers of the RosaryThe prayers said on the Rosary beads, in public-domain English and in order: Sign of the Cross, Creed, Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be and the Fatima prayer.
Daily prayers 12
- Anima Christi (Soul of Christ)Anima Christi, the Soul of Christ prayer, in English and Latin: the 14th-century prayer after Communion, its true history, and what each line asks.
- Come, Holy Spirit (Veni, Sancte Spiritus, reple)Come, Holy Spirit (Veni, Sancte Spiritus, reple) in English and Latin, with the versicle and prayer, its sources, and when to call on the Holy Spirit.
- Eternal Rest (Prayer for the Dead)Eternal Rest, the Church’s short prayer for the dead, in English and Latin from the 1910 Raccolta, with why Catholics pray for those who have died.
- Grace Before and After MealsCatholic grace before and after meals in the 1885 Baltimore Catechism wording, with the fuller 1908 form, its history, and the Scripture behind it.
- The Act of ContritionThe traditional Act of Contrition from the 1885 Baltimore Catechism, with what contrition is, perfect and imperfect, and when to pray it.
- The Act of Spiritual CommunionThe Act of Spiritual Communion of St. Alphonsus Liguori from the 1910 Raccolta, with what a spiritual communion is and when to make one.
- The Acts of Faith, Hope and LoveThe Acts of Faith, Hope and Love from the 1885 Baltimore Catechism, with what the three theological virtues are and when to pray each act.
- The Glory Be (Gloria Patri)The Glory Be (Gloria Patri) in English and Latin from a 1908 prayer book, with its history as the Church’s short hymn of praise to the Trinity.
- The Guardian Angel Prayer (Angele Dei)The Guardian Angel Prayer, Angel of God, in English and Latin from the 1910 Raccolta, with what Scripture and the Church teach about guardian angels.
- The Morning OfferingThe Catholic Morning Offering in its public-domain 1908 wording, where it came from, and how to give the whole day to God before it begins.
- The Our Father (The Lord’s Prayer)The Our Father in English and Latin, with the Douay-Rheims Gospel text, what daily bread and trespasses mean, and how the Church prays it.
- The Prayer to St. Michael the ArchangelThe St. Michael prayer of Pope Leo XIII in a public-domain English text and the Latin, with its history, its Scripture, and what recent popes asked.
For the family 10
- A Mother’s Prayer“Teach me both what to give and what to withhold”: a Catholic mother’s prayer for wisdom, patience and firmness, from the 1888 Baltimore Manual of Prayers.
- A Widow’s PrayerA Catholic prayer for a widow in grief from the 1888 Baltimore Manual of Prayers, “Thou hast taken my beloved one from mine eyes,” with the widows of Scripture.
- Prayer Before ChildbirthThe Roman Ritual’s prayer for a mother facing the dangers of childbirth, in Latin with our English translation, and why it names Mary and John the Baptist.
- Prayer for a Child Far from the FaithA Catholic mother’s prayer for a son or daughter who has left the faith, invoking St. Monica, from The Christian Mother (1880), with Augustine’s own story.
- Prayer for a Happy Marriage (Tobias and Sara)The prayer Tobias and Sara prayed together on their wedding night (Tobias 8, Douay-Rheims): full text, what it teaches a couple, and how to pray it together.
- Prayer for a Husband Who Has DiedThe Church’s prayer for a man who has died, from the 1888 Baltimore Manual of Prayers. Pray it for your husband by name, with Scripture on praying for the dead.
- Composed for 1765 ReginaPrayer for a Sick ChildA Catholic prayer for a sick child, composed for 1765 Regina from the Gospels of Jairus’s daughter and the widow’s son, with Scripture and what to do first.
- Prayer for My ChildrenA Catholic mother’s prayer for her children’s protection in body and soul, from The Christian Mother (1880), with the psalms it is built on and when to pray it.
- Prayer for My HusbandA Catholic wife’s prayer for her husband from The Christian Mother (1880): for his faith, his fight against his faults, and the father he is called to be.
- Prayer for the Unborn ChildA Catholic mother’s prayer for her unborn child, “Thou hast given it to me, and I give it back to Thee,” from The Christian Mother (1880), with Scripture.
To the saints 5
- Prayer to St. AnneThe prayer to St. Anne, mother of the Virgin Mary, from the 1910 Raccolta: full text, what the Church knows and what tradition tells of her, and when to pray.
- Prayer to St. Gerard MajellaA public-domain prayer to St. Gerard Majella, invoked by expectant mothers: full text from a 1915 Life of the saint, his story, and what is tradition.
- Prayer to St. Joseph (To Thee, O Blessed Joseph)Leo XIII’s prayer to St. Joseph in the public-domain English of the 1910 Raccolta: full text, why he asked for it every October, and what it asks for a home.
- Prayer to St. MonicaThe Church’s prayer for St. Monica’s feast, from the 1843 Roman Missal for the laity, for mothers of wandering children, with her story from the Confessions.
- Prayer to St. Thérèse, the Little FlowerA prayer to St. Thérèse of Lisieux from Fr. T. N. Taylor’s translation of her autobiography (imprimatur 1926): full text, her life and little way, when to pray.
Litanies 2
- The Litany of HumilityThe Litany of Humility in its 1880 English printing: petitions against the desire to be esteemed and the fear of being forgotten, with notes on praying it.
- The Litany of Loreto (Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary)The Litany of Loreto in full public-domain English (1911), with its history and the invocations the Church has added to it since then.
Looking for readings rather than prayers? The Library has them, with the Prayer Book inside its search.