Key Prayers

[HerrZJA]

I’ve been attending masses for about a month now and studying with the Father for considerably longer. We’re talking about setting my Baptism for sometime within the next month or so.

However, I still feel a little over my head on some things. What are the key prayers we should learn as Catholics? I can say the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Apostle’s Creed from memory, but are there others?

Before Mass, when the Rosary is recited at my prayer, there is a Prayer that starts “Oh My Jesus” which I can’t understand the rest of, so that might be one.

 

[Della]

The “Oh my Jesus” prayer is the Fatima Prayer (from the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima):

Oh my Jesus, forgive us our sins,
save us from the fires of hell.
Lead all souls to heaven,
especially those in most need
of thy mercy.

This prayer is not a “key” prayer so much as a very popular one which may be recited at the end of each decade of the rosary–which it usually is done here in America, at any rate.

You may wish to learn how to pray the Liturgy of the Hours: Divine Office. Most lay people pray Morning and Evening Prayer (if you pray the Invitatory before Morning Prayer you skip Morning Prayer’s opening prayer of: “God come to my assistance…” The Divine Office is the prayer of the Church which take us through the Church seasons, including solemnities, feasts and memorials of the saints. I would give you the Mass Prayers except the new translation will be in use starting in Advent so your parish will probably provide missals or supplements for you to use.

Another good thing for us to do is to read the Daily Mass Readings. I read them before Evening Prayer. There is a method for praying with the Daily Mass Readings called the Lectio Divina, another resource for prayer the Church encourages for the faithful.

 

[Della]

The “Oh my Jesus” prayer is the Fatima Prayer (from the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima):

Oh my Jesus, forgive us our sins,
save us from the fires of hell.
Lead all souls to heaven,
especially those in most need
of thy mercy.

This prayer is not a “key” prayer so much as a very popular one which may be recited at the end of each decade of the rosary–which is usually is here in America, at any rate.

You may wish to learn how to pray the Liturgy of the Hours: Divine Office. Most lay people pray Morning and Evening Prayer (if you pray the Invitatory before Morning Prayer you skip the opening prayer of: God come to my assistance… The Divine Office is the prayer of the Church which take us through the Church seasons, including solemnities, feasts and memorials of the saints. I would give you the Mass Prayers except the new translation will be in use starting in Advent so your parish will probably provide missals or supplements for you to use.

Another good thing for us to do is to read the Daily Mass Readings. I read them before Evening Prayer. There is a method for praying with the Daily Mass Readings called the Lectio Divina, another resource for prayer the Church encourages for the faithful.

 

[HerrZJA]

Thanks for all the advice, especially for the explanation of Lectio Divina. I’ve never had a good explanation of that before.

 

[Jean_Anthony]

Thanks for all the advice, especially for the explanation of Lectio Divina. I’ve never had a good explanation of that before.

You’re welcome! And welcome to the Church, too.

 

[justtryin]

Have a look at this book.

Catholic Prayers available here: tanbooks.com/index.php/page/shop:flypage/product_id/706

It is very inexpensive and there are discounts for quantity ordering.
There is a large edition and a small edition. The best part of the small edition is that it fits in your pocket.

Description from the website:

This is probably the greatest little Catholic prayerbook you will ever encounter because it has over 100 Traditional Catholic prayers and is comprised of 4 Parts or sections: Part I contains the common prayers every Catholic should know by heart over 25 including the Acts of Faith, Hope, Love and Contrition, plus numerous short invocations. Part II contains over 25 especially powerful prayers: to Our lady, St. Joseph, St. Anne, St. Jude, St. Philomena, St. Anthony, etc. Part III contains miscellaneous favorite prayers: e.g., Morning Offering, Prayers to Our Lady, to St. Joseph for Purity, to overcome a bad habit, for grace, the Te Deum, Consecration to the Holy Ghost, etc. And Part IV contains various other “favorite prayers,” such as for a happy death, the choice of a state of life, for priests, Fatima Prayers, for safe delivery of a baby, for the dying, for the dead, for the Poor Souls, etc. For a small package, this little Prayerbook is dynamite, and should be carried by all!

.

Good luck and God bless you

 

[Della]

You’re welcome. And welcome to the Church!