Catholic Prayers
for the Mass

Act of Contrition

This prayer is said silently prior to receiving communion.

O my God, I am heartfully sorry for having offended thee, and I detest all my sins because of Thy just punishment, but most of all because I have offended Thee my God, Who is all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to sin no more, and to avoid the near occasion of sin.

Amen.

Anima Christi

This prayer is said silently after receiving communion

Soul of Christ, make me holy
Body of Christ, be my salvation
Blood of Christ, let me drink your wine
Water flowing from the side of Christ, wash me clean
Passion of Christ, strengthen me
Kind Jesus, hear my prayer
Hide me within your wounds
And keep me close to you
Defend me from the evil enemy
And call me at the hour of my death
To the fellowship of your saints
That I might sing your praise with them
for all eternity.

Amen.

Prayers for the Mass

The following prayers can be printed here for use at Mass:

Preparation for Mass
Act of Contrition
Anima Christi
Saint Michael the Archangel
Thanksgiving after Mass

Prayers for the Mass PRINT HERE

God has no need for our worship. It is we who need to show our gratitude for what we have received.

-Saint Thomas Aquinas

Preparation for Mass

This prayer is can said silently prior to the start of Mass.

Almighty eternal God, behold, I come to the Sacrament of your Only Begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, as one sick to the physi cian of life, as one unclean to the fountain of mercy, as one blind to the light of eternal brightness, as one poor and needy to the Lord of heaven and earth.

I ask, therefore, for the abundance of your immense generosity, that you may graciously cure my sickness, wash away my defilement, give light to my blindness, enrich my poverty, clothe my nakedness, so that I may receive the bread of Angels, the King of kings and Lord of lords, with such reverence and humility, such contrition and devotion, such purity and faith, such purpose and inten tion as are conducive to the salvation of my soul.

Grant, I pray, that I may receive not only the Sacrament of the Lord's Body and Blood, but also the reality and power of that Sacrament.

O most gentle God, grant that I may so receive the Body of your Only Begotten Son our Lord Jesus Christ, which he took from the Virgin Mary, that I may be made worthy to be incorporated into his Mystical Body and to be counted among its members.

O most loving Father, grant that I may at last gaze for ever upon the unveiled face of your beloved Son, whom I, a wayfarer, propose to receive now veiled under these species: Who lives and reigns with you for ever and ever.

Amen.

-Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)

Saint Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor of the Church

By universal consent, he is the preeminent spokesman of the Catholic tradition of reason and of divine revelation.

Thanksgiving After Mass

This prayer is can said silently at end of Mass.

I give you thanks, Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God, who have been pleased to nourish me, a sinner and your unworthy servant, with the precious Body and Blood of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ: this through no merits of mine, but due solely to the graciousness of your mercy.

And I pray that this Holy Communion may not be for me an offense to be punished, but a saving plea for forgiveness. May it be for me the armor of faith, and the shield of good will. May it cancel my faults, destroy concupis cence and carnal passion, increase char ity and patience, humility and obedience and all the virtues, may it be a firm defense against the snares of all my enemies, both visible and invisible, the complete calm ing of my impulses, both of the flesh and of the spirit, a firm adherence to you, the one true God, and the joyful completion of my life's course.

And I beseech you to lead me, a sinner, to that banquet beyond all telling, where with your Son and the Holy Spirit you are the true light of your Saints, fullness of satisfied desire, eternal gladness, consummate delight and perfect happiness.

Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

-Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)