Prayers for different needs:

• Prayer of a parent for their children
• For the sick
• For a sick child (boy)
• For a sick child (girl)
• For those who find it difficult to sleep
• For those who feel lonely
• For parents/family or friends of those who have taken their lives
• For those suffering with depression
• For expectant mothers
• For those longing to have a child
• During an unwanted pregnancy
• For those suffering from addictions.
• For the parents of a man with an addiction
• For the parents of a woman with an addiction
• For those who are tempted to take their own life
• For those with financial difficulties
• For those studying for exams
• Prayer of St. Colette
• Prayer to Matt Talbot

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Prayer of a parent for their children

Dear Lord,
I thank you for the gift of my children. I thank You for the gift of faith that you have given me. I ask You to keep me faithful and to give me the grace to pass this on to them, so that they grow up loving You and knowing that they are loved by You.Keep them safe. I worry so much about them sometimes, because the world in which we live now has so many dangers. I cannot possibly watch over them constantly, and so I ask you to do this. Give them good friends who will help them mature and develop into caring adults. I thank You for their health and I ask You to give them continued good health. I know that they are precious in Your sight. I know that You love them even more than I do and so I entrust them to Your care. I consecrate myself and all my family to Your divine mercy.
Amen.

Prayer for the sick

Dear Lord,
I ask You to heal me. I feel so wretched and it seems to be constant. When I am submerged by sickness, it takes over and I can think of nothing else. I ask You to lay Your healing hands on me and bring me some relief. I believe in Your power to heal, which You showed so much when You were on earth. I believe that You only want what is best for me, and so I ask You to give me the graces I need. If it is not Your will that I be healed at this time, please support me through this struggle. Send Your Holy Spirit to comfort and strengthen me. I ask You especially to bless those who are looking after me. I trust in You and Your great love for me, and so I leave myself in Your hands.
Amen.

Prayer for a sick child (boy)

Dear Lord,
I thank You for the precious gift of my child. I ask You to heal him. You know how much it upsets me to see him suffer. I feel so helpless to take his pain away and feel I can do so little to help him. I beg You to bring relief to him. You are our loving Father and I believe that You therefore understand exactly how I feel. Please help me to be what I should be in this situation and give me the grace to trust in You always. I believe that in Your will is our peace, but please help me to live this out, as I find it so hard when he is suffering. I entrust him to Your care. I ask this in Jesus name.
Amen.

Prayer for a sick child (girl)

Dear Lord,
I thank You for the precious gift of my child. I ask You to heal her. You know how much it upsets me to see her suffer. I feel so helpless to take her pain away and feel I can do so little to help her. I beg You to bring relief to her. You are our loving Father and I believe that You therefore understand exactly how I feel. Please help me to be what I should be in this situation and give me the grace to trust in You always. I believe that in Your will is our peace, but please help me to live this out, as I find it so hard when she is suffering. I entrust her to Your care. I ask this in Jesus name.
Amen.

Prayer for those who find it difficult to sleep

Dear Lord,
Please help me to sleep tonight. I find it so hard when I cannot sleep. The more I think about it, the more restless and anxious I get. It defeats the purpose I know, but I can’t seem to help it. Part of me wants to go to bed, because I know I need the sleep, but part of me dreads the long hours of darkness. Let your Holy Spirit fill me with your peace, so that I can relax and get the sleep I need. And, if I cannot sleep, give me the deep serenity in my heart of knowing that I am loved by You and that You want me to rest in Your love.
Amen.

Prayer for those who feel lonely

Dear Lord,
Sometimes I feel so lonely and seem to get engulfed by these feelings. The more I think about it, the more I get bogged down by it all. Let me experience Your deep love for me, so that I may be strengthened in my inner self. Let me find my security in You, so that, even when I am alone, I may not feel this dreadful loneliness. I know that if this sense of being loved by You takes a deep root in my heart, that my self worth will return and that I will find it easier to have the confidence to face situations in life that I often avoid now, which leaves me feeling lonely. I trust in You – let me not be disappointed.
Amen.

