Prayers and languages

The Church prays in words already received. A Catholic does not invent a new Our Father. The words are learned, said, and kept. Some belong to the Mass. Some belong to the morning, the table, and the beads. The same prayers are said in Latin, because Latin is the language of the Roman rite, and in the languages of the peoples, because the faith is catholic.

This file is for study and for use. Part A gives the prayers in the English used by Catholics in England, in an order a person can learn. Each one is the received wording, not a paraphrase, with a short account of what it is and when it is said. Part B is the Rosary, bead by bead. Part C sets out the Latin from the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and the same three prayers in those other languages for which a text of the Holy See or of a bishops' conference could be fetched and copied. Where that could not be done, the language is left out. The note at the end says which.

The English of Part A is taken from two Church texts. The devotional prayers, and the forms marked there as the wording for the United Kingdom, are from the appendix of common prayers in the Compendium of the Catechism (Libreria Editrice Vaticana). The Sign of the Cross, the Our Father, the Confiteor, and the Nicene Creed as said at Mass are from the Order of Mass published by the Liturgy Office of the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales. The prayers which that appendix does not print in the traditional prose, the Come Holy Spirit prayer, the Anima Christi, the prayer to Saint Michael, the morning offering, and grace before meals, are given in the traditional English long used in England. They are not reworded here.

Part A

The prayers

The Sign of the Cross

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

This is the shortest profession of the Trinity, made with the hand. The right hand touches the forehead, the breast, the left shoulder, and the right shoulder, while the words are said. It opens and closes prayer. It is the first act of the Mass, said by the priest and by the people together. A Catholic makes it on waking, on entering a church, before the Gospel is heard in private reading, and at the holy water stoup, where the water recalls baptism.

The Our Father

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

This is the prayer Our Lord taught the disciples. The Church has always used the text of Saint Matthew. It is said at Mass after the Eucharistic Prayer. There the people do not add Amen at once. The priest continues with the prayer that begins "Deliver us, Lord", and the people answer: "For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours, now and for ever." When the Our Father is said alone, or on the beads, it is closed with Amen.

The Hail Mary

Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

The first part takes the greeting of the angel and the words of Elizabeth. The second part is the Church's own prayer, asking the Mother of God to pray for us now and at death. It is the prayer of the Rosary. It is said morning and night, at the Angelus, and whenever Our Lady is asked to intercede.

The Glory Be

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

This is a small doxology. It gives to the three Persons the glory that was theirs before the ages. It closes each decade of the Rosary, the psalms of the Divine Office, and many other prayers. It is not a hymn with verses. It is one sentence.

The Apostles' Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God, the Father almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.

This is the baptismal creed of the Roman Church, the short rule of faith. It is said at the beginning of the Rosary, on the crucifix. At Mass, especially in Lent and in Easter Time, it may be used instead of the Nicene Creed. The words "descended into hell" mean that the soul of Christ, after death, descended to the realm of the dead, not that he was damned.

The Nicene Creed

I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.

This is the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, from the Councils of Nicaea and Constantinople. The Church says it at Mass on Sundays and solemnities, after the homily. At the words "and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man", all bow. On the feasts of the Annunciation and of the Nativity of the Lord, they kneel. It is the longer creed. It says expressly that the Son is consubstantial with the Father, and that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son.

The Hail Holy Queen

Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, hail our life, our sweetness and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears! Turn, then, most gracious Advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

This is the Salve Regina in the English long used in England. It is said at the end of the Rosary, and at the end of Compline, the night prayer of the Church, from Trinity Sunday until the beginning of Advent. In Easter Time the Regina Caeli takes its place at the hours when the Angelus is said. The Hail Holy Queen remains the close of the Rosary in every season, unless a community has another approved custom.

The Angelus

V. The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.

R. And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

V. Behold the handmaid of the Lord.

R. Be it done unto me according to thy word.

V. And the Word was made flesh.

R. And dwelt among us.

V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray. Pour forth, we beseech thee, O Lord, thy grace into our hearts, that we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ, thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by his Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of his Resurrection. Through the same Christ, our Lord. Amen.

The Angelus is the prayer of the Incarnation, said in the morning, at noon, and in the evening, traditionally at the sound of the bell, and kneeling. The three Hail Marys mark the three moments: the message, the consent of Mary, and the Word made flesh. At the words "And the Word was made flesh" it is the custom to bow. From Easter Sunday to Pentecost the Church says the Regina Caeli instead.

The Regina Caeli

Queen of heaven, rejoice, alleluia!

For he whom you were worthy to bear, alleluia!

Has risen as he said, alleluia!

Pray for us to God, alleluia!

V. Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia.

