Prayers of the Popes

Schoenstatt Scotland

Glorious St. Joseph For Success in Work

Glorious St. Joseph, model of all those who are devoted to labour, obtain for me the grace to work
conscientiously, putting the call of duty above my many sins; to work with thankfulness and joy,
considering it an honour to employ and develop, by means of labour, the gifts received from God;
to work with order, peace, prudence and patience, never surrendering to weariness or difficulties;
to work, above all, with purity of intention and with detachment from self, having always death
before my eyes and the account which I must render of time lost, of talents wasted, of good
omitted, of vain complacency in success so fatal to the work of God. All for Jesus, all for Mary, all
after thy example, O Patriarch Joseph. Such shall be my motto in life and death. Amen.
Pope Pius X

1835-1914

O Lord
O Lord, always remain close to me. Keep your hand on my head, but help me always keep my
head under your hand. Take me as I am with my defects and sins, but make me become as you
desire and as I also desire.
Pope John Paul I 1912-1978

Love of Mary
Holy Immaculate Mary, help all who are in trouble. Give courage to the faint-hearted,
console the sad, heal the infirm, pray for the people, intercede for the clergy, have a
special care for nuns; may all feel, all enjoy your kind and powerful assistance, all who
now and always render and will render, you honour, and will offer you their petitions. Hear
all our prayers, O Mother, and grant them all. We are all your children: Grant the prayers
of your children. Amen forever.
St. John XXIII 1881-1963

Pope Pius X

Pope St. John XXIII

Pope John Paul I

Deus Caritas Est 42

Mary, Virgin and Mother, shows us what love is and whence it draws its origin and its constantly
renewed power. To her we entrust the Church and her mission in the service of love: Holy Mary,
Mother of God, you have given the world its true light, Jesus, your Son - the Son of God. You
abandoned yourself completely to God's call and this became a wellspring of the goodness which
flows forth from him. Show us Jesus. Lead us to him. Teach us to know and love him, so that we
too can become capable of true love and be fountains of living water in the midst of a thirsting
world.
Pope Benedict XVI 1927-

O Mary
O Mary, your name has been on my lips and in my heart from my early infancy. When I was a child
I learned to love you as a Mother, turn to you in danger, and trust your intercession. You see in my
heart the desire to know the truth, to practice virtue, to be prudent and just, strong and patient, a
brother to all.
O Mary, help me to keep to my purpose of living as a faithful disciple of Jesus, for the building up
of the Christian society and the joy of the holy Catholic Church. I greet you, Mother, morning and
evening; I pray to you as I go on my way; from you I hope for the inspiration and encouragement
that will enable me to fulfil the sacred promises of my earthly vocation, give glory to God, and win
eternal salvation. O Mary! Like you in Bethlehem and on Golgotha, I too wish to stay always close
to Jesus. He is the eternal King of all ages and all peoples. Amen.
Pope St. John XXIII 1881-1963

Bend Tenderly Over Our Wounds

Enraptured by the splendour of your heavenly beauty, and impelled by the anxieties of the world,
we cast ourselves into your arms, O Immaculate Mother of Jesus and our Mother, Mary, confident
of finding in your most loving heart appeasement of our ardent desires, and a safe harbour from
the tempests which beset us on every side.
Though degraded by our faults and overwhelmed by infinite misery, we admire and praise the
peerless richness of the sublime gifts with which God has filled you, above every other mere
creature, from the first moment of your conception until the day on which, after your assumption
into heaven, he crowned you Queen of the Universe.
O crystal Fountain of Faith, bathe our minds with the eternal truths! O fragrant Lily of All Holiness,
captivate our hearts with your heavenly perfume! O Conqueress of Evil and Death, inspire in us a
deep horror of sin, which makes the soul detestable to God and a slave of hell!
O well-beloved of God, hear the ardent cry which rises up from every heart. Bend tenderly over
our aching wounds. Convert the wicked, dry the tears of the afflicted and oppressed, comfort the
poor and humble, quench hatreds, sweeten hardness, safeguard the flower of purity in youth,
protect the holy church, make all men feel the attractions of Christian goodness.
In your name, resounding harmoniously in heaven, may they recognise that they are brothers, and
that the nations are members of one family, upon which may there shine forth the sun of a
universal and sincere peace.
Receive, O most sweet Mother, our humble supplications, and above all obtain for us that, one
day, happy with you, we may repeat before your throne that hymn which today is sung on earth
around your altars: You are all-beautiful, O Mary! You are the glory, your are the joy, your are the
honour of our people!
Amen.
Pope Pius XII 1876-1958

