“Ask, and it will be given to you; Seek, and you will find; Knock, and it will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7)
Prayer
Prayer Request
It is God’s will that we say “help” both to him and to others. As we do, we will take an important step toward being able to help others. And along the way, we will bless our community and engage others toward being open and vulnerable. Please pray for us.
Find a Prayer
Prayer for Healing and Hope
Most Merciful and Triune God,
We come to You in our weakness.
We come to You in our fear.
We come to You with trust.
For You alone are our hope.
We place before You the disease present in our world.
We turn to You in our time of need.
Bring wisdom to doctors.
Give understanding to scientists.
Endow caregivers with compassion and generosity.
Bring healing to those who are ill.
Protect those who are most at risk.
Give comfort to those who have lost a loved one.
Welcome those who have died into Your Eternal Home.
Stabilize our communities.
Unite us in our compassion.
Remove all fear from our hearts.
Fill us with confidence in Your care.
(mention your particular concerns and prayers now)
Jesus, I trust in You.
Jesus, I trust in You.
Jesus, I trust in You.
Amen.
Prayer for Forgiveness
Lord Jesus, I come before Thee, just as I am, I am sorry for my sins, I repent of my sins, please forgive me.
Amen
Prayer for Priests
O Jesus, Eternal High Priest, live in (name a priest), act in him, speak in him.
Think your thoughts in his mind, love through his heart.
Give him your own dispositions and feelings.
Teach, lead and guide him always.
Correct, enlighten and expand his thoughts and behavior.
Possess his soul; take over his entire personality and life.
Replace him with yourself. Incline him to constant adoration and thanksgiving; pray in and through him. Let him live in you and keep him in intimate union always.
O Mary, Immaculate Conception, Mother of Jesus and Mother of priests,
pray and intercede for (name a priest).
Amen
Prayer for Our Seminarians
God, please give to your Church today many more priests after your own heart.
May they be worthy representatives of Christ the Good Shepherd.
May they wholeheartedly devote themselves to prayer and penance; be examples of humility and poverty’ shining models of holiness’ tireless and powerful preachers of the Word of God; zealous dispensers of your grace in the sacraments.
May their loving devotion to your Son, Jesus in the Eucharist and to Mary,
his mother to be the twin fountains of fruitfulness for their ministry.
Amen
Prayer for the Archbishop's Catholic Appeal
Prayer to St. Joseph
O humble, St. Joseph, I come to you in this time to intercede for myself and all those whom I love. Your silent courage and valiant faith contain a strong witness of how I ought to live in a world too often conflicted.
Pray for me that the Holy Spirit will enflame my heart, so that, I may live with the same fortitude and confidence as you. Through your powerful intercession, I ask for blessings on the Archdiocese of Denver, all the ministries supported by the Archbishop’s Catholic Appeal, and for myself, that I may become a humble servant, selflessly offering charitable sacrifices each day.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen
Prayer for Catholic School Students
Christ our teacher, you dwell deep within each of our students: in those who struggle academically, and those who excel; In those who seek attention by acting out, and in those who remain silent and try to hide from notice; in those surrounded by friends, and in those feeling lonely;
Give us the grace to know your presence in each of them and to respond to their needs as you would to ours.
Amen.
Prayer for the Catholic School Family
Loving God, we give you thanks for the many blessings you have given us through our families: through our parents, our primary educators in the faith; through our siblings, who walk with us on our earthly journey; and through all who guard and guide us in your light and in your truth.
We pray that you will continue to inspire our families, so that our devotion to you and our care for one another may be a visible sign of your unconditional love. We ask this through Christ, our Lord.
Amen.
Prayer for Our Parishes
Lord, in all ages you breathe life into your Church as you call us to deeper holiness.
Thank you for the gift of Catholic schools, which form new generations in virtue and wisdom. Inspire our parishes with zeal to make you known, loved, and served, and grant that all families who desire a Catholic education for their children be given that blessing.
Through Christ we pray,
Amen.
Prayer for the Sick or the Dying
We pray for the sick, the suffering, and the dying. That they may receive healing and encounter the mystery of their dignity as God’s children. We pray to the Lord.
