To Jesus on the cross

O Jesus crucified, you have deified human nature, assuming it for yourself; after having preached justice, charity, kindness, and making the rich and the powerful a force for the poor and the weak, you gave salvation to the world with your passion and death; look down with love on your people, who bow down at your feet in a spirit of penance invoking your forgiveness not only for themselves, but also for the many troubled who would remove your crown and desecrate you by the pride of their intelligence and the lust of their passions. Save us, Lord, we are drowning! Walk back on the waves of the troubled seas of our soul; be our companion in life and in death; be our judge full of pity. The thunderbolts of deserved punishment give way to a generous, new effusion of your mercy on redeemed humanity. Extinguish hatred; inflame love; with the powerful breath of your Spirit burn off the thoughts and desires of domination, destruction and war. Give bread to the little ones, homes to the homeless, work to the unemployed, peace to the nations throughout the world, and the prize of eternal bliss to us all. Amen.

In Honor of the Assumption

O Immaculate Virgin, Mother of God and Mother of men!

We believe with all the fervor of our faith in your triumphal Assumption, both in body and soul, into heaven, where you are acclaimed as Queen by all the choirs of angels and all the legions of saints; and 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, is filled in heaven 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 weighs down the flight of the soul, beg you to purify our hearts, so that, while we remain here 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 glance down upon our miseries and our sorrows, 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 thy son.

And we who call upon you as our Mother, 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, watered by the Blood of Jesus, are yet turned toward this world, held in the clutch of wars, persecutions, and oppression of the just and the weak.

And from the shadows of this vale of tears, we seek in your heavenly assistance and tender mercy comfort for our aching hearts and help in the trials of the Church and of our fatherland.

We believe, finally, that in the glory where you reign, clothed with the sun and crowned with the stars, you are, after Jesus, the joy and gladness of all the angels and of all 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, and our hope; draw us onward with the sweetness of your voice, 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.

To Mary, full of Grace

O Mary, “full of grace and blessed among women”, stretch out the hand of your motherly protection, we ask you, upon us who gather round your queenly throne as your handmaidens, obedient to your command and resolved with your help to bring to realization in ourselves and our sisters the ideals of truth and Christian perfection.

Our eyes are fixed on you in admiration, immaculate Virgin; you who are loved by the Heavenly Father above all others! O Virgin Spouse of the Holy Spirit! Tender Mother of Jesus! Obtain for us from your Divine Son the grace to reflect your sublime virtues in our conduct, according to our age and condition of life. Grant that we may be spotless and pure in our thoughts and in our behavior; gentle, affectionate, and sympathetic companions to our husbands; to our children solicitous, vigilant and wise mothers; prudent administrators of our homes; exemplary citizens of our dear country; faithful daughters of the Church, ever ready to allow ourselves to be guided by her in thought and deed.

Help us, loving Mother, to be truly devoted to the duties of our state of life; help us make our homes true centers of spiritual life and active charity, schools where consciences will be rightly formed, gardens where every virtue will flourish. Give us your help that in social and political life we may be patterns of deep faith, of consistent and gracious Christian practice, of incorruptible integrity, and of well-balance judgment based upon the solid principles of religion.

Bless these our resolutions which you have inspired us to make and the trials you have helped us to bear; may we with your aid come to see their abundant fruits in time and in eternity.
Amen.

Prayer for Christian Families

O Lord, God of goodness and mercy,
Who in the midst of an evil and sinful world
hast presented to the society of the redeemed
the Holy Family of Nazareth
as a spotless mirror of piety, justice and love,
behold how the family is being undermined on all sides,
every effort being made to desecrate it
by stripping it of faith, religion and morals.

Regard the work of Thy own hands.
Safeguard in our homes the domestic virtues,
for these alone will ensure us harmony and peace.

Come and stir up the champions of the family.
Bestir the modern apostles so that in Thy Name,
bearing the message of Jesus Christ
and exhibiting holiness of life,
they may revive the doctrines of
conjugal fidelity for married couples,
the exercise of authority by parents,
obedience on the part of children
and modesty on the part of girls.
Grant also through the efforts of these apostles,
that the home favoured by Thee with many blessings
may again become an object of esteem and love
in the minds and hearts of all.

It is through the examples of the Divine model of Nazareth
that the Christian family is to be
restored in Jesus Christ
and to recover its former respect and dignity.
Then every home will again become a sanctuary
and in every household will
be rekindled the flame of faith
to teach patience in adversity
and moderation in prosperity
and to promote order,
peace and harmony in all things.