R. For the Lord has truly risen, alleluia.

Let us pray. O God, who through the resurrection of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, did vouchsafe to give joy to the world; grant, we beseech you, that through his Mother, the Virgin Mary, we may obtain the joys of everlasting life. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

This is the Easter anthem of Our Lady. It replaces the Angelus from Easter Sunday through Pentecost. It is said standing. The verse and the collect belong to it. The Compendium prints this as the wording for the United Kingdom. The Latin, given in Part C, is one text for the whole Church.

The Memorare

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession, was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.

This is a prayer of confidence in the intercession of Our Lady. It is not tied to an hour. It is said in any need, and it is often said as a novena, once a day for nine days. The claim in it is the claim of the prayer itself: that those who ask her are not left unaided. It is not a new revelation.

The Confiteor

I confess to almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned, in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do, through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault; therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin, all the Angels and Saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God.

This is the general confession at the beginning of Mass, the first of the three forms of the Penitential Act. All say it together. At the words "through my fault" they strike the breast. The priest then says: "May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life." The people answer Amen. This absolution does not take the place of confession to a priest when a mortal sin must be confessed. It is the Church's prayer for mercy at the threshold of the Mass.

An Act of Contrition

O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins because of thy just punishments, but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, who art all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve with the help of Thy grace to sin no more and to avoid the near occasion of sin. Amen.

Contrition is sorrow for sin with a purpose of amendment. This act is said in the sacrament of Penance, after the sins have been confessed and before the absolution, and it is said at night in the examination of conscience. Sorrow that is perfect, for the love of God, and sorrow that is imperfect, from fear of his justice, are both named in the prayer. The resolve asks for grace. It does not pretend that the will is enough.

The Come Holy Spirit prayer

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of thy faithful, and kindle in them the fire of thy love.

V. Send forth thy Spirit, and they shall be created.

R. And thou shalt renew the face of the earth.

Let us pray. O God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit didst instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise, and ever rejoice in his consolation. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

This is the Church's short prayer to the Holy Spirit, said before study, before a council or a meeting, and at Pentecost. It is not the sequence Veni Sancte Spiritus, which is the hymn of the Mass of Pentecost. It is the verse and collect by which the faithful ask to be taught and to be set on fire.

The Anima Christi

Soul of Christ, sanctify me. Body of Christ, save me. Blood of Christ, inebriate me. Water from the side of Christ, wash me. Passion of Christ, strengthen me. O good Jesus, hear me. Within thy wounds hide me. Suffer me not to be separated from thee. From the malignant enemy defend me. In the hour of my death call me, and bid me come to thee, that with thy Saints I may praise thee for ever and ever. Amen.

This is a prayer to Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, said after Holy Communion and in any thanksgiving. Each line asks one thing of one mystery: the soul, the body, the blood, the water from his side, the Passion. The English Compendium also prints a metrical version. The prose above is the traditional English, following the Latin line by line. The Latin is in the Compendium: Anima Christi, sanctifica me. Corpus Christi, salva me. Sanguis Christi, inebria me. Aqua lateris Christi, lava me. Passio Christi, conforta me. O bone Iesu, exaudi me. Intra tua vulnera absconde me. Ne permittas me separari a te. Ab hoste maligno defende me. In hora mortis meae voca me. Et iube me venire ad te, ut cum Sanctis tuis laudem te in saecula saeculorum. Amen.

The Fatima prayer

O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls to heaven, especially those most in need of Your mercy.

This is the prayer added to each decade of the Rosary from the apparitions at Fatima, kept by the Church as said on 13 July 1917. It is a prayer for sinners. It is not a tenth Hail Mary, and it is not a new mystery. It is said after the Glory Be.

The Guardian Angel prayer

Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God's love commits me here, ever this day be at my side, to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen.

The Church teaches that each of the faithful has a guardian angel. This prayer asks that angel for light, guard, rule, and guidance. It is a morning prayer, and a prayer for a child, and a prayer before travel. The Latin in the Compendium begins Angele Dei, qui custos es mei.

The Prayer to Saint Michael

Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

Saint Michael is named in Scripture as the archangel who fights for the people of God. Pope Leo XIII gave this prayer to the Church. For many years it was said after Low Mass, with the other prayers then prescribed. It is no longer required at the end of Mass. It remains a prayer the faithful say for the Church and for themselves, in the fight against the evil one. It is often said after the Rosary.

A morning offering

O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer You my prayers, works, joys and sufferings of this day for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, for the intentions of all my relatives and friends, and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen.

This is the morning offering long used by Catholics in England. It is said on waking, or as soon as the day begins. It places the day inside the Mass, inside the Heart of Jesus, and inside the intentions of the Pope. The Pope's particular intention is published each month. The offering does not depend on having read it. It joins the day to whatever the Holy Father has asked.

Grace before meals

Bless us, O Lord, and these Thy gifts, which we are about to receive from Thy bounty, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

This is the short grace. It is said at table, standing or sitting as the house does, with the Sign of the Cross before and after. It asks a blessing on the people and on the food, and it names the food as a gift. The Church also has longer graces in the Roman Ritual. This is the one a household can use at every meal.