For parents/family or friends of those who have taken their lives

Lord,
I ask You to have mercy on my child (friend, etc) who has taken his life. You alone know what burdens he was carrying. I ask You to forgive anything that needs forgiving and to let him enjoy eternal happiness with You. I ask you to give us the graces we need at this time as we struggle to come to terms with his loss. Nothing we have ever lived through could have prepared us for this. Not alone is there the sense of loss to cope with, but also that deep, gnawing sense of guilt, though I know how senseless that is. The feeling that maybe there was something more we could have done. I ask You to heal and strengthen us and bring us through. I find great comfort from knowing that You are the Good Shepherd and that, even as we go through this dark valley, we do not need to be afraid, because You are with us and will comfort us. (c.f. Psalm 22)
Amen.

Prayer for those suffering with depression

Dear Lord,
You know the darkness that envelops me. This cloud descends on me and when it does, I seem to lose all perspective. It seems like it will never lift. I know I have pulled out of it before, but when it starts again, it clouds everything. Help me to trust in you in this difficult time. I know that after the rain, the sun shines again and that above the clouds, the sun is always shining. But please impress this conviction in my heart, so that your hope will carry me through. I believe that You can heal me and so I entrust myself to You. Give me the graces I need to ‘hang in there’ until Your healing Love, which I know is constantly working on me, finally penetrates and gives me the relief that I need.
Amen.

Expectant mothers

Dear Lord,
I thank you for the gift of new life and especially for the child in my womb. I ask you to bless him or her so that the child may grow up in the way that you would wish. I also ask that my child may be healthy in every way and may grow to love you in his or her life. I ask that you give me good health, especially during my pregnancy and that you will see that all goes well for both of us during childbirth.
Amen.

See also Prayer of St. Colette - patron of expectant mothers

Prayer for those longing to have a child

Dear Lord,
You know the deepest longings of my heart and how much I would love to have a child. I know every child is a gift from you, and so, it is not something we can just demand. But you know that I would cherish that child so much and that I long to have the joy of giving life in this deep sense.

If it is your will, Lord, I ask you to bring our marriage to completion by giving us the gift of a child. If it is not your will, give us the grace to accept what is your will with love, and be yourself the fullness of our love
Amen.

See also Prayer of St. Colette - patron of those who long to have a child.

Prayer during an unwanted pregnancy

Dear Lord,
You know the fears that are in my heart just now, as I carry a child within me. You know I hadn’t planned this and that I am really struggling. I beg you for your grace to come to terms with the reality of it all. I know in my heart of hearts that each new life is a gift from you, to be cherished. Give me the graces to do just that, because I am finding it so hard just now. Please support me with your grace so that I keep firm in my resolution to keep this child. Give me the material support that I will need in order to do so and put the right people in my path to help me. Bless and protect the child in my womb, so that he or she will be healthy and grow up in your care.
Amen.

See also Prayer of St. Colette - patron of expectant mothers

Prayer for those suffering from addictions

Dear Lord,
You know the anguish that engulfs me. You have seen the spiral of horror in my life, the way my addiction consumes me and has taken over completely. You know I hate what I am doing to my family and friends, as they look on at me, helpless. It causes me such deep pain, and yet I seem to be totally unable to just kick the habit and start afresh. Please, please help me. I seem to live for the “high” I get, but it is all so empty and meaningless and sometimes I just despair. Give me hope and the courage to change. Give my family the graces they need to cope. You have said that you came that we may have life to the full. Let me tap into the power that will help me to do that, your Holy Spirit.
Amen.

Prayer for those suffering from addictions

"The Serenity Prayer"
God, Grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, and Wisdom to know the difference.
Amen.

See also Prayer to Ven. Matt Talbot - intercessor for those with addictions.

Prayer for the parents of a man with an addiction

Dear Lord,
You know the horrible helplessness that takes over my heart, when I have to look on as one I love so much is destroying his life, caught in the spiral of addiction. It is breaking my heart, as nothing I do seems to make any impression. I just cannot seem to get through with reason. I believe that you are All-Powerful and that nothing is impossible to you, as the Angel told Our Lady. I also believe that you love him even more than I do. Please help me to trust you to intervene in his life. Bring him the healing he needs, to bring him to full recovery. Give him an experience of your deep love for him. And give me the courage, strength and love that I need.
Amen.

