The Porziuncola Project
Prayers for Before and After Holy Mass
"My flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. Amen Amen, I say to you, if you do not eat my flesh and drink my blood you have no life in you."
"He took the bread, broke it and gave it to His disciples saying: 'Take this all of you and eat of it, for this is my body which will be given up for you.'"
Prayers for Before mass
Prayer Before Mass by Saint Ambrose
I draw near to the table of Your most delicate banquet,
dear Lord Jesus Christ.
A sinner, I trust not in my own merit; but in fear and trembling,
I rely on Your mercy and goodness.
I have a heart and body marked by my grace offences,
and a mind and tongue I have not guarded well.
For this reason, God of loving kindness and awesome majesty,
I, a sinner caught by many snares, seek safe refuge in You.
For You are the fountain of mercy.
I would fear to draw near to You as my judge,
but I seek You out as my Savior Lord, show me Your wounds,
and I will let You see my shame.
Knowing my sins are many and great, I have reason to fear.
But I trust in Your mercies, for they are beyond all numbering.
Look upon me with mercy, for I trust in You,
my Lord Jesus Christ, Eternal King, God and Man,
You Who were crucified for mankind.
Have mercy upon me,
You Who never cease to make the fountain of Your mercy flow,
for I am full of sorrow and sins.
I praise You, the Saving Victim
offered on the wood of the cross for me and for all mankind.
I praise the noble blood that flows
from the wounds of my Lord Jesus Christ,
the precious blood that washed away the sins of the world.
Remember, Lord, Your creature,
whom You have redeemed with Your own blood.
I am sorry that I have sinned, and I long to put right what I have done.
Most kind Father, take away all my offences and sins,
so that, purified in both body and soul,
I may be made worthy to taste the Holy of Holies.
And grant that this Holy Meal of Your Body and Blood,
which I intend to take, although I am unworthy,
may bring forgiveness of my sins and wash away my guilt.
May it mean the end of my evil thoughts
and the rebirth of my better longings.
May it lead me securely to live in ways that please You,
and may it bring strong protection for body and soul,
against the plots of my enemies.
Amen.
Prayer Before Mass by Saint Thomas Aquinas, O.P.
Almighty and ever living God,
I draw near to the Sacrament of Your Only-Begotten Son,
Our Lord Jesus Christ.
I come sick to the doctor of life, unclean to the fountain of mercy,
blind to the light of eternal brightness,
poor and needy to the Lord of heaven and earth.
So I ask You, most generous Lord:
graciously heal my infirmity, wash me clean, illumine my blindness,
enrich my poverty, and clothe my nakedness.
May I receive the Bread of Angels, the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords,
with such reverence and humility, such contrition and devotion,
such purity and faith, and such resolve and determination
as may secure my soul's salvation.
Grant that I may receive
not only the visible sign of the Lord's Body and Blood,
but also the reality and the power of the sacrament.
Grant Most Kind God,
that I may receive the Body of Your Only-Begotten Son,
Our Lord Jesus Christ, which He received from the Virgin Mary,
and may I receive it in such a way
that I become a living part of His Mystical Body
and counted among His members.
O'Most Loving Father, grant me Your Beloved Son.
While on this earthly pilgrimage,
I receive Him under the veil of the sacrament;
So may I come at last to see Him face to face for all eternity.
For He lives and reigns with You forever and ever.
Amen.
Prayer Before Mass for Priests
(You may pray these prayers for the priests.)
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Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary
Mother of mercy and love, Blessed Virgin Mary,
we are poor and unworthy sinners,
we turn to you in confidence and love.
You stood by your Son as He hung dying on the cross.
Stand also by (us) poor sinners
and by all the priests who are offering Mass today here
and throughout the entire world.
Help us (them) to offer a Holy and Accaptable Sacrifice
in the sight of the Holy and Undivided Trinity,
our Most High God.
Amen.
​
Prayer to Saint Joseph
O'Happy man Saint Joseph, to you was given to see and hear
the God Whom many kings longed to see, but did not see,
longed to hear but did not hear.