Part B

The Rosary, bead by bead

The Rosary is a prayer of the Incarnation and of the life of Christ, said with Our Lady. The beads keep count so that the mind can stay on the mystery. A standard Rosary has a crucifix, then one large bead, three small beads, another large bead, and then five decades. Each decade is one large bead and ten small beads. Five decades are one chaplet. The full Rosary, as the Church has long spoken of it, is fifteen decades, or twenty where the mysteries of light are included. A person who can say only one chaplet has still said the Rosary.

The order is this.
On the crucifix, make the Sign of the Cross and say the Apostles' Creed.
On the first large bead, say the Our Father.
On the three small beads, say three Hail Marys, for faith, hope, and charity.
Say the Glory Be.
Then begin the decades. There are five in the chaplet usually said at one time. For each decade:
Name the mystery, in a few words, and hold it in mind.
On the large bead, say the Our Father.
On the ten small beads, say ten Hail Marys, still thinking of that mystery. The Hail Mary does not change. The mystery is what the mind looks at.
Say the Glory Be.
Say the Fatima prayer.
After the fifth decade, say the Hail Holy Queen.
Then:
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 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.
That closing prayer is the one printed with the Rosary in the Compendium. Many people then add the prayer to Saint Michael, and make the Sign of the Cross again. Those additions are pious custom. The chaplet itself has already been said.
The mysteries, and the days the Compendium gives for them, are these. The event of each one is the event as the Church tells it.

Say the chaplet on the beads

The Joyful Mysteries, said on Monday and Saturday

1. The Annunciation
The angel Gabriel is sent to Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, and the virgin's name is Mary. He tells her she will conceive and bear a son. She answers that she is the handmaid of the Lord, and that it be done according to his word. The Word is made flesh.
2. The Visitation
Mary goes in haste into the hill country, to Elizabeth. At her greeting the child in Elizabeth's womb leaps. Elizabeth calls her blessed among women, and blessed the fruit of her womb. Mary magnifies the Lord.
3. The Nativity
The child is born in Bethlehem, wrapped, and laid in a manger, because there is no room for them in the inn. The shepherds are told, and they come and find him.
4. The Presentation
When the days of her purification are fulfilled, Mary and Joseph bring the child to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. Simeon takes him into his arms and blesses God. Anna speaks of him to those who look for redemption.
5. The Finding in the Temple
The boy Jesus remains in Jerusalem, unknown to his parents. After three days they find him in the Temple, sitting among the doctors, hearing them and asking them questions. He tells them he must be about his Father's business, and then he goes down with them to Nazareth and is subject to them.

The Mysteries of Light, said on Thursday

1. The Baptism of Jesus
Jesus comes to the Jordan and is baptised by John. The heavens open. The Spirit descends upon him as a dove. The voice of the Father is heard: this is my beloved Son.
2. The wedding feast of Cana
There is a wedding in Cana of Galilee. The wine fails. Mary says to the servants, Do whatever he tells you. Jesus changes the water into wine. This beginning of signs he works there, and his disciples believe in him.
3. The proclamation of the Kingdom, with the call to conversion
Jesus comes into Galilee preaching the Gospel of God, saying that the time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God is at hand, and that men must repent and believe. He calls the disciples. He teaches. He heals. The Kingdom is himself, received.
4. The Transfiguration
He takes Peter, James, and John up a high mountain, and is transfigured before them. Moses and Elijah are seen with him. A cloud overshadows them, and the voice from the cloud says, This is my beloved Son; hear him.
5. The institution of the Eucharist
On the night before he suffers, he takes bread, gives thanks, breaks it, and gives it to them, saying that it is his Body. He takes the cup, and says that it is his Blood of the new covenant, poured out for many. He tells them to do this in memory of him.

The Sorrowful Mysteries, said on Tuesday and Friday

1. The agony in the garden
He goes with the disciples to Gethsemane, and begins to be sorrowful even unto death. He prays that the cup may pass, and then that the Father's will be done, not his. His sweat becomes as drops of blood. He finds the disciples sleeping. Judas comes.
2. The scourging at the pillar
Pilate releases Barabbas and, having scourged Jesus, delivers him to be crucified. The mystery is that scourging.
3. The crowning with thorns
The soldiers plait a crown of thorns and put it on his head, put a reed in his hand, kneel before him, and mock him as King of the Jews. They spit on him and strike him.
4. The carrying of the cross
He goes out, bearing his own cross, to the place called Calvary. Simon of Cyrene is compelled to carry it after him. The women of Jerusalem weep. He tells them to weep for themselves and for their children.
5. The crucifixion
They crucify him between two thieves. He prays for those who do it. He gives his Mother to the disciple, and the disciple to his Mother. He dies. A soldier opens his side with a spear, and there comes out blood and water. Joseph of Arimathea lays the body in a new tomb.

