Whether you’ve been praying all your life or are just learning about prayer, there is always room to grow in this vital spiritual practice. Prayer is what sustains and deepens your relationship with God. In fact, the Catechism of the Catholic Church states that prayer is a relationship with God! (CCC, 2558). Prayer isn’t just something you do once or twice a day or week; it’s a relationship you can live every moment.
If you want to pray more and aren’t sure where to start—or if you already have a regular prayer habit and want to try something new—you can try one or more of these Catholic prayers:
Let’s briefly explore each of these forms of prayer as well as creative ways to incorporate them into your daily life—whether you have hours to pray or only a few moments to spare.
Have you ever thought of the Mass as a form of prayer? Pope Pius X said: “The Holy Mass is a prayer itself, even the highest prayer that exists. It is the Sacrifice, dedicated by our Redeemer at the Cross, and repeated every day on the Altar.”
This powerful form of prayer isn’t limited to Sundays; the Mass is offered daily at parishes and religious communities around the world. But fitting a daily Mass into your busy weekly schedule doesn’t have to be as challenging as you think! Here are some ideas to help you get started:
Whether you’re able to pray the Mass every day or whether it’s just once or twice a week in addition to Sunday Mass, this practice will deepen and enrich your prayer life and relationship with God.
Outside of the Mass, the Rosary is perhaps the most well-known and beloved prayer of the Catholic faith. The Rosary is composed of opening prayers, five sets of ten Hail Marys (with each set, or “decade,” preceded by an Our Father and followed with a Glory Be), and closing prayers. Each decade is a meditation on one of the events (or “mysteries”) from the lives of Mary and Jesus as recorded in the Gospels, such as the Annunciation, the Nativity, the Crucifixion, and the Resurrection.
These ideas can help you pray the Rosary as part of your daily routine:
Pray the Rosary on CatholicTV Monday–Friday at 10am ET, or stream anytime from your smart device.
Originating in the 20th Century from the visions of St. Faustina, the Divine Mercy Chaplet is newer to the Catholic faith, but it is a powerful and timely prayer needed by our world today. The Chaplet is similar in structure to the Rosary—five decades of prayers with opening and closing prayers—and is traditionally prayed at three o’clock in the afternoon, the hour Jesus died on the Cross (also known as the Hour of Great Mercy). You can learn how to pray this simple but efficacious prayer here.
While it’s ideal to pray the Chaplet at 3pm, you can pray this prayer anytime. Here are some other ways to pray the Chaplet:
The Stations of the Cross commemorates the events of Jesus’ final hours before death. Through this beautiful and powerful devotion, you’ll journey with Christ during his Passion, from his condemnation to his crucifixion to his entombment. Each of the fourteen stations features a brief Scripture reflection and a prayer, allowing you to meditate on these sacred moments.
Traditionally prayed on Fridays, you can pray this devotion any day of the week. Consider one of these ideas:
You may have heard of Lectio Divina, but have you heard of Visio Divina? Visio Divina, translated from Latin to “divine seeing,” is a form of prayer in which one meditates on sacred art. In this CatholicTV series, Katie Weiss guides viewers through the steps of Visio Divina for works of sacred art depicting themes from the life of the Holy Family. In each episode, you’ll meditate on a painting, reflect on a corresponding passage from Scripture, and ponder some reflection questions.
This method of prayer can be applied to any sacred form of art. Here are some ideas to try:
Whether you choose to pray the daily Mass, the Rosary, the Chaplet, the Stations of the Cross, or Visio Divina—or a combination of these—you’ll be sure to grow in your prayer life and relationship with God through these beautiful Catholic prayers. If you find a form of prayer that has been especially fruitful for you, tell a friend or loved one about it and encourage them to grow in prayer as well!
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