Pray Lord
Pray, Lord,
that You enlighten my mind,
inflame my will,
purify my heart,
and sanctify my soul. Amen.
Pope Clement XI 1649-1721

Belief
Lord, I believe in you: increase my faith. I trust in you: strengthen my trust. I love you: let me love
you more and more. I am sorry for my sins: deepen my sorrow. I worship you as my first
beginning, I long for you as my last end, I praise you as my constant helper, And call on you as my
loving protector. Guide me by your wisdom, Correct me with your justice, Comfort me with your
mercy, Protect me with your power. I offer you, Lord, my thoughts: to be fixed on you; My words: to
have you for their theme; My actions: to reflect my love for you; My sufferings: to be endured for
your greater glory. I want to do what you ask of me: In the way you ask, For as long as you ask,
because you ask it. Lord, enlighten my understanding, strengthen my will, purify my heart, and

make me holy. Help me to repent of my past sins and to resist temptation in the future. Help me to
rise above my human weaknesses and to grow stronger as a Christian. Let me love you, my Lord
and my God, and see myself as I really am: A pilgrim in this world, a Christian called to respect
and love all whose lives I touch, those under my authority, my friends and my enemies. Help me to
conquer anger with gentleness, greed by generosity, apathy by fervour. Help me to forget myself
and reach out toward others. Make me prudent in planning, courageous in taking risks. Make me
patient in suffering, unassuming in prosperity. Keep me, Lord, attentive at prayer, temperate in
food and drink, diligent in my work, firm in my good intentions. Let my conscience be clear, my
conduct without fault, my speech blameless, my life well-ordered. Put me on guard against my
human weaknesses. Let me cherish your love for me, keep your law, and come at last to your
salvation. Teach me to realise that this world is passing, that my true future is the happiness of
heaven, that life on earth is short, and the life to come eternal. Help me to prepare for death with
a proper fear of judgment, but a greater trust in your goodness. Lead me safely through death to
the endless joy of heaven. Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Pope Clement XI 1649-1721

Pope Benedict XVI

Pope Pius XII

Pope Clement XI

St Michael The Archangel: Defend us in battle

Saint Michael the Archangel, Defend us in battle be our protection against the wickedness and
snares of the devil; May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly
host, by the power of God, thrust into hell satan and all evil spirits who wander through the world
for the ruin of souls. Amen.
Pope Leo XIII 1810-1903

Our Lady of perpetual Help

O Lord Jesus Christ, who gave us your Mother Mary, whose renowned image we venerate, to be a
Mother ever ready to help us; grant we beseech You, that we who constantly implore her motherly
aid, may merit to enjoy perpetually the fruits of Your redemption, Who lives and reigns forever and
ever. Amen.
Pope Pius IV 1499-1565

To Mary Mother of Divine Love

To you, O Mary, are known all the needs of your people and of the whole Church. Mother of Truth
and Seat of Wisdom, dissipate the clouds of error which darken our minds. Amend the strayings of
our hearts and inspire in us love for truth and the desire to do good.

Obtain for all people a holy fear of God so that society may know happiness. Give us lively faith
that we may trust in those things which are imperishable. Give us that love which is sealed forever
in God. Obtain for families fidelity, harmony, and peace. Stir up and confirm in the hearts of those
who govern nations a clear notion of their responsibility, and of their duty to foster religion,
morality, and the common good.
And just as your mercy is showered upon souls, O Mary, may it likewise flow over all those ills
which afflict this people, and indeed the whole Christian family. Have pity on the poor, on captives,
on all who bear persecution for the sake of justice, or are stricken by misfortune. Hail, O Mary,
Mother of those who wander here below; you are our life, our sweetness, and our hope.
O Mother of Divine Love, send down your motherly blessing on all who pray to you; send it
abundantly and consolingly. Amen.
Pope Pius XII 1876-1958

