Beautiful Prayers

A Prayer For The Ordinariate

ALMIGHTY AND EVERLASTING GOD, Who dost govern all things in heaven and earth, mercifully hear our prayers, and grant to this Ordinariate all things needful for its spiritual welfare: priests and deacons to labour in this portion of Thy vineyard; holy, learned, and zealous religious; churches complete in the beauty of holiness. Strengthen and confirm the faithful; protect and guide the children. Visit and relieve the sick; turn and soften the wicked. Arouse the careless; recover the fallen. Restore the penitent. Remove all hindrances to the advancement of Thy truth; and bring us all to be of one heart and mind within the fold of Thy holy Church, to the honour and glory of Thy blessed Name. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For the Anglican Patrimony in the Catholic Church

O HOLY Ghost the Lord, who on Pentecost gavest the Church the gift of tongues that Christ might be known, loved, and served by peoples of divers nations and customs: Watch over the English heritage within thy Church, we pray thee, that, led by thy guidance and strengthened by thy grace, this worthy patrimony may find such favour in thy sight that the people formed therein may increase both in holiness and number, and so show forth thy glory; who livest and reignest with the Father and the Son, one God world without end. Amen.

The Confiteor of the Ministers

If the following is prayed at the foot of the altar, the People may join in saying the responses and praying the Confiteor, kneeling. If so, this form may replace the usual Penitential Rite.

I confess to Almighty God, to Blessed Mary ever-Virgin, to Blessed Michael the Archangel, to Blessed John the Baptist, to the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, to all the Saints, and to thee, Father, that I have sinned exceedingly in thought, word, deed; [they strike -x- their breast thrice] by my [x] fault, by my own [x] fault, by my own [x] most grievous fault. Wherefore I beg Blessed Mary ever-Virgin, Blessed Michael the Archangel, Blessed John the Baptist, the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, all the Angels and Saints, and thee, Father, to pray for me to the Lord our God.

The Collect For Purity

The original Latin prayer occurs as one of the prayers said before Mass in the Leofric Missal and the later Sarum Rite, the Catholic rite or use from which much of the Anglican Patrimony has received its identity.

Deus cui omne cor patet et omnis voluntas loquitur: et quem nullum latet secretum: purifica per infusionem sancti spiritus cogitationes cordis nostri: ut te perfecte diligere et digne laudare mereamur, per dominum nostrum iesum christum filium tuum qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitate eiusdem spiritus sancti deus, per omnia secula seculorum. Amen.

ALMIGHTY God, unto Whom all hearts be open, all desires known, and from Whom no secrets are hid: cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of Thy Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love Thee, and worthily magnify Thy holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

The General Confession

which follows the Prayers of the People that follow the Nicene Creed.

ALMIGHTY God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, maker of all things, judge of all men: We acknowledge and bewail our manifold sins and wickedness, which we from time to time most grievously have committed, by thought, word, and deed, against thy divine majesty, provoking most justly thy wrath and indignation against us. We do earnestly repent, and are heartily sorry for these our misdoings; the remembrance of them is grievous unto us, the burden of them is intolerable. Have mercy upon us, have mercy upon us, most merciful Father; for thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ’s sake, forgive us all that is past; and grant that we may ever hereafter serve and please thee in newness of life, to the honour and glory of thy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Prayer of Humble Access

A profoundly beautiful prayer received back into the Catholic Church through the Ordinariate and prayed immediately following the Agnus Dei and before the Ecce Agnus Dei (Behold the Lamb of God) is The Prayer of Humble Access. The Prayer is a translation of a prayer from the ancient Sarum Liturgy that references Mark 7:28 and John 6:56, and is reminiscent of a prayer in the Liturgy of St Basil. It's rhythm and cadence, tone or timbre, and organization together express and shape the attitude of the communicant-prayer who rightly humbles himself in the Presence of the Eucharistic Lord.

The breast is struck [x] once at 'we are not worthy'.