Not only that, but you were privileged to bear God in your hands,
to kiss Him, to dress Him, and to watch over Him.
Pray for us Saint Joseph,
that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray,
O'God, Who has given us a royal priesthood:
You found Blessed Joseph worthy to hold Your only Son,
born of the Virgin Mary,
reverently in his hands and to carry Him.
Enable us (our priests), too, to serve at Your Holy Altar
with pure hearts and innocent lives,
so that we (they) may be found worth
y of an everlasting reward in the world to come.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
​
Statement of Intention
My purpose is to celebrate Mass
and to make present the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ
according to the rite of the Holy Roman Church
to the praise of our All Powerful God
and all His assembly in the glory of heaven,
for my good and the good of all His piligrim Church on earth,
and for all who have asked me to pray for them,
in general and in particular
and for the good of the Holy Roman Church.
May the Almighty and Merciful Lord grant us joy, and peace,
amendment of life, room for true repentance,
the grace and comfort of the Holy Spirit,
and the perseverance in good works.
Amen.
Prayers for after mass
Prayer to the Blessed Trinity
(For Priests)
May the tribute of my humble ministry be pleasing to you,
O'Most Holy Trinity.
Grant that the sacrifice which In unworthy as I am,
have offered in the presence of Your Majesty,
may be acceptable to You.
Through Your mercy may it bring forgiveness to me
and for all for whom I offered it, through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Prayer of Saint Bonaventure
Most sweet Lord Jesus, pierce my inmost heart
with the most dear and most bracing wound of Your love.
Pierce it with true, serene, apostolic, and most holy charity,
that my soul may ever yearn and melt with love for You
and the desire to possess You.
May my soul be drawn toward You
and overwhelmed with the hope of entering Your courts.
May it long to be disolved and to be with You.
Grant that my soul may hunger for You,
the Bread of Angels, and the food of holy souls,
Our super-substantial bread,
having within it every sweetness and good taste,
having the delightfulness that charms my heart.
May my heart always long for You, and find its nourishment in You,
on Whom angels long to gaze,
and may my inmost heart be filled with the sweetness of You savor.
May my heart thirst for You, the fountain of life, the torrent of pleasure,
and the richness of the House of God.
May my heart always draw near to You, seek You, catch sight of You,
be drawn to You, and do all things that it does
for the glory of Your Name.
With humility and care, affection and delight,
with eagerness and deep feeling, and with perseverance to the end.
Thus may You alone be my hope, all my confidence, my joy,
my rest and my tranquility, my refuge, my possession, my treasure.
In You may my mind and my heart be fixed and secure
and rooted forever without any change.
Amen.
Prayer of Saint Thomas Aquinas
Lord, Holy Father and Ever Living God, I thank You.
For though I am a sinner and Your unprofitable servant,
You have fed me with the precious Body and Blood of Your Son,
Our Lord Jesus Christ.
You did this not because I deserved it,
but because You are kind and merciful.
I pray that this Holy Communion
may not add to my guilt and punishment,
But may lead me to forgiveness and salvation.
May it be for me the armor of faith and the shield of good will.
May it purify my evil ways and put an end to my base passions.
May it bring me charity and patience, humility and obedience,
and may it strengthen my power to do every kind of good.
May it be a strong defense against the deceit of all my enemies,
visible and invisible.
May it perfectly calm all my evil impulses, bodily and spiritual.
May it unite me more closely to You, the One True God;
May it bring me possession of the goal I long for.
And I pray that You will lead me, a sinner,
to the magnificent banquet where You, with Your Son and Holy Spirit,
are for all Your saints true light, total fulfillment, everlasting joy,
gladness without end, exquisite delight, and most pure happiness.
Grant this through Christ Our Lord.
Amen.
Anima Christi
Soul of Christ, sanctify me.
Body of Christ, save me.
Blood of Christ inebriate me.
Water from the side of Christ, wash me.
Passion of Christ strengthen me.
Good Jesus hear me.
Within Your wounds, hide me.