Vergine Benedicta
Blessed Virgin who, under the title of Repose, reminds us of the succouring pity with which your
maternal heart is open to your children, hear our prayer!
Through your powerful intercession, O Mary, may minds and hearts find repose in abandoning
themselves to the will of the Heavenly Father, in the consciousness of their frailty, in faith in divine
promises, in the hope of eternal blessings, and in adhering lovingly to your Crucified Jesus who
has made our crosses his own.
If we are protected by you, O Mary, calm amid earthly perturbation will not be an empty word. It will
be repose for the strong, watchful against hostile forces; repose for the pure, away from worldly
corruption. And as through you we shall have had peace in this life, so, at the end of our
pilgrimage in time, we shall enjoy peace for ever and ever. Amen.
Pope Pius XII 1876-1958

Mary Our Strength

O Virgin, fair as the moon, delight of the angels and saints in heaven, grant that we may become
like you and that our souls may receive a ray of your beauty, which does not decline with the years
but shines forth into eternity. O Mary, sun of heaven, restore life where there is death and
enlighten spirits where there is darkness. Turn your countenance to your children and radiate on
us your light and your fervour. O Mary, powerful as an army, grant victory to our ranks.
We are very weak and our enemy rages with uttermost conceit. But under your banner we are
confident of overcoming him. Save us, O Mary, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, awe inspiring
as an army set in battle array and sustained not by hatred but by the ardor of love. Amen.
Pope Pius XII 1876-1958

Obedient to the Invitation

Obedient to the invitation given in your own maternal words, O Virgin Immaculate of Lourdes, we
hurry to your feet at the humble grotto, where you appeared to point out the way of prayer and

penance to those gone astray and to dispense the graces and wonders of your supreme goodness
to the sick.
O gracious Queen, accept the homage and the prayers that the peoples and the nations, caught in
bitter straits, trustingly raise to you, O resplendent vision of Paradise, dispel from our minds the
darkness of error by the light of faith! O mystical garden of roses, comfort the broken hearts of
people with the heavenly perfume of hope! O inexhaustible fountain of saving waters, refresh with
the floods of divine charity the hearts that are dry.
Grant that we, your children, may be consoled in our sorrows, protected in danger, and sustained
in our struggles! May we love and serve your dear Son Jesus in such a way that we may deserve
eternal joy before your throne in heaven above. Amen.
Pope Pius XII 1876-1958

To Our Lady Of The Assumption

O Immaculate Virgin, Mother of God and Mother of Humanity, we believe with all the fervour of our
faith in your triumphal Assumption both in body and in soul into heaven where you are acclaimed
as Queen by all the choirs of angels and all the legions of saints; we unite with them to praise and
bless the Lord who has exalted you above all other pure creatures and to offer you the tribute of
our devotion and our love.
We know that your gaze, which on earth watched over the humble and suffering humanity of
Jesus, in heaven is filled with the vision of that humanity glorified and with the vision of uncreated
wisdom, and that the joy of your soul in the direct contemplation of the adorable Trinity causes
your heart to throb with overwhelming tenderness; and we, poor sinners whose body weights
down the flight of the soul, beg you to purify our hearts so that, while we remain below, we may
learn to see God, and God alone in the beauties of his creatures.
We trust that your merciful eyes may deign to gaze down upon our miseries and anguish, upon our
struggles and our weaknesses; that your countenance may smile upon our joys and our victories;
that you may hear the voice of Jesus saying to you of each one of us, as He once said to you of
His Beloved Disciple: "Behold you son," and we who call upon you as our Mother, we, like John,
take you as the guide, strength and consolation of our mortal life.
We are inspired by the certainty that your eyes, which wept over the earth crimsoned by the blood
of Jesus, are yet turned toward this world racked by wars and persecutions, the oppression of the
just and the weak. From the shadows of this vale of tears, we seek in your heavenly assistance,
tender mercy, comfort for our aching hearts, and help in the trials of Church and country. We
believe finally that in the glory where you reign, clothed with the sun and crowned with stars, you
are, after Jesus, the joy and gladness of all the angels and the saints, and from this earth, over
which we tread as pilgrims, comforted by our faith in the future resurrection, we look to you our life,
our sweetness, our hope; draw us onward with the sweetness of your voice, so that one day, after
our exile, you may show us Jesus, the blessed fruit of your womb. O clement, O loving, O sweet
Virgin Mary. Amen.
Pope Pius XII 1876-1958

