I highly recommend the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. …]
This chaplet in honour of the divine mercy is addressed entirely to God the Father through Jesus Christ our Lord. It’s a good starting place for those scrupulous about addressing Mary or the saints at first.
The Divine Mercy Chaplet has been my favorite devotion since before I converted several years ago. That chaplet of Holy Wounds is awesome - I’m going to have to write it into my prayerbook!
I actually love and prefer prescribed prayers personally. I’ve gravitated toward them since a few years before the idea of becoming Catholic was even a thought in my mind. I started keeping a prayer book back then and I’ve filled
pages with prayers I thought were cool and useful and helpful. I find that the saints (or scripture) can often say what I want to say better than I can, especially when I’m struggling for words.
Some more of my favorites:
St Patrick’s Breastplate - (the version I have - there are others out there) - Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort me and restore me, Christ beneath me Christ above me, Christ in quiet and in danger, Christ in hearts of all who love me, Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.
St. Francis’ Instrument of Mercy Prayer - Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy. O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood, as to understand; to be loved, as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life. Amen.
St. Aquinas’ Prayer before Study - Creator of all things, true source of light and wisdom, lofty origin of all being, graciously let a ray of your brilliance penetrate into the darkness of my understanding and take me from the double darkness in which I have been born, an obscurity of both sin and ignorance. Give me a sharp sense of understanding, a retentive memory, and the ability to grasp things correctly and fundamentally. Grant me the talent of being exact in my explanations and the ability to express myself with thoroughness and charm. Point out the beginning, direct the progress, and help in completion, through Christ our Lord, Amen.
the Jesus Prayer - Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Have mercy on me, a sinner.
the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-5) - Hear, O Israel; the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
Prayer for the Departed - Eternal rest grant unto him (/her/them) O Lord, Let perpetual light shine upon him (/her/them). May __'s (/their) soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
Come Holy Spirit - Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful, and enkindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth Your Spirit and they shall be created. And you shall renew the face of the Earth. O God, You instructed the hearts of those who believed in You by the light of the Holy Spirit. Grant us in the same Spirit to be truly wise and ever to rejoice in His consolation: through Christ our Lord, Amen.
Prayer before Spiritual Reading - Spirit of Wisdom, enlighten me to understand what I am about to read, and help me to put it into practice. Assist my memory to retain what you desire should later be used in the interests of charity and the work of the apostolate. Teach me to recognize in this reading an instrument of your grace, directing my soul to greater union with You, and through me, the souls of others with whom I share what You wish me to learn. Amen.
Te Deum - We praise You, O God; we acknowledge You to be the Lord. All the earth worships You, the everlasting Father. To You all the angels, the heavens, and all the powers, the cherubim, and seraphim, cry out without ceasing: Holy Holy Holy Lord God of hosts! The majesty of your glory fills the heavens and the earth. The glorious choir of apostles, the admirable company of the prophets, the white-robed army of martyrs praise you. Throughout the world the holy Church testifies to You, the Father, whose glory is beyond our comprehension, Your adorable, true, and only Son, and the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete. You, O Christ, are the king of glory. You are the eternal Son of the Father. You did not disdain a virgin’s womb to redeem man. You overcame death, and opened the kingdom of heaven for the faithful. Now you are seated at the right hand of God, in the glory of the Father. We believe that You will come again as judge. So we beseech You, help Your servants, whom you have redeemed with Your precious blood. Number them among Your Saints in everlasting glory. Save Your people, O Lord, and bless Your inheritance. And govern them and keep them safe forever. Through each day we bless You, and praise Your name forever; indeed, forever and ever. Deign, O Lord, to keep us without sin this day. Have mercy on us, O Lord; have mercy on us. Let your mercy be upon us, O Lord; have mercy on us. Let your mercy be upon us, O Lord, as we have trusted in You. In Your mercy, O Lord, in You have I trusted; let me not be put to shame forever.
Now I have to add that other Chaplet…
Instead of saying “For the sake of His (Christ’s) sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world”, you can say “have mercy on John Doe and on the whole world”.