St. Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274), the “Angelic Doctor,” is the patron saint of students, schools and universities. The greatest theologian of the Middle Ages was also a man of deep prayer: he said he learned more at the foot of the crucifix than from books. Students around the world still pray his prayers before studying or taking an exam.
Below are the prayers of St. Thomas Aquinas for study and wisdom, a traditional prayer to St. Thomas as patron of schools, his Eucharistic prayers and hymns, and his story.
Prayer before study
This prayer, adapted from St. Thomas’s Ante studium (prayer before study), asks God for light, memory and understanding. It is printed in Archbishop Moran’s Catholic Prayer Book (1883):
O incomprehensible Creator, the true fountain of light, and only Author of all knowledge; vouchsafe, we beseech thee, to enlighten our understanding, and to remove from us all darkness of sin and ignorance. [Thou, who makest eloquent the tongues of those that want utterance, direct our tongues, and pour on our lips the grace of thy blessing.] Give us a diligent and obedient spirit, quickness of apprehension, capacity of retaining, and the powerful assistance of thy holy grace; that what we hear or learn, we may apply to thy honour and the eternal salvation of our own souls, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
A prayer for wisdom (“Concede mihi”)
St. Thomas is said to have prayed this every day before an image of Christ. Pope Leo XIII attached an indulgence to it for those who pray it before studying or reading.
Concede mihi, misericors Deus, quae tibi placita sunt ardenter concupiscere, prudenter investigare, veraciter agnoscere et perfecte adimplere, ad laudem et gloriam nominis tui. Amen.
Grant me grace, O merciful God, to desire ardently all that is pleasing to Thee, to examine it prudently, to acknowledge it truthfully, and to accomplish it perfectly, for the praise and glory of Thy name. Amen.
A prayer to St. Thomas Aquinas, patron of schools
In 1880 Pope Leo XIII declared St. Thomas the patron of all Catholic schools and universities. This prayer was indulgenced by Leo XIII in 1885:
O Angelic Doctor St. Thomas, prince of theologians and model of philosophers, bright ornament of the Christian world and light of the Church; O heavenly patron of all Catholic schools, who didst learn wisdom without guile and dost communicate it without envy, intercede for us with the Son of God, Wisdom itself, that the spirit of wisdom may descend upon us, and enable us to understand clearly that which thou hast taught, and fulfil it by imitating thy deeds; to become partakers of that doctrine and virtue which caused thee to shine like the sun on earth; and at last to rejoice with thee forever in their most sweet fruits in heaven, together praising the Divine Wisdom for all eternity. Amen.
A short prayer before an exam
Written for this page:
St. Thomas Aquinas, patron of students,
pray for me as I take this exam.
Calm my nerves, clear my mind,
help me to remember what I have studied
and to do my honest best. Amen.
St. Joseph of Cupertino, who struggled with his studies, is also invoked before exams; see patron saints of professions.
St. Thomas’s Eucharistic prayers and hymns
St. Thomas wrote the Mass and Office of Corpus Christi, including the hymns Pange lingua (with the Tantum ergo), Adoro te devote and Lauda Sion. His prayers before and after Communion are among the best-known in the Church:
- Prayers before Communion, including his prayer of preparation
- Tantum Ergo and O Salutaris
- Corpus Christi, with the Latin Adoro te devote
The life of St. Thomas Aquinas
Thomas was born around 1225 at Roccasecca, near Aquino in Italy, into a noble family, and was educated by the Benedictines at Monte Cassino. Against his family’s will he joined the new Order of Preachers (the Dominicans); his brothers held him captive for a year to change his mind. He studied under St. Albert the Great in Paris and Cologne, where his classmates nicknamed him the “dumb ox” for his silence. He taught in Paris and Italy, wrote the Summa Theologiae and dozens of other works, and served the popes. In 1273, after an experience during Mass, he stopped writing, saying that everything he had written seemed “like straw” compared to what he had seen. He died in 1274, on the way to the Second Council of Lyons, and was canonized in 1323. His feast is January 28.
Frequently asked questions
What is St. Thomas Aquinas the patron saint of?
Students, Catholic schools and universities, theologians, philosophers and booksellers.
What prayer did St. Thomas Aquinas say before studying?
The Ante studium, a prayer for light and understanding, given above in an older English adaptation.
When is the feast of St. Thomas Aquinas?
January 28, the day his relics were brought to Toulouse in 1369.
More saints and prayers
- Adoro Te Devote
- Pange Lingua
- St. Thomas the Apostle prayer
- St. Jerome prayer before reading the Bible
- St. John Bosco prayer for students
- St. Dominic prayer
- Prayer to St. Joseph of Cupertino for exams
- Prayers before Communion
- Come, Holy Spirit (before study)
- The cardinal and theological virtues
- Catholic prayers in Latin
- Patron saints: the complete list
Texts and sources
- Prayer before study: Patrick F. Moran, The Catholic Prayer Book and Manual of Meditations (1883), “A Prayer before Study or Instruction,” public domain (Wikisource).
- Concede mihi, Latin and English: F. X. Lasance, My Prayer-Book (1908), Prayers During the Day, public domain (Wikisource).
- Prayer to St. Thomas Aquinas: Charles J. Callan and John A. McHugh, Blessed Be God (1925), public domain (Wikisource).
- Leo XIII, brief Cum hoc sit (1880). The exam prayer was written for this page.