Our Lady of Rest

Hear, O Blessed Virgin, the prayers which we address you, Our Lady of Rest, as we are mindful of
that maternal love in which you receive your children.

It is by your powerful intercession, O Mary, that our hearts and minds find rest. We know well our
own weakness; but we trust in the everlasting promises, and we hope for eternal happiness as we
cling to the crucified Jesus, who has made His cross to be ours as well.
O Mary, under your patronage we find peace in the midst of earthly tribulation. You are the quiet
certainty of the strong soul, ever on guard against the enemy. You are the sanctuary of the pure
who remain unstained by earths corruption. And just as, with you, we find peace during the
present life, so shall we find with you, when the days of our pilgrimage are over, everlasting peace
in the world to come. Amen.
Pope Pius XII 1876-1958

To You O Mary
O Mother of men and peoples, you know all their sufferings and their hopes, you feel in a motherly
way all the struggles between good and evil, between the light and the darkness which shakes the
world. Accept our cry addressed in the Holy Spirit directly to your heart and embrace with the love
of the Mother and the Handmaid of the Lord the peoples who await this embrace the most, and
likewise the peoples whose consecration you too are particularly awaiting. Take under your
motherly protection the whole human family which we can consecrate to you, O Mother, with
affectionate rapture. May the time of peace and freedom, the time of truth, justice and hope,
approach for everyone.
O you, who are the first handmaid of the unity of the Body of Christ, help us, help all the faithful,
who feel so painful the drama of divisions of Christianity to seek with constancy the way to the
perfect unity of the Body of Christ by means of unconditional faithfulness to the Spirit of Truth and
Love, which was given to them by your Son at the cost of the cross and death.
O you, who are so deeply and maternally bound to the Church, preceding the whole People of
God along the ways of faith, hope and charity, embrace all men who are on the way, pilgrims
through temporal life towards eternal destinies, with that love which the divine Redeemer himself,
your Son, poured into your heart from the cross. Be the Mother of all our earthly lives, even when
they become tortuous, in order that we may all find ourselves, in the end in that large community
which your Son called the fold, offering his life for it as the Good Shepherd.
O you, who were with the Church at the beginning of her mission, intercede for her in order that
going all over the world she may continually teach all the nations and proclaim the Gospel to every
creature.
O you, who have known in the fullest way the power of the Holy Spirit, when it was granted to you
to conceive in your virginal womb and to give birth to the Eternal Word, obtain for the Church that
she may continue to give new birth through water and the Holy Spirit to the sons and daughters of
the whole human family, without any distinction of language, race, or culture, giving them in this
way the "power to become with children of God." [Jn. 1:12].
O you, who have always wished to serve! You who serve as Mother the whole family of the
children of God, obtain for the Church that enriched by the Holy Spirit with the fullness of
hierarchical and charismatic gifts, she may continue with constancy towards the future along the
way of that renewal which comes from what the Holy Spirit says and which found expression in the
teaching of Vatican II, assuming in this work of renewal everything that is true and good, without
letting herself be deceived either in on direction or in the other, but discerning assiduously among
the signs of the times what is useful for the coming of the Kingdom of God.