Amen
-or-
O most merciful Jesus, Lover of souls, I pray Thee, by the agony of Thy most Sacred Heart, and by the sorrows of Thy Immaculate Mother, cleanse in Thine Own Blood the sinners of the whole world who are now in their agony and to die this day. Amen. Heart of Jesus, once in agony, have pity on the dying.
Amen
-or-
O Glorious St. Joseph, behold I choose thee today for my special patron in life and at the hour of my death. Preserve and increase in me the spirit of prayer and fervor in the service of God. Remove far from me every kind of sin; obtain for me that my death may not come upon me unawares, but that I may have time to confess my sins sacramentally and to bewail them with a most perfect understanding and a most sincere and perfect contrition, in order that I may breathe forth my soul into the hands of Jesus and Mary.
Amen
Prayer to Overcome Racism
Mary, friend and mother to all, through your Son, God has found a way to unite himself to every human being, called to be one people, sisters and brothers to each other.
We ask for your help in calling on your Son, seeking forgiveness for the times when we have failed to love and respect one another.
We ask for your help in obtaining from your Son the grace we need to overcome the evil of racism and to build a just society.
We ask for your help in following your Son, so that prejudice and animosity will no longer infect our minds or hearts but will be replaced with a love that respects the dignity of each person.
Mother of the Church, the Spirit of your Son Jesus warms our hearts: pray for us.
Amen.
Pray the Rosary
The Rosary is a Scripture-based prayer. It begins with the Apostles’ Creed, which summarizes the great mysteries of the Catholic faith. The Our Father, which introduces each mystery, is from the Gospels. The first part of the Hail Mary is the angel’s words announcing Christ’s birth and Elizabeth’s greeting to Mary. St. Pius V officially added the second part of the Hail Mary. The Mysteries of the Rosary center on the events of Christ’s life. There are four sets of Mysteries: Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious and––added by Saint John Paul II in 2002––the Luminous.
The repetition in the Rosary is meant to lead one into restful and contemplative prayer related to each Mystery. The gentle repetition of the words helps us to enter into the silence of our hearts, where Christ’s spirit dwells. The Rosary can be said privately or with a group.
The Five Joyful Mysteries are traditionally prayed on Mondays, Saturdays, and, during the season of Advent, on Sundays:
- The Annunciation
- The Visitation
- The Nativity
- The Presentation in the Temple
- The Finding in the Temple
The Five Sorrowful Mysteries are traditionally prayed on Tuesdays, Fridays, and, during the season of Lent, on Sundays:
- The Agony in the Garden
- The Scourging at the Pillar
- The Crowning with Thorns
- The Carrying of the Cross
- The Crucifixion and Death
The Five Glorious Mysteries are traditionally prayed on Wednesdays and, outside the seasons of Advent and Lent, on Sundays:
- The Resurrection
- The Ascension
- The Descent of the Holy Spirit
- The Assumption
- The Coronation of Mary
The Five Luminous Mysteries are traditionally prayed on Thursdays:
- The Baptism of Christ in the Jordan
- The Wedding Feast at Cana
- Jesus’ Proclamation of the Coming of the Kingdom of God
- The Transfiguration
- The Institution of the Eucharist
Praying the Rosary
Familiarize yourself and/or your group with the prayers of the rosary.
- Make the Sign of the Cross.
- Holding the Crucifix, say the Apostles’ Creed.
- On the first bead, say an Our Father.
- Say one Hail Mary on each of the next three beads.
- Say the Glory Be
- For each of the five decades, announce the Mystery (perhaps followed by a brief reading from Scripture) then say the Our Father.
- While fingering each of the ten beads of the decade, next say ten Hail Marys while meditating on the Mystery. Then say a Glory Be.
(After finishing each decade, some say the following prayer requested by the Blessed Virgin Mary at Fatima: O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell; lead all souls to Heaven, especially those who have most need of your mercy.) - After saying the five decades, say the Hail, Holy Queen, followed by this dialogue and prayer:V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray: O God, whose Only Begotten Son,
by his life, Death, and Resurrection,
has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life,
grant, we beseech thee,
that while meditating on these mysteries
of the most holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
we may imitate what they contain
and obtain what they promise,
through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.(A prayer to St. Joseph may also follow.) Conclude the Rosary with the Sign of the Cross.