Under Thy paternal gaze, O Lord,
and with confidence in Thy Providence
and in the loving patronage of Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
the family will become a sanctuary of virtue
and a school of wisdom.
It shall prove, as Christ has promised,
a haven of rest against life’s burdens.
In the sight of the world it shall
render glory to Thee, O Father,
and to Thy Son, Jesus, until the day when,
through Him, we shall, together with all His members,
sing the Divine praises in the eternal ages to come.

Amen.

Prayer to Mary, Queen

From the depths of this vale of tears where sorrowing humanity makes weary progress, through the surges of this sea of ours, endlessly buffeted by the winds of passion, we raise our eyes to you, O most beloved Mother Mary, to be comforted by the contemplation of your glory and to hail you as Queen of heaven and earth, Queen of mankind.
With legitimate filial pride, we wish to exalt your queenship and to recognize it as due to the sovereign excellence of your whole being, O dearest one, truly mother of him who is King by right, by inheritance and by conquest.

Reign, O Mother and Queen, by showing us the path of holiness and by guiding and assisting us that we may never stray from it.

In the heights of heaven you exercise your primacy over the choirs of angels who acclaim you as their sovereign, and over the legions of saints who delight in beholding your dazzling beauty. So, too, reign over the entire human race, above all by opening the path of faith to those who do not yet know your Divine Son.

Reign over the Church, which acknowledges and extols your gentle dominion and has recourse to you as a safe refuge amid the calamities of our day. Reign especially over that part of the Church which is persecuted and oppressed; give it strength to bear adversity, constancy never to yield under unjust compulsion, light to avoid falling into the snares of the enemy, firmness to resist overt attack, and at every moment unwavering faithfulness to your kingdom.

Reign over men’s minds, that they may seek only what is true; over their wills, that they may follow solely what is good; over their hearts, that they may love nothing but what you yourself love.

Reign over individuals and over families, as well as over societies and nations; over the assemblies of the powerful, the counsels of the wise, as over the simple aspirations of the humble.

Reign in the streets and in the squares, in the cities and the villages, in the valleys and in the mountains, in the air, on land and on the sea; and hear the pious prayers of all those who recognize that yours is a reign of mercy, in which every petition is heard, every sorrow comforted, every misfortune relieved, every infirmity healed, and in which, at a gesture from your gentle hands, from death itself there arises smiling life.

Obtain for us that all who now in every corner of the world acclaim and hail you Queen and Lady may one day in heaven enjoy the fullness of your kingdom in the vision of your Divine Son, who with the Father and the Holy Spirit, live and reign forever and ever.

Amen.

Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Most Holy Virgin Mary,
tender Mother of all,
to fulfill the desires of the Sacred Heart
and the request of the Vicar of your Son on earth,
we consecrate ourselves
and our families
to your Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart,
O Queen of the Most Holy Rosary,
and we recommend to you,
all the people of our country
and all the world.

Please accept our consecration,
dearest Mother,
and use us as you wish
to accomplish your designs upon the world.

O Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary,
Queen of the Most Holy Rosary,
and Queen of the World, rule over us,
together with the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ, Our King.
Save us from the spreading flood of modern paganism;
kindle in our hearts and homes the love of purity,
the practice of a virtuous life,
an ardent zeal for souls,
and a desire to pray the rosary more faithfully.

We come with confidence to you,
O Throne of Grace and Mother of Fair Love.
Inflame us with the same Divine Fire
which has inflamed your own Sorrowful
and Immaculate Heart.
Make our hearts and homes your shrine,
and through us,
make the Heart of Jesus,
together with your rule,
triumphant in every heart and home.

Prayer 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.

Prayer to the Immaculate Mother of Jesus

Enraptured by the splendor 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 recognize 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 honor of our people!

Amen.

O Seat of Wisdom and Star of the Sea…

O Holy Virgin, to whose feet we are led by our anxious uncertainty in our search for and attainment of what is true and good, invoking you by the sweet title of Mother of Good Counsel, we beseech you to come to our assistance, when, along the road of life, the darkness of error and of evil conspires towards our ruin by leading our minds and our hearts astray.

O Seat of Wisdom and Star of the Sea, enlighten the doubtful and the erring, that they be not seduced by the false appearances of good; render them steadfast in the face of the hostile and corrupting influences of passion and of sin.

O Mother of Good Counsel, obtain for us from your Divine Son a great love of virtue, and, in the hour of uncertainty and trial, the strength to embrace the way that leads to our salvation. If your hand sustains us, we shall walk unmolested along the path indicated to us by the life and words of Jesus, our Redeemer, and having followed freely and securely, even in the midst of this world’s strife, the Sun of Truth and Justice under your maternal Star, we shall come to the enjoyment of full and eternal peace with you in the haven of salvation. Amen.