St. Ambrose (about 340–397), the Roman governor who was acclaimed bishop of Milan before he was even baptized, became one of the four great Latin Doctors of the Church, the teacher who baptized St. Augustine, and the author of hymns still sung today. A long and beautiful prayer of preparation for Mass and Holy Communion has been prayed under his name for centuries, and is printed in many missals and prayer books. Below is that prayer in a public-domain translation, prayers to St. Ambrose, his story, and his feast on December 7.
The prayer of St. Ambrose before Mass and Communion
This prayer is traditionally attributed to St. Ambrose; scholars think it was written in the Middle Ages in his spirit, and it has long been used by priests before celebrating Mass and by the faithful before Communion. From Patrick F. Moran’s The Catholic Prayer Book and Manual of Meditations (1883):
O compassionate Lord Jesus Christ, I, a sinner, nothing presuming on my own merits, but trusting in thy mercy and goodness, draw near with awe and trembling to the table of thy sweetest banquet. For my heart and my body are stained with many sins, my mind and my tongue have not been kept with fitting diligence and circumspection. Wherefore, O compassionate Godhead, O dread and awful Majesty, I, thy wretched creature, who am fallen into a great strait, betake myself to thee, the Fountain of mercy; to thee I hasten that I may be healed; beneath thy protection I take my refuge; I long to have thee for my Saviour, before whom as my judge I can in nowise stand. To thee, O Lord, I now show my wounds; before thee I lay bare all this my shame. I know my sins, so many and so great, by reason of which I am afraid. I hope in thy mercies, which are past numbering. Look on me with the eyes of thy mercy, O Lord Jesus Christ, everlasting king, God and man, who wert crucified for man. Graciously hear me who hope in thee; have mercy on me who am full of miseries and of sins, O thou full and overflowing Fountain of pity and of mercy. Hail, thou saving Victim, offered for me and all mankind upon the tree of the Cross. Hail, thou noble and precious Blood, which dost ever flow forth from the wounds of my crucified Lord Jesus Christ, to wash away the sins of the whole world. Remember thy creature, O Lord, whom thou hast redeemed with thine own Blood. I grieve that I have sinned; I do earnestly desire to amend what I have done amiss. Wherefore, O merciful Father, take away from me all my iniquities and my sins, that, being cleansed in soul and body, I may worthily receive the holy Food of the holy; and grant that the sacred taste of thy Body and Blood which I, unworthy, am about to receive, may be to me the remission of my sins, the perfect expiation and cleansing of all my faults, the putting to flight of evil thoughts, the quickening and renewal of all good feelings, the healthful energy of all good works, the most assured protection of my body and soul from all the snares of my enemies. Amen.
Pray it slowly in the pew before Mass begins, or divide it over several days. See also the prayer before Communion of St. Thomas Aquinas.
A prayer to St. Ambrose
Written for this page:
St. Ambrose, shepherd and teacher of the Church,
you defended the faith with courage, sang God’s praises in your hymns
and led St. Augustine to the waters of baptism.
Pray for me, that I may love the truth,
stand firm before the powerful,
and prepare my heart worthily to receive Jesus.
Obtain for me the grace I ask: (name your intention). Amen.
A prayer for those who seek the truth
St. Augustine came to Milan an unbeliever and was won over by Ambrose’s preaching and kindness.
St. Ambrose, you welcomed the restless Augustine and led him to Christ.
Pray for (name), who is searching or far from God.
Bring him (her) to the truth, to baptism or to confession,
and to the peace of a heart at rest in God. Amen.
This prayer was written for this page. See the St. Augustine prayer and the St. Monica prayer.
A prayer for leaders
St. Ambrose, you told the emperor that he was within the Church, not above it.
Pray for all who govern, that they may serve justice, respect God’s law
and protect the weak. Amen.
This prayer was written for this page.
The life of St. Ambrose
Ambrose was born around 340 in Trier, in present-day Germany, where his father was a high Roman official. A legend says that bees swarmed over his face as a baby and left honey on his lips, a sign of his future eloquence. Trained in law and rhetoric, he became governor of the province of Aemilia-Liguria, with his seat at Milan.
In 374 the bishop of Milan died, and the city was bitterly divided between Catholics and Arians over his successor. Ambrose went to the cathedral to keep order; a voice, said to be a child’s, cried “Ambrose for bishop!”, and the whole crowd took up the cry. He was still only a catechumen. Within a week he was baptized, ordained and consecrated bishop. He gave his wealth to the poor, studied the Scriptures and the Fathers, and became a great preacher, teacher and defender of the Church’s independence. When the emperor Theodosius ordered a massacre at Thessalonica in 390, Ambrose refused him Communion until he did public penance.
He introduced the singing of hymns and psalms by the people in Milan and wrote hymns still used in the Liturgy of the Hours. On the Easter Vigil of 387 he baptized St. Augustine, who wrote of him with deep affection in his Confessions. Ambrose died on Holy Saturday, April 4, 397. He is one of the four original Latin Doctors of the Church, with Jerome, Augustine and Gregory the Great.
Feast day and patronage
- Feast day: December 7, the anniversary of his ordination as bishop. A novena can run from November 28 to December 6.
- Patron of: Milan, beekeepers, learners and students, and candle makers.
- Symbols: a beehive, a whip (his zeal against heresy), and a bishop’s vestments.
Frequently asked questions
Did St. Ambrose write the prayer before Mass?
It has been attributed to him for centuries, but scholars believe it was written later, in the Middle Ages, by an author inspired by his spirituality. It remains a treasured prayer of the Church.
When is the feast of St. Ambrose?
December 7, during Advent, the day after St. Nicholas.
Why is St. Ambrose the patron of beekeepers?
Because of the legend that bees settled on his mouth as a baby, a sign of his “honeyed” eloquence.
What is St. Ambrose known for?
As bishop of Milan he defended the faith against Arianism, stood up to emperors, wrote hymns and baptized St. Augustine.
More prayers
- St. Charles Borromeo, archbishop of Milan
- Prayer before Mass
- Prayer before Communion
- St. Augustine prayer
- St. Nicholas prayer (December 6)
- Who can receive Communion?
- Saint feast days
Texts and sources
- Prayer before Communion: Patrick F. Moran, The Catholic Prayer Book and Manual of Meditations (1883), Prayers before Communion, public domain (Wikisource).
- St. Augustine, Confessions, books V–IX.
- The other prayers were written for this page.