O you, who through the mystery of your particular holiness, free of all stain from the moment of
your conception, feel in a particularly deep way that "the whole creation has been groaning in
travail" [Rom. 8:22], while, "subjected to futility, "it hopes that it will be free from its bondage to
decay" [Rom. 8:20-21], you contribute unceasingly to the "revealing of the sons of God, for whom
"the creation awaits with eager longing" [Rom. 8:19], to enter the freedom of their joy [cf. Rom.
8:21].
O Mother of Jesus, now glorified in heaven in body and in soul, as the image and beginning of the
Church, which is to have its fulfilment in the future age, here on earth, until the day of the Lord
comes [cf. 2 Pt. 3:10], do not cease to shine before the pilgrim people of God as a sign of sure
hope and consolation (cf. Lumen Gentium, 68). O you, who more than any other human being
have been consecrated to the Holy Spirit, help your Son's Church to persevere in the same
consecration.
Holy Spirit of God, You who is worshipped and glorified with the Father and Son! Accept these
words of humble consecration addressed to You in the heart of Mary of Nazareth, Your bride and
mother of the Redeemer, whom the Church too calls her Mother, because right from the Upper
Room at Pentecost she has learned from Her, her own motherly vocation! Accept these words of
the pilgrim Church, uttered amid toils and joys, fears and hopes.
Pope John Paul II 1920-2005

Prayer to the Holy Family

Jesus, Mary and Joseph, in you we contemplate the splendour of true love, to you we turn with
trust. Holy Family of Nazareth, grant that our families too may be places of communion and prayer,
authentic schools of the Gospel and small domestic Churches. Holy Family of Nazareth, may
families never again experience violence, rejection and division: may all who have been hurt or
scandalised find ready comfort and healing.
Holy Family of Nazareth, may the approaching Synod of Bishops make us once more mindful of
the sacredness and inviolability of the family, and its beauty in Gods plan. Jesus, Mary and
Joseph, graciously hear our prayer. Amen.
Pope Francis 2013-

Christmas Prayer
O sweet Child of Bethlehem, grant that we may share with all our hearts in this profound mystery
of Christmas. Put into the hearts of men and women this peace for which they sometimes seek so
desperately and which you alone can give to them. Help them to know one another better, and to
live as brothers and sisters, children of the same Father. Reveal to them also your beauty, holiness
and purity. Awaken in their hearts love and gratitude for your infinite goodness. Join them all
together in your love. And give us your heavenly peace.
Pope St. John XXIII 1881-1963

Prayer to Mary
Mother of the Redeemer, with great joy we call you blessed. In order to carry out His plan of
salvation, God the Father chose you before the creation of the world. You believed in His love and
obeyed His word. The Son of God desired you for His Mother when He became man to save the

human race. You received Him with ready obedience and undivided heart. The Holy Spirit loved
you as His mystical spouse and filled you with singular gifts. You allowed yourself to be led by His
hidden powerful action. On the eve of the third Christian Millennium, we entrust to you the Church,
which acknowledges you and invokes you as Mother. To you, Mother of our human family and of
the nations, we confidently entrust the whole humanity, with its hopes and fears. Do not let it lack
the light of true wisdom. Guide its steps in the ways of peace. Enable all to meet Christ, the Way,
the Truth, and the Life. Sustain us, O Virgin Mary, on our journey of faith and obtain for us the
grace of eternal salvation.O clement, O loving, O sweet Mother of God and our Mother, Mary!
Pope John Paul II 1920-2005

As a little Child I Loved You

As a little child, I loved you like a mother. Now that I am old, my love for you has grown. Receive
me in heaven as one of the blessed, and I will proclaim that I have obtained such a great prize
through your patronage. Amen.
Pope Leo XIII 1810-1903

It is Sweet Music
It is sweet music to the ear to say: I honour you, O Mother! It is a sweet song to repeat: I honour
you, O holy Mother! You are my delight, dear hope, and chaste love, my strength in all adversities.
If my spirit that is troubled and stricken by passions suffers from the painful burden of sadness and
weeping, if you see your child overwhelmed by misfortune, O gracious Virgin Mary, let me find rest
in your motherly embrace. But alas, already the last day is quickly approaching. Banish the demon
to the infernal depths, and stay closer, dear Mother, to your aged and erring child. With a gentle
touch, cover the wary pupils and kindly consign to God the soul that is returning to him.
Pope Leo XIII 1810-1903

Pope Leo XIII

Pope Pius XII

Pope Francis

Pope Paul VI

Pope John Paul II

Pope John XXIII XIII