Prayers

Memorare

Remember, O most loving Virgin Mary,
that it is a thing unheard of, that anyone ever had recourse to thy protection,
implored thy help, or sought thy intercession, and was left forsaken.

Filled, therefore, with confidence in thy goodness,
I fly to thee, O Mother, O Virgin of virgins;
To thee I come, before thee I stand a sorrowful sinner.

Despise not my poor words, O Mother of the Word of God,
but graciously hear and grant my prayer. Amen.

A prayer from a Sarum Primer

God be in my head, and in my understanding.
God be in mine eyes, and in my looking.
God be in my mouth, and in my speaking.
God be in my heart, and in my thinking.
God be at mine end, and at my departing.

A prayer for holiness

Stay with me, and then I shall begin to shine as You shine: so to shine as to be a light to others. The light, O Jesus, will be all from You. None of it will be mine. It will be You who shines through me upon others. O let me thus praise You, in the way which You love best, by shining on all those around me. Give light to them as well as to me; light them with me, through me. Teach me to show forth Your praise, Your truth, Your will. Make me preach You without preaching - not by words, but by my example and by the catching force, the sympathetic influence, of what I do - by my visible resemblance to Your saints, and the evident fullness of the love which my heart bears to You.

A prayer for my personal vocation

O Lord,
forgive what I have been,
bless what I am,
and direct what I shall be.
Amen.

A prayer for priestly vocations

O Lord Jesus Christ,
Who, moved to pity at the sight of the multitudes,
scattered like sheep without a shepherd,
didst say to Thy disciples:
"The harvest indeed is great, but the labourers are few.
Pray ye, therefore, the Lord of the harvest,
that He send labourers into His harvest,"
deign to turn Thine eyes of pity on this our diocese,
and to call to Thy priesthood men,
who will spend themselves and be spent for Thy honour and glory,
and for the souls whom Thou hast redeemed with Thy Most Precious Blood,
Who livest and reignest for ever and ever. Amen.

A prayer for priestly and religious vocations

Almighty God, Father of Jesus Christ our eternal High Priest, bless our families.
Grant that they may have the honour and privilege of giving to Thy Church
sons and daughters to serve God in the sacred priesthood and religious life.

O Mary, Queen of the Clergy, pray for us:
obtain for us many holy priests. Help our students who are preparing for the priesthood.

A prayer to Our Lady

Mary, Mother of Jesus,
give me your heart so beautiful,
so pure, so immaculate, so full of love an humility,
that I may be able to receive Jesus in the Bread of Life,
love Him as you loved Him,
and serve Him as you served Him,
in the distressing disguise of the poorest of the poor.
Amen.

A prayer that God's will be done

May the most just
and most lovable will of God
be done,
be fulfilled,
be praised,
and be eternally exalted above all things.
Amen. Amen.