Monday morning is the start of a new week, and the best way to begin it is to hand it to God before the emails, the commute and the to-do list. Catholic tradition dedicates Monday to the Holy Spirit, who guides our work, and to the souls in purgatory, whom we remember at the start of each week. Here is a Monday morning prayer, a short version for busy mornings, a verse to carry through the day, and Monday’s traditional devotion.
A Monday morning prayer
Written for this page:
Lord God, thank you for this new week and for the gift of this morning.
Before I begin my work, I give you everything that lies ahead:
the meetings and the tasks, the people I will meet, the worries I carry.
Come, Holy Spirit: give me wisdom in my decisions, patience with others
and the strength to do my work well and honestly.
Bless my family, protect those I love, and remember the souls in purgatory,
especially [names]: grant them eternal rest.
Let this week begin with you and end with you. Amen.
A short Monday morning prayer
For mornings when there is no time:
Holy Spirit, guide my work this week; let everything I do begin with you and end with you. Amen.
A verse for Monday morning
Lamentations 3:22-23, Douay-Rheims Bible:
The mercies of the Lord that we are not consumed: because his commiserations have not failed.
They are new every morning, great is thy faithfulness.
Every Monday is a reminder that God’s mercies are new every morning: whatever happened last week, this week starts fresh with him.
Monday’s devotion: the Holy Spirit and the holy souls
Monday is dedicated to the Holy Spirit, because the work of the week needs his light and strength, and to the holy souls in purgatory, whom many Catholics remember at the start of each week.
- Pray the Come, Holy Spirit before work or school.
- Offer a short prayer for the souls in purgatory, or “Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.”
- Make the Morning Offering so that the whole week becomes a prayer.
A five-minute Monday morning routine
- Wake up with God: before reaching for your phone, make the Sign of the Cross and say “Good morning, Lord.”
- Offer the day: pray the Morning Offering or the Monday prayer above.
- Read the verse for Monday slowly, twice, and keep one phrase for the day.
- Pray one decade of the Rosary with the first of the Joyful Mysteries.
- Name your intention: on Mondays many Catholics pray especially for your work and studies this week, the unemployed, and the souls in purgatory.
Five minutes is enough; what matters is beginning the day with God every day.
The Rosary on Monday
On Mondays the Rosary is prayed with the Joyful Mysteries: see the Rosary for Monday.
A morning prayer for every day of the week
Tuesday · Wednesday · Thursday · Friday · Saturday · Sunday
Frequently asked questions
What is a good prayer for Monday morning?
Any prayer that offers the week to God: the Morning Offering, the Come, Holy Spirit, or the Monday morning prayer above. Even one sentence said with attention is enough.
What is Monday dedicated to in the Catholic Church?
By tradition Monday is dedicated to the Holy Spirit and to the souls in purgatory. This is a popular custom, not a rule.
More daily prayers
- In French: Prière du lundi
- In Italian: Preghiera del lunedì
- In Portuguese: Oração de segunda-feira
- In Spanish: Oración del día lunes
- Catholic morning prayers
- Catholic prayer of the day
- Morning Offering
- Catholic night prayers
- Prayer for work
Sources
- Lamentations 3:22-23: Douay-Rheims Bible, Challoner revision, public domain (drbo.org).
- Weekly devotions: traditional Catholic custom found in many prayer books.
- Prayers written for biddingprayers.com by the seminarian Giuseppe.