Prayer, says Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, “is a surge of the heart, a simple look turned toward heaven. It is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy.”

In the Catholic tradition prayer stands at the heart of our relationship to God. As Catholics we are blessed with a rich and ancient tradition of prayers in a variety of forms—prayers we learned as children and prayers we now pray during the liturgy such as the Creed and the Our Father, devotional prayers such as the Hail Mary, the Rosary, and the Memorare, and prayers to make sacred the hours and moments of each day, such as Morning and Evening Prayer, and Grace Before Meals. As priest-chaplains we draw on this ever ancient, ever new treasury of Catholic prayers to lead you closer to God.

Whether we speak to God in words, hymns or liturgical gestures prayer is our response of faith, hope and love to God’s promise of salvation. Whether we pray together at Sunday Mass with the community of believers or find time for personal prayer and study of God’s word, prayer is the foundation of the Christian life.

In prayer, Jesus Christ comes to meet every human person. The Universal Catechism puts it this way, “whether we realize it or not, prayer is the encounter of God’s thirst with ours. God thirsts that we may thirst for Him.” (CCC, 2560)

As priest-chaplains of the Archdiocese for the Military Services we invite you to join with us in prayer. In times of joy and difficulty, in times of fear and doubt, in moments of distress and in times of peace, a simple prayer that comes from the heart becomes the place of your encounter with God’s love, mercy and protection.

So take a few minutes to join in praying with us and for us as you remain in our daily prayers. We hope that these sample Catholic prayers will sustain and support you in your journey of faith as you serve the cause of peace, justice and freedom.

Please send us your Prayer Petitions. Your petitions will be remembered by priest chaplains throughout the Archdiocese as well as during daily Mass offered at the Archdiocese for the Military Services, Washington, DC.