We do not presume to come to this thy Table, O merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in thy manifold and great mercies. We are not [x] worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under thy Table. But thou art the same Lord whose property is always to have mercy. Grant us therefore, gracious Lord, so to eat the flesh of thy dear Son Jesus Christ, and to drink his Blood, that our sinful bodies may be made clean by his Body, and our souls washed through his most precious Blood, and that we may evermore dwell in him, and he in us. Amen.

The General Thanksgiving

Said at the conclusion of Holy Communion prior to the Post-Communion Collect.

ALMIGHTY and everliving God, we most heartily thank Thee for that Thou dost feed us, in these holy mysteries, with the spiritual food of the most precious Body and Blood of Thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ; and dost assure us thereby of Thy favour and goodness towards us; and that we are very members incorporate in the mystical body of Thy Son, the blessed company of all faithful people; and are also heirs, through hope, of Thy everlasting kingdom, by the merits of the most precious death and Passion of Thy dear Son. And we humbly beseech Thee, O heavenly Father, so to assist us with Thy grace, that we may continue in that holy fellowship, and do all such good works as Thou hast prepared for us to walk in; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to Whom, with Thee and the Holy Spirit, be all honour and glory, world without end. Amen.

Prayer To Our Lady Of Walsingham

O Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Walsingham, Mother of God and our most gentle Queen and Mother, look down in mercy upon us, our parish, our country, our homes, and our families, and upon all who greatly hope and trust in thy prayers. By thee it was that Jesus, our Saviour and hope, was given to the world; and He has given thee to us that we may hope still more. Plead for us your children, whom thou didst receive and accept at the foot of the Cross, O sorrowful Mother. Intercede for our separated brethren, that with us in the one true fold they may be united to the Chief Shepherd, the Vicar of thy Son. Pray for us all, dear Mother, that by faith, fruitful in good works, we all may be made worthy to see and praise God, together with thee in our heavenly home. Amen.

V. Our Lady of Walsingham:

R. Pray for us.

The Collect for Aid Against all Perils

LIGHTEN our darkness, we beseech thee, O Lord; and by thy great mercy defend us from all perils and dangers of this night; for the love of thy only Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.

The Collect for Peace

O GOD, who art the author of peace and lover of concord, in knowledge of whom standeth our eternal life, whose service is perfect freedom: defend us thy humble servants in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in thy defence, may not fear the power of any adversaries; through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A Prayer Against Demons Impeding Mass Attendance

ALMIGHTY GOD our Strength and Deliverer, in the Holy Name of Jesus, I do entreat Thee through the same Jesus, and by the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, His Mother, and all the celestial Powers of Heaven, that any demons that are keeping [me or N.] from attending Mass this weekend be utterly bound. I beseech Thee, Father, to render them impotent, paralyzed and ineffective. May they have no influence on [N.]; may they not prevent [N.] from attending Mass this Sunday or any day. May the Holy Ghost empower the angels to escort [N.] to the church and to protect [N.] to the praise and glory of God; through Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee, Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

THE GOLDEN ARROW

MAY the most holy, most sacred, most adorable, most incomprehensible and unutterable Name of God be always praised, blessed, loved, adored and glorified in Heaven, on earth, and under the earth, by all the creatures of God, and by the Sacred Heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ, in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. Amen.

PRAYER TO OUR LADY OF WALSINGHAM FOR A MIRACLE IN TIMES OF NEED

O BLESSED LADY of Walsingham, I humbly beseech thee to intercede for me in my time of need. With faith in the power of thy protection, I approach thee, Holy Mother, to implore thy assistance. By the grace of the Holy Spirit, thou dost excel in holy manners and art ever living in the presence of Christ, thy Son. In this solemn moment, I pray for the conversion of souls, the healing of the afflicted, and the repentance of sinners. Through thy motherly intercession, may my heart be filled with the same Christ-like love and devotion that thou didst receive. May I remain your devout child and follow the divine will of our Lord. O Holy Mary, Mother of God, I place my trust in thee and greatly hope that you will deliver me from my troubles. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Amen.

