Catholic Prayers: Traditional Words and a Simple Daily Prayer Routine

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Begin with a prayer you can say slowly and mean. This collection brings together basic Catholic prayers, a simple daily routine, and guides to the Rosary, morning prayer, prayer for the dead and prayers used around Mass. The traditional texts below use older English; “thee” means “you” and “thy” means “your.”

If you are preparing a parish liturgy, go to our Prayers of the Faithful guide or today’s Mass intercessions, and see the order of the Mass for each part of the celebration. For personal or family prayer, start here.

A simple daily prayer routine

You do not have to pray every prayer on this page each day. Choose a small, repeatable beginning. For complete routines, see Catholic morning prayers and Catholic night prayers.

WhenA place to beginMake it personal
On wakingThe Sign of the Cross and a Morning OfferingOffer God the work, joys and difficulties ahead.
Before a mealGrace before mealsRemember someone who needs food or company.
During the dayThe Our Father, the Angelus or a decade of the RosaryBring one person or concern to prayer.
Before sleepGive thanks, examine the day and pray an Act of ContritionAsk forgiveness and choose one good step for tomorrow.

Set aside your phone if it distracts you. Pause before beginning. You can use these written prayers and then speak to God in your own words. When your mind wanders, return gently to the words in front of you.

The Sign of the Cross

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

You will also hear “Holy Spirit.” Both expressions refer to the same Person of the Trinity. In the Roman Catholic tradition, make the sign by touching your forehead, chest, left shoulder and right shoulder as you pray. Our guide to the Sign of the Cross explains its meaning, history and the Eastern form.

The Our Father (the Lord’s Prayer)

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. Amen.

Jesus taught his disciples to pray to the Father; see Matthew 6:9–13 and Luke 11:2–4. Pray the words slowly, especially the request for daily bread and the call to forgive. At Mass, follow the congregation’s order of prayer: the priest continues with another prayer before everyone says the concluding doxology. Our guide to the Our Father prayer gives the Latin text and explains its seven petitions.

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 opening recalls the angel’s greeting and Elizabeth’s blessing in Luke 1:28 and 1:42. The final petition asks Mary to pray for us. It is the prayer repeated through each decade of the Rosary. See the Hail Mary prayer for the Latin and Spanish texts and a line-by-line explanation.

The Glory Be

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

This short prayer praises the Trinity. You may know its opening as “Glory to the Father” or its ending as “for ever and ever.” Use the form familiar to the group when praying with others. See the Glory Be prayer for the Latin and Spanish texts and its history.

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 Ghost, 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, sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father almighty;
from thence he shall come to judge the living and dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost, the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

The Creed is a profession of Christian faith. It is commonly prayed at the beginning of the Rosary. The phrase “descended into hell” refers here to Christ’s descent to the realm of the dead, not to his being condemned; see Catechism of the Catholic Church, 632–633. Our Apostles’ Creed guide explains its twelve articles and how it differs from the Nicene Creed said at Sunday Mass.

An Act of Contrition

There are several traditional forms. This one is printed in F. X. Lasance’s With God (1911), in its devotions for Confession.

Eternal Father! I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell, but most of all because they displease Thee, my God, Who art all-good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve with the help of Thy grace to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life.

Pray it with a sincere desire to turn back to God. If you are learning to go to Confession, tell the priest; you can bring a written prayer and ask for help. Our step-by-step guide explains how to go to confession. Our Act of Contrition guide includes another traditional form, a short prayer and an explanation of the words. To understand which sins must be confessed, read mortal and venial sin.

Grace before and after meals

Before a meal

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

After a meal

We give Thee thanks, almighty God, for all Thy benefits, Who livest and reignest world without end. Amen.

You can follow grace with the names of people you wish to remember. At a family celebration, keep that addition short enough for everyone to join in. See our Catholic Thanksgiving prayers for prayers for a shared meal and family gathering. For Latin, Spanish and children’s graces, see Catholic grace before meals.

A Morning Offering

An offering at the beginning of the day places your ordinary responsibilities before God. You might pray this short original prayer:

Father, I offer you this day: my work and rest, my hopes and worries, and the people I will meet. Unite my life to the love of Jesus. Help me to serve faithfully, speak kindly and begin again when I fail. Amen.

For a traditional form and guidance on making it part of daily life, see the Morning Offering.

