Traditional prayer
Prayer for a Child Far from the Faith
Almighty God! rich in graces, Thou who directest the hearts of men like rivers of water, graciously listen to my supplication in behalf of my son — [my daughter].
Thou knowest how much the sad condition of his [her] soul fills my heart with sorrow and anxiety.
All my endeavors in his [her] regard prove fruitless. What remains for me but to take refuge in Thee?
Thou art, O God, “powerful to bestow every grace in abundance,” and to move with Thy grace the most hardened hearts.
How often hast Thou brought back the most obstinate sinners! How often hast Thou listened to the prayers of pious mothers, and for their sake granted to their children the grace of true conversion!
Therefore, despise not my prayer, though I confess it is not worthy of being heard.
I have sinned before Thee, and I myself may partly be the cause of my son’s [daughter’s] faults and errors.
But, O merciful God! pardon me, since I am truly sorry for my sins. Let mercy take the place of justice.
Through Thy infinite mercy, through the merits of Thy divine Son, my Saviour, through the intercession of the most blessed Virgin Mary, of St. Monica, and of all the Saints in heaven, I entreat Thee, visit my son [my daughter] with Thy grace,
that he [she] may see his [her] faults, be heartily sorry for them, and, henceforward walking in all things according to Thy holy will and divine pleasure, obtain salvation.
O Mary, Mother of Mercy, refuge of sinners, St. Monica, who hast been especially victorious in thy prayers for thy Son, and all Ye Saints in heaven, assist me in my supplication with your mighty intercession, that it may be granted! Amen.
About this prayer
This prayer comes from The Christian Mother, published by Benziger Brothers in 1880. The book titles it a prayer “for children who are addicted to certain faults,” but its words reach further than its title: it remembers that God can move “the most hardened hearts” and has often granted “the grace of true conversion” for the sake of mothers’ prayers, and it calls on St. Monica by name. Its own footnote holds up her example: when every other effort has failed, one means remains, “earnest, suppliant, persevering prayer.”
Monica was born at Tagaste in North Africa about 331 (the Catholic Encyclopedia gives 333). Her husband Patritius was a pagan with a violent temper; he was baptized before he died. Her son Augustine left the faith of his childhood for the Manichees. She followed him to Rome and to Milan, and there, through St. Ambrose, she saw him yield after seventeen years of resistance and be baptized. She died at Ostia in 387 (Catholic Encyclopedia, “Saint Monica”). Her patience in a hard marriage is not a rule to stay in danger; if your own home is not safe, call 911 or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233.
Augustine tells what a bishop said when she begged him, with tears, to argue her son out of his errors. The bishop refused: “let him alone a while... only pray God for him.” When she pressed him, he sent her away with a sentence she treasured as if it had come from heaven: “Go thy ways and God bless thee, for it is not possible that the son of these tears should perish” (Confessions, Book III, trans. E. B. Pusey). Those words were spoken to Monica, not promised to every mother. But they have kept mothers praying for sixteen centuries, and the bishop’s advice still holds: pray more than you argue.
One line asks forgiveness: “I myself may partly be the cause.” Pray it as an act of humility, not as a verdict on yourself. Your son or daughter is free, and the Church teaches that each person is responsible for his own deliberate acts (CCC 1731, 1734). Bring to confession whatever is truly yours, and leave the rest with God.
When to pray it
- Every day, by name, for as long as it takes. Monica prayed for seventeen years.
- In the nine days before St. Monica’s memorial on 27 August.
- At Mass, offering your Communion for your child.
- Before a visit, a holiday, or a phone call where the empty place at the table or the old argument will be waiting.
- When you are tempted to stop.