In the First Book of Samuel, Hannah longed for a child for many years and suffered the ridicule of others. At the sanctuary at Shiloh she poured out her heart to God so intensely that the priest Eli thought she was drunk. God heard her prayer, and she gave birth to Samuel, who became a great prophet. After his birth she sang a hymn of praise that echoes later in Mary's Magnificat. Hannah's words are a gift to couples struggling with infertility or waiting to adopt, and to any

This short prayer, known from its Latin opening as Actiones nostras, is one of the classic collects of the Church. It asks God to inspire our actions from the start and to help them along to the finish, so that every prayer and work begins with Him and is completed through Him. It has been said for centuries at the beginning of meetings, classes, and the work of the day. Pray it as you sit down at your desk, start a shift, open your books, or begin a household task. It is a s

St. John Henry Newman (1801-1890) wrote these verses in 1833, years before he became a Catholic, while he was stranded on a ship becalmed between Corsica and Sardinia, weak from illness and longing to get home to England. Unsure of the future, he asked only for enough light to take the next step. The poem became one of the best-loved hymns in the English language. It is a perfect prayer for times of uncertainty, discernment, illness, grief, or a new chapter of life, when you

When someone we love is sick, it can be hard to know what to pray. The Church's own rites for the sick give us simple, trustworthy words. This short prayer comes from the traditional Roman Ritual for the visitation of the sick, prayed by priests at the bedside for centuries. It asks God to look upon the sick person, refresh the soul He created, and bring healing through His own remedy. Say it for a spouse, parent, child, or friend who is ill at home or in the hospital, insert

The Book of Tobit tells the story of young Tobias, guided on his journey by the Archangel Raphael, and his marriage to Sarah, a woman who had known great sorrow. On their wedding night, before anything else, the couple rose and prayed together, praising God as Creator of man and woman and asking Him for mercy and a long life together. The Church has long used this passage at weddings. It is a beautiful prayer for engaged couples, newlyweds, and married couples renewing their

Cardinal Désiré-Joseph Mercier (1851-1926), Archbishop of Mechelen in Belgium, was a philosopher, a pastor, and a symbol of courage during the First World War. He recommended this brief prayer as "the secret of sanctity and happiness," promising peace to anyone who would quiet the imagination for five minutes each day, enter into the sanctuary of the soul, and speak to the Holy Spirit in these words. Pray it every day in a moment of silence, especially when you need guidance,

Archbishop John Carroll, the first Catholic bishop in the United States, composed this prayer in 1791, only a few years after the Constitution was ratified. It asks God's wisdom for the President, Congress, governors, judges, and all public officials, and his blessing on all citizens. It remains one of the finest prayers for public life ever written in America, and it asks for virtue, justice, and peace rather than for any party or policy. Pray it on national holidays such as

Psalm 121 (Psalm 120 in the Douay numbering) is one of the Songs of Ascents, sung by Jewish pilgrims as they climbed toward Jerusalem for the great feasts. Looking up at the hills, the pilgrim asks where help will come from, and answers at once: from the Lord, who made heaven and earth and never sleeps. It is a perfect prayer for journeys, for new beginnings like a move, a new job, or a new school, and for any moment when you feel small in the face of what lies ahead. It is s

St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274), the Dominican theologian and Doctor of the Church, is patron of students, schools, and universities. He is said to have prayed this prayer, known from its Latin opening as Creator ineffabilis, before he studied, wrote, or preached. It asks God to lift the double darkness of sin and ignorance and to give the gifts every learner needs: sharp understanding, a good memory, method, and clear expression. Students often pray it before homework, lectur

Psalm 91 (Psalm 90 in the Douay numbering) has been called the soldier's psalm and the psalm of protection. It promises that God shelters those who trust in Him, and that He gives His angels charge over them. The Church prays it every Sunday night at Compline, and Christians have carried it into battle, through epidemics, and on dangerous journeys for centuries. Pray it when you are afraid, before travel, when someone you love is in danger, or at night before sleep. Jesus Him

