Daily Prayer

 

A Catholic day is held together by prayer: a word offered to God on waking, a pause at noon, grace at table, and a quiet examination before sleep. You don't need a lot of time. Just a few traditional prayers, said slowly and from the heart, can turn an ordinary day into an offering. Here is a simple rule of daily prayer built from the prayers on this site. Start with one or two, then add more as they become habits.

 

Morning

 

• Sign of the Cross: begin every prayer, and every day, in the name of the Trinity.

• Prayer Upon Rising

• Morning Offering: give God your prayers, works, joys, and sufferings.

• Guardian Angel Morning Prayer

• Act of Faith, Act of Hope, and Act of Love

 

Midday

 

• The Angelus, at 6 a.m., noon, and 6 p.m. (the Regina Caeli replaces it in Eastertide)

• Grace Before Meals and Grace After Meals

• Prayer for Purity of Intention, to renew your offering during work

 

Throughout the day

 

• Short aspirations: Jesus, Sacred Heart, and O Mary, Conceived Without Sin

• The Holy Rosary, with a decade or all five

• Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel

 

Evening and night

 

• Evening Examination of Conscience

• Act of Contrition

• Guardian Angel Evening Prayer

• Prayer for Sleep and Protection of the Home

• Eternal Rest, for the faithful departed

• Nunc Dimittis, the Church's night canticle

 

The essential prayers

 

If you are just beginning, or relearning the faith, start with the Basic Catholic Prayers: the Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be, and Apostles' Creed.

 

Browse more: Morning & Evening Prayers · Mass & Sacraments · Intercessory Prayers · All prayers

 

When you need it most

 

For worry: Let Nothing Disturb Thee. For the sick: Prayer for a Sick Loved One and Prayer Before Surgery. For guidance: Lead, Kindly Light. At day's end: May He Support Us All the Day Long.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 

Where can I find daily Catholic prayers online?

 

Daily Catholic Prayers gathers more than 250 traditional Catholic prayers for every part of the day, free to read and pray with no account needed. Start with the prayers on this page, then see Morning Prayers, The Holy Rosary, and the Novena Calendar.

 

For the day's Mass readings, the US bishops post them free each day on the USCCB website. For the Church's official daily prayer, see our guide to the Liturgy of the Hours.

 

What prayers should a Catholic say every day?

 

At a minimum, a prayer when you wake and before you sleep, grace at meals, and the basic prayers: the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be.

 

Many Catholics add the Morning Offering, the Angelus at noon, a decade or more of the Rosary, and an Evening Examination of Conscience before bed. Sunday Mass is the heart of the whole week.

 

How do I start a daily prayer routine?

 

Start small and tie prayer to things you already do: the Sign of the Cross when you wake, grace before meals, and an Act of Contrition before sleep. A few minutes every day matter more than one long prayer once in a while.

 

Once that is steady, add one thing at a time, such as the Morning Offering or a decade of the Rosary. The sections above give a simple pattern for morning, midday, and night.

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Pray a little every day of 2027 with the 2027 Catholic Prayer Diary, a printable page for each day with a prayer, a verse and room to write, $19.99.

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