On Good Friday the Church does not celebrate Mass. In the afternoon Celebration of the Lord’s Passion, after the reading of the Passion according to St. John, the Universal Prayer takes its oldest and most solemn form: the Solemn Intercessions, ten great prayers for the whole Church and the whole world. In 2027 Good Friday falls on March 26. Below are the ten intentions, how they are prayed, two of them in the traditional English translation of a 1916 missal, and short intercessions you can use at a Good Friday service of prayer or Stations of the Cross.
How the Solemn Intercessions are prayed
For each intention, the deacon or a lay minister announces what we pray for; all pray in silence for a moment, sometimes kneeling at the invitation “Let us kneel” and rising at “Let us stand”; then the priest sings or says a prayer, and the people answer “Amen.” The text is given in the Roman Missal, and parishes use it as written. In a time of grave public need the diocesan bishop may allow an additional intention.
The ten intentions
In the current Roman Missal the Church prays:
- For the holy Church.
- For the Pope.
- For all orders and degrees of the faithful: bishops, priests, deacons and all the people of God.
- For catechumens.
- For the unity of Christians.
- For the Jewish people.
- For those who do not believe in Christ.
- For those who do not believe in God.
- For those in public office.
- For those in tribulation: the sick, the hungry, prisoners, travelers, the dying.
The traditional text: two of the intercessions
From the Good Friday supplications in The Mass Every Day of the Year (1916). For the Church:
Let us pray, dearly beloved, for the holy Church of God, that our Lord and God would vouchsafe to pacify, unite, and keep it, throughout the world; subjecting to it evil principalities and powers: and that he may grant us to lead a peaceful life, and to glorify God the Father Almighty. Let us pray. Let us bend the knee. Arise.
O almighty and eternal God, who hast in Christ revealed thy glory to all nations, preserve the works of thy mercy; that thy Church spread over the whole world, may persevere with steadfast faith in the confession of thy name. Through the same Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God world without end. Amen.
For those in any tribulation:
Let us, dearly beloved, beseech God the Father Almighty to purge the world from all errors; to remove away diseases; to keep off famine; to open prisons; to loose chains; to grant to travelers return; to the sick health; to mariners a port of safety. Let us pray. Let us bend the knee. Arise.
O almighty and eternal God, the consolation of the sorrowful, the support of the afflicted, may the prayers of those that cry to thee in any tribulation reach thy ears; so all may rejoice over thy mercy coming to their relief in their necessities. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God world without end. Amen.
Intercessions for a Good Friday service
Written for this page, for use at a school prayer service, Stations of the Cross or a Liturgy of the Word on Good Friday (not in place of the Solemn Intercessions at the Celebration of the Passion).
Response: Lord, by your Cross, save us.
- For the Church, that she may always stand faithfully at the foot of the Cross with Mary and the beloved disciple.
- For all who suffer, the sick, the hungry, refugees and victims of war, that they may find strength in the Cross of Christ.
- For those who are persecuted for their faith, that they may be faithful and fearless.
- For those who have lost hope, that they may look on the Crucified and know how much they are loved.
- For all who will die today, that they may be with Christ in paradise.
- For us, that the Cross may teach us to love without limit and to forgive those who hurt us.
Frequently asked questions
Are there Prayers of the Faithful on Good Friday?
Yes, in the special form of the Solemn Intercessions, which are part of the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion.
Can parishes write their own Good Friday intercessions?
No. At the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion the intercessions of the Roman Missal are used; only the bishop may add an intention in a time of grave need. Your own intercessions may be used at other Good Friday services.
When is Good Friday in 2027?
Friday, March 26, 2027, a day of fasting and abstinence.
More for Holy Week
- Good Friday
- Prayers of the Faithful for Holy Thursday
- Prayers of the Faithful for Palm Sunday
- Prayers of the Faithful for the Easter Vigil
- Stations of the Cross
- Prayers of the Faithful for Easter
Texts and sources
- Good Friday supplications: The Mass Every Day of the Year (1916), public domain (archive.org).