The Glorious Mysteries, said on Wednesday and Sunday

1. The Resurrection
On the first day of the week the women find the stone rolled back and the tomb empty. The angel says he is risen. He shows himself to Mary Magdalene, to Peter, to the disciples on the road, and to the eleven. The Church keeps this on Easter Sunday and on every Sunday.
2. The Ascension
Forty days after the Resurrection he leads them out towards Bethany, blesses them, and is carried up into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God. They are told he will come in the same way.
3. The descent of the Holy Spirit
On Pentecost they are all together. A sound comes from heaven like a mighty wind. Tongues as of fire rest on each of them. They are filled with the Holy Spirit and begin to speak. Peter preaches, and those who receive his word are baptised.
4. The Assumption
At the end of her earthly life, Our Lady is taken up body and soul into the glory of heaven. The Church has kept this in the liturgy for centuries. Pope Pius XII defined it as a dogma on 1 November 1950.
5. The coronation of Mary, Queen of heaven and earth
The Church honours her, in the glory of her Son, as Queen. The title is in the mysteries of the Rosary and in the feast of the Queenship of Mary. She reigns by being the Mother of the King, and by her intercession.

Part C

Languages

English is in Part A. The texts below are copied from the sources named. They are not translated in this file. Accents are kept where the Church text prints them for singing. One broken character in the Vatican page, an ae followed by a stray acute, is restored as ǽ, which is the letter the Missal uses. Nothing else is mended except a missing space in the French Our Father, where the Vatican page runs two words together.

Latin

Source: the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, appendix of common prayers, and the Pater noster as printed in the body of the same book.

The Sign of the Cross

In nómine Patris et Fílii et Spíritus Sancti. Amen.

The Our Father

Pater noster, qui es in cælis: sanctificétur Nomen Tuum; advéniat Regnum Tuum; fiat volúntas Tua, sicut in cælo, et in terra. Panem nostrum cotidiánum da nobis hódie, et dimítte nobis débita nostra, sicut et nos dimíttimus debitóribus nostris; et ne nos indúcas in tentatiónem; sed líbera nos a Malo.

The Hail Mary

Ave, María, grátia plena, Dóminus tecum. Benedícta tu in muliéribus, et benedíctus fructus ventris tui, Iesus. Sancta María, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatóribus, nunc et in hora mortis nostræ. Amen.

The Glory Be

Glória Patri et Fílio et Spirítui Sancto. Sicut erat in princípio, et nunc et semper, et in sǽcula sæculórum. Amen.

The Hail Holy Queen

Salve, Regína, Mater misericórdiæ, vita, dulcédo et spes nostra, salve. Ad te clamámus, éxsules fílii Evæ. Ad te suspirámus geméntes et flentes in hac lacrimárum valle. Eia ergo, advocáta nostra, illos tuos misericórdes óculos ad nos convérte. Et Iesum benedíctum fructum ventris tui, nobis, post hoc exsílium, osténde. O clemens, o pia, o dulcis Virgo María.

The Angelus

Ángelus Dómini nuntiávit Maríæ. Et concépit de Spíritu Sancto.

Ecce ancílla Dómini. Fiat mihi secúndum verbum tuum.

アヴェ、マリア、恵みに満ちた方、主はあなたとともにおられます。あなたは女のうちで祝福され、ご胎内の御子イエスも祝福されています。神の母聖マリア、わたしたち罪びとのために、今も、死を迎える時も、お祈りください。アーメン。

Which languages are here, and which are not

In this file: English, Latin, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and Japanese.

Left out, because a received text of the Sign of the Cross, the Our Father, and the Hail Mary was not confirmed from the Holy See or from a bishops' conference:

Irish. No text of the three prayers was fetched from the Irish bishops.

Welsh. The Bishops' Conference of England and Wales prints the Our Father in Welsh. The Hail Mary in that series is given as sound, not as a text that could be copied. The Sign of the Cross was not found beside them. One prayer is not enough.

Polish. A Catholic reading-room prints the Our Father and the Hail Mary. The Sign of the Cross was not on that page, and the Latin printed beside those prayers is not reliable. The language is left out rather than completed.

Konkani. The England and Wales conference has a recording. No text was printed to copy.

Chinese and Korean. Japanese was the one of the three for which the Sign of the Cross, the Our Father, and the Hail Mary were all fetched from the bishops' conference. The Korean bishops' Order of Mass gives the Sign of the Cross and the Our Father. The Hail Mary was not fetched from them. A Chinese text was not fetched from a diocese or from a bishops' conference. Those two languages are left out.

The hour. The prayers, written out so that they can be said. The study remains the place where they are learned.

Study 4 · Saints