Catholic Morning Prayers: A Traditional Morning Prayer and Simple Routine

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Catholics begin the day by giving it to God. If you have only a minute, make the Sign of the Cross and pray:

Lord God, thank you for this new day.
I offer you everything I will think, say and do today.
Keep me close to you, protect the people I love,
and help me to do your will.
Amen.

That short prayer was written for this guide. Below you will find the complete traditional Catholic morning prayer, the Church’s own morning hymn of praise (the Benedictus), a simple five-minute routine, and short prayers for work, school and anxious mornings.

A traditional Catholic morning prayer

This is the morning prayer printed in Father F. X. Lasance’s prayer book With God (1911), which generations of Catholics learned. It moves through adoration, thanksgiving and the acts of faith, hope and love, and ends by offering the whole day to God:

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

Blessed be the Holy Trinity, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Glory to the Father, Who created me; glory to the Son, Who redeemed me; glory to the Holy Ghost, Who sanctifieth me.

Act of Adoration and Thanksgiving

Almighty and eternal God, I adore Thee, and I thank Thee for all the benefits which Thou, in Thy infinite goodness and mercy, hast conferred upon me. I thank Thee especially for having preserved and protected me this night.

Act of Faith

O my God, I believe in Thee, because Thou art Truth itself, and I firmly believe all the sacred truths which the holy Catholic Church believes and teaches, because Thou hast revealed them.

Act of Hope

O my God, I hope in Thee, because Thou art omnipotent, most merciful, and faithful to Thy promises; I hope to obtain the pardon of my sins, the grace to live a holy life, to die a happy death, and to obtain life everlasting, through the merits of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Redeemer.

Act of Love

O my God, I love Thee with my whole heart, and above all things, because Thou art infinitely good; and for the love of Thee I love my neighbor as myself.

Act of Supplication

O my God, I beseech Thee most earnestly to bless me that I may serve Thee faithfully this day by a perfect devotedness to all my duties and a steadfast adherence to all my promises and good resolutions.

Act of Contrition

O my God, I am truly sorry for having sinned, because Thou art infinitely good and sin displeases Thee. I will avoid the occasions of sin and strive in all things to do Thy holy will.

Act of Consecration

O my God, I wish to consecrate this day and all the days of my life to Thy honor and glory.

Offering

Almighty and eternal God! I offer Thee all my prayers, works, and sufferings in union with the Sacred Heart of Jesus, for the intentions for which He pleads and offers Himself in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, in thanksgiving for Thy favors, in reparation for my offenses, and in humble supplication for my temporal and eternal welfare, for the wants of our holy Mother the Church, for the conversion of sinners, and for the relief of the poor souls in purgatory.

Then pray the Our Father, the Hail Mary, the Apostles’ Creed and the Glory Be. The last paragraph is the classic Morning Offering; for its history and the shorter modern form, see our guide to the Morning Offering.

A five-minute Catholic morning routine

  1. On waking, make the Sign of the Cross. Before reaching for your phone, say, “Jesus, I give you this day.”
  2. Give thanks. Name one thing you are grateful for.
  3. Offer the day. Pray the Morning Offering above, or simply: “Lord, I offer you my work, my joys and my sufferings today.”
  4. Pray the Our Father slowly. Let each petition shape the day ahead.
  5. Ask your guardian angel’s help. Pray the Angel of God.
  6. Name your intentions. Who needs your prayers today? See what is intercessory prayer.
  7. Choose one small resolution. Patience with a coworker, a kind call, a moment of prayer at noon with the Angelus.

If you have more time, read the day’s Gospel or pray Morning Prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours.

The Benedictus: the Church’s morning hymn

Every morning the Church sings the Benedictus, the song of Zechariah at the birth of his son John the Baptist (Luke 1:68–79), at Morning Prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours. It praises God for keeping his promises and ends with the dawn of Christ, “the Orient from on high,” rising on those who sit in darkness. Here it is in the Douay-Rheims translation:

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; because he hath visited and wrought the redemption of his people:
And hath raised up an horn of salvation to us, in the house of David his servant:
As he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets, who are from the beginning:
Salvation from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us:
To perform mercy to our fathers, and to remember his holy testament,
The oath, which he swore to Abraham our father, that he would grant to us,
That being delivered from the hand of our enemies, we may serve him without fear,
In holiness and justice before him, all our days.
And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways:
To give knowledge of salvation to his people, unto the remission of their sins:
Through the bowels of the mercy of our God, in which the Orient from on high hath visited us:
To enlighten them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death: to direct our feet into the way of peace.

End with: 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.

What is Morning Prayer (Lauds)?

Morning Prayer, also called Lauds, is one of the two principal hours of the Liturgy of the Hours, the Church’s official daily prayer. Priests and religious pray it every day, and the Church warmly invites lay people to join them. It consists of a hymn, two psalms and an Old Testament canticle, a short reading, the Benedictus, intercessions, the Our Father and a closing prayer. It takes about fifteen minutes. See our step-by-step guide to Lauds. The Catechism lists morning prayer among the daily “rhythms of praying” the Church proposes to nourish continual prayer (CCC 2698).

Short morning prayers for different needs

These prayers were written for this guide.

Before work:

Lord Jesus, you worked with your hands in Nazareth.
Bless my work today.
Help me to do it honestly and well,
to treat others with respect,
and to offer it all to you. Amen.

For a traditional prayer, see St. Pius X’s prayer to St. Joseph for work.

For students:

Holy Spirit, give me a clear mind and a calm heart today.
Help me to learn, to remember what I study,
and to be kind to everyone I meet. Amen.

On an anxious morning:

Jesus, I trust in you.
I do not know what today will bring,
but I know you are with me.
Give me strength for this day only,
and peace in my heart. Amen.

For a family:

Heavenly Father, bless our family today.
Keep us safe as we go our different ways,
help us to love each other well,
and bring us home together tonight. Amen.

With children: a simple morning prayer for young children is the Sign of the Cross, “Good morning, Jesus, I love you,” and the Angel of God.

Frequently asked questions

What prayers do Catholics say in the morning?

Most Catholics combine the Sign of the Cross, a Morning Offering, the Our Father, the Hail Mary and the Glory Be, and often the Angel of God or the St. Michael prayer. Many also pray Morning Prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours or the Angelus at 6 a.m.

What is the Catholic morning offering?

A prayer offering the whole day, “prayers, works, joys and sufferings,” to God in union with Christ. See the Morning Offering.

Is there an official Catholic morning prayer?

The Church’s official morning prayer is Lauds, Morning Prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours. The traditional morning prayers above are devotional prayers approved by long use.

What if I forget to pray in the morning?

Pray when you remember. A short prayer at any hour still gives the day to God, and the Angelus at noon is a natural second chance.

More daily prayers

Texts and sources