Psalm 23, numbered Psalm 22 in the older Catholic Bibles, is probably the best-loved psalm of all. It pictures God as a shepherd who feeds, leads, and protects His flock, even through the valley of the shadow of death. Catholics pray it at funerals, in hospital rooms, and in every kind of fear or uncertainty. The Fathers of the Church also read it as a picture of the sacraments: the waters of Baptism, the anointing oil, and the table of the Eucharist. Pray it slowly when you

The Novena of Grace is one of the most beloved novenas in the Church. It began in Naples in 1633, when the dying Jesuit Fr. Marcello Mastrilli was cured after St. Francis Xavier appeared to him and promised his help to all who asked it for nine days. Traditionally the novena is made from March 4 to March 12, the anniversary of the saint's canonization, but it can also be prayed before his feast on December 3 or at any time of need. St. Francis Xavier, a companion of St. Ignat

St. Anthony of Padua is famous as the saint to call on when something is lost, whether keys, documents, a wedding ring, or even lost faith or peace. The devotion goes back to a story from his own life: a novice who took Anthony's precious book of psalms returned it after the saint prayed for it. The Si Quaeris ("If you seek") is the classic hymn in his honor, written in the thirteenth century by Julian of Speyer. Pray it whenever you have lost something, or for any need, sinc

The St. Andrew Christmas Novena is a much-loved Advent devotion. Despite its name, it is not addressed to St. Andrew. It is a meditation on the hour of Christ's birth that begins on the feast of St. Andrew the Apostle, November 30, and continues until Christmas. The prayer is traditionally said fifteen times a day, and many families divide the repetitions between morning, noon, and evening. It dates from the late nineteenth century and received an imprimatur in New York in 18

The Litany of the Saints is one of the oldest prayers of the Church. It calls on Our Lady, the angels, the apostles, martyrs, bishops, and virgins of every age to pray for us, and then asks Christ, through the mysteries of His life, to deliver us from evil and hear our petitions. Its roots go back more than a thousand years, and it is still sung at the Easter Vigil, at ordinations, and at the consecration of churches. You can pray it privately in times of great need, on All S

Devotion to the Infant Jesus of Prague centers on a small wax statue of the Christ Child that was given to the Discalced Carmelites of Prague in 1628. When the city was sacked and the statue damaged, Fr. Cyril of the Mother of God found it and restored it. He reported that he heard the words, "The more you honor Me, the more I will bless you," and devotion to the Holy Infant spread across the world. This prayer, traditionally attributed to Fr. Cyril, is prayed in any urgent n

In Confirmation, the Holy Spirit strengthens the baptized with His seven gifts and sends them out as witnesses of Christ. Preparation can take months, and candidates, whether teens in a parish program or adults entering the Church, benefit greatly from the prayers of family, sponsors, catechists, and parishioners. This prayer asks the Holy Spirit to fill candidates with faith, hope, and charity and to make them faithful witnesses. Pray it through the preparation period, at a

Offer Jesus to the Father in union with the Mass. The Prayer Eternal Father, I offer Thee the most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the Universal Church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen. Traditional offering of the Precious Blood; classic devotionals, public domain.

Honor the Holy Face of Jesus wounded for our sins. The Prayer O Lord Jesus Christ, in presenting ourselves before Thine adorable Face to ask of Thee the graces of which we stand most in need, we beseech Thee, above all, to grant us that interior disposition of never refusing at any time to do what Thou requirest of us by Thy holy commandments and Thy holy inspirations. Amen. Traditional Holy Face prayer; classic devotionals, public domain.

"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34) is the first of the Seven Last Words of Jesus from the Cross. While He was still being crucified, He prayed for the very people who were putting Him to death. No Word is harder to live. This short meditation asks forgiveness for our own sins and a merciful heart like Christ's toward those who have hurt us. Pray it on Good Friday, before Confession, when you are struggling to forgive a family member, coworker,