Prayer for the parents of a woman with an addiction

Dear Lord,
You know the horrible helplessness that takes over my heart, when I have to look on as one I love so much is destroying her life, caught in the spiral of addiction. It is breaking my heart, as nothing I do seems to make any impression. I just cannot seem to get through with reason. I believe that you are All-Powerful and that nothing is impossible to you, as the Angel told Our Lady. I also believe that you love her even more than I do. Please help me to trust you to intervene in her life. Bring her the healing she needs, to bring her to full recovery. Give her an experience of your deep love for her. And give me the courage, strength and love that I need.
Amen.

For those who are tempted to take their own life

Dear Lord,
I beg You to help me with Your grace. I feel so desperate and am so burdened at this time that I can see no way out of the rut I am in. My whole life seems to be crumbling around me and I feel that I cannot go on. I know deep down that You have created all life and that it is sacred, but it feels like life is no longer worth living. I know too, that You have created me and love me. I know also, that you came that we may have life and have it to the full. Please help me to experience that, as I seem to be just existing at the moment. I beg You to allow Your love for me to penetrate the darkness that I am living in, because I know that it has the power to change. Let Your Holy Spirit fill me with hope for the future and give me the security that I crave. I entrust myself to Your divine mercy.
Amen.

Prayer for those with financial difficulty

Dear Lord,
You know how much I am struggling to make ends meet. Everything seems to be so expensive nowadays and it is a constant struggle. Help me to have hope and be our Provider, so I will be less consumed by this constant gnawing fear that is always with me. Help me to trust you to do this for us.
Amen.

Prayer for those studying for exams

Dear Lord,
I ask you to help me at this stressful time. I feel that so much depends on these exams that I really feel burdened. I feel that in addition to carrying my own burdens, I am carrying the expectations of so many others – family, friends, society. Help me to keep calm at this time, so that I can think straight and apply myself to the best of my ability. Let your Spirit help and inspire me, so that I can remember all that I have studied and put together my answers in the best way. Guide me in all my ways, so that I may be fulfilled in you.
Amen.

Exam tension exercise

Exams mean STRESS! So much depends on our performance over a period of a few intense hours. Keeping a calm mind is half the battle in recalling what we have studied and giving a good performance. To be able to centre oneself for a few minutes before starting to study, or even to stop for a brief pause, is a great help. Even the few minutes sitting at the desk before the exam actually starts can profitably be used to become relaxed. We offer the following exercise to help release the tension and calm the mind:

•Close your eyes.
•Take a few deep breaths. As you inhale, silently say, “Come Holy Spirit, inspire me”. The Holy Spirit is the breath of God and the one who is the source of all our inspirations. As you pray this, imagine the Holy Spirit coming in to do this within you.
•Exhaling slowly, silently say, “Release the tension, bring your peace”. As you pray this, feel the Holy Spirit drive the tension from your body.
•This can be simplified to say “Come Holy Spirit” on inhalation and “Bring your peace” on exhalation.

Prayer of St. Colette

Blessed be the hour in which the Incarnate God was born, blessed be the Holy Spirit by Whose operation Jesus Christ was conceived, blessed be the Glorious Virgin Mary, of whom the Word Incarnate was born. Through the intercession of the Glorious VirginMother, and in remembrance of the most sacred hour in which the Incarnate Word was born, may the Lord hear my prayers, and accomplish my desires. O Jesus, Who art mercy and goodness itself, do not abandon me on account of my sins but graciously hear my humble prayer, and grant me the favour that I ask for Thy honour and the glory of Thy Holy Name.
Amen.
(taken from Franciscan Missal)

St. Colette, a Poor Clare Nun of 15th century France, was born to childless parents when her mother was in her 60th year. Because of this remarkable event, she is invoked by childless couples desiring to become parents.
Her extraordinary intervention for a woman dying in childbirth has made her likewise the patron of expectant mother. Her multiple wonders on behalf of sick infants have inspired parents to turn to her in this need also.

Prayer to Matt Talbot

Lord, in your servant Matt Talbot, you have given us a wonderful example of triumph over addiction, of devotion to duty and of life-long reverence for the Most Holy Sacrament. May his life of prayer and penance give us courage to take up our crosses and follow in the footsteps of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Father, if it be your will that your beloved servant should be glorified by your Church, make known by your heavenly favours the power he enjoys in you sight. We ask this through the same Jesus Christ Our Lord.
Amen.