For the Church

O GOD of unchangeable power and eternal light: Look favourably upon thy whole Church, that wonderful and sacred mystery; and by the tranquil operation of thy perpetual providence carry out in her the work of men’s salvation, and let the whole world feel and see that things which were cast down are being raised up, that those things which had grown old are being made new, and that all things are being brought to perfection through him by whom all things were made, even thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

For the Anglican Patrimony in the Catholic Church

O HOLY Ghost the Lord, who on Pentecost gavest the Church the gift of tongues that Christ might be known, loved, and served by peoples of divers nations and customs: Watch over the English heritage within thy Church, we pray thee, that, led by thy guidance and strengthened by thy grace, this worthy patrimony may find such favour in thy sight that the people formed therein may increase both in holiness and number, and so show forth thy glory; who livest and reignest with the Father and the Son, one God world without end. Amen.

For the Bishop (Ordinary) and Clergy

ETERNAL God, who hast set ministers and pastors in thy Church, by whom thou wouldest plant holiness in the world and reign in the hearts of men: Pour upon thy servant Steven, our Bishop, and the Clergy committed to his charge, the flame of thy Holy Spirit, that they may lift up the everlasting light of the Gospel, and feed with the living Bread the flock of thy dear Son; by whom alone mankind shall be healed and glorify thy Name, now and ever. Amen. 

For the Parish Priest

O LORD Jesus Christ, great High Priest and gracious Shepherd; receive thy servant N., whom thou hast consecrated to minister to thee in holy things; and grant him such purity of heart and life, and such zeal for souls that he may bring many into union with thee, and fulfill his ministry in holiness to thy glory, our Lord and Saviour Who livest and reignest, world without end. Amen.

For Priestly Vocations

WE beseech thee, Almighty God, to call many to the ministry of thy Church in Holy Orders; and to those whom thou dost call give thy grace that they may hear and answer thy voice; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

For Families

ALMIGHTY Father, who didst entrust thy Holy One, the Child of Blessed Mary to the care and guardianship of Saint Joseph: Hallow our homes, we beseech thee, by thy Holy Spirit, that parents and children may dwell together in the unity of thy love; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

For Christian Unity & Evangelization

ALMIGHTY Father, whose blessed Son before his passion prayed for his disciples that they might be one, even as thou and he are one: Grant that thy Church, being bound together in love and obedience to thee, may be united in one body by the one Spirit, that the world may believe in him whom thou didst send, the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the same Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

O GOD, who hast made of one blood all the peoples of the earth, and didst send thy blessed Son to preach peace to those who are far off and to those who are near: Grant that people everywhere may seek after thee and find thee, bring the nations into thy fold, pour out thy Spirit upon all flesh, and hasten the coming of thy kingdom; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the same Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, by whose Spirit the whole body of thy faithful people is governed and sanctified: Receive our supplications and prayers, which we offer before thee for all members of thy holy Church, that in their vocation and ministry they may truly and godly serve thee; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the same Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

A General Intercession

BE mindful, O Lord, of thy people bowed before thee, and of those who are absent through age, sickness, or infirmity. Care for the infants, guide the young, support the aged, encourage the faint-hearted, collect the scattered, and bring the wandering to thy fold. Travel with the voyagers, defend the widows, shield the orphans, deliver the captives, heal the sick. Succour all who are in tribulation, necessity, or distress. Remember for good all those that love us, and those that hate us, and those that have desired us, unworthy as we are, to pray for them. And those whom we have forgotten, do thou, O Lord, remember. For thou art the Helper of the helpless, the Saviour of the lost, the Refuge of the wanderer, the Healer of the sick. Thou, who knowest each man's need, and hast heard his prayer, grant unto each according to thy merciful loving-kindness and thy eternal love; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.