The Rosary and prayers to Mary

The Rosary brings repeated prayers together with meditation on the life of Christ. If you need the words and sequence, use our interactive Rosary. It guides you through the prayers one bead at a time.

If a full Rosary feels like too much to begin with, spend a few minutes on one mystery and pray one decade attentively.

Prayer before and after Communion

Before Mass, take a moment to bring your attention to the Lord. After receiving Holy Communion, remain in prayer and thanksgiving. You can pray in your own words or use a familiar devotion such as the Anima Christi, which begins “Soul of Christ, sanctify me.” For traditional texts, see prayers before and after Communion, including those of St. Thomas Aquinas, whose hymns Tantum Ergo and O Salutaris are sung at Benediction.

A prayer of thanksgiving

This is an original personal prayer for use after Communion:

Lord Jesus, thank you for giving yourself to me. Let your love shape what I do today. Strengthen me to forgive, to resist what harms others, and to serve the person who needs my help. Keep me close to you. Amen.

Spiritual communion

When you cannot receive Holy Communion, you can express your desire for union with Christ in prayer. This short original prayer offers a place to begin:

Jesus, I long to be close to you. Though I cannot receive you sacramentally at this moment, draw my heart to yours. Deepen my faith, renew my love and help me to live in your presence. Amen.

See St. John Paul II, Ecclesia de Eucharistia, 34 on the practice of spiritual communion. For traditional acts of spiritual communion, see our spiritual communion prayer guide.

Prayers for protection and guidance

Bring the particular situation to prayer, then take the next practical step available to you: ask for advice, offer help, make peace or seek assistance. In a difficult or seemingly hopeless situation, our St. Jude prayer guide offers short prayers and explains how Catholics ask the saint’s intercession, and the St. Jude novena leads you through nine days of prayer.

Prayers for your family and children

Pray for the people closest to you by name every day. Our collection of Catholic prayers for family includes a traditional blessing for the home, prayers to the Holy Family and a prayer for husband and wife. Catholic prayers for children gives a traditional parents’ prayer, prayers for grown children and grandchildren, and the first prayers children learn.

The Eternal Rest prayer

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them.
May they rest in peace. Amen.

Use “him” or “her” when praying for one person. Our Eternal Rest guide includes the Latin text and explanation. For more circumstances, see Catholic prayers for the dead and prayers for deceased loved ones. To arrange a Mass for someone who has died, begin with Mass intentions for the dead.

Novenas and seasonal prayer

A novena is usually a prayer offered over nine days. Some devotions retain that name while following a different pattern. For example, the St. Andrew Christmas Novena is traditionally prayed from November 30 through Christmas Eve. See what a novena is and a calendar of novenas, including the St. Joseph novena. Litanies are another traditional form of prayer: try the Litany of the Saints, the Litany of the Holy Name of Jesus, the Litany of the Sacred Heart or the Litany of St. Joseph.

For the weeks before Christmas, our Advent wreath prayers provide a simple family prayer for each Sunday. For the great feasts, see Lent 2027, Holy Week, Easter 2027 and our Catholic Easter prayers; for family occasions, Catholic birthday prayers; and for the sacraments, the seven sacraments. To go deeper, learn the prayers in Latin, pray a litany or a chaplet, or join the Church’s daily prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours. If you are choosing a devotion, begin with its purpose and a schedule you can sustain, leaving time to pray attentively.

Questions about learning Catholic prayers

Which prayers should I learn first?

Begin with the Sign of the Cross, the Our Father, the Hail Mary and the Glory Be. Keep a copy nearby while learning. Add the Creed when you are ready to pray the Rosary, and learn an Act of Contrition as you prepare for Confession.

Can I pray in my own words?

Yes. A written prayer can help you begin, and you can also tell God what you are thankful for, worried about or asking help with. Leave room for silence.

Why do different prayer books use different words?

Translations and established devotional forms vary. Older books may use “Holy Ghost,” “thee” and “thy,” while newer ones use “Holy Spirit,” “you” and “your.” When praying together, choose one version so everyone can follow.

How can I print these prayers?

Use your browser’s Print command and select your printer or Save as PDF. For a shorter handout, copy only the prayers you need into a document and keep their source note.

More guides

Texts and sources

Traditional prayer texts on this page draw on early twentieth-century prayer books, with punctuation, capitalization and line breaks normalized for reading. The newly written Morning Offering, thanksgiving and spiritual communion are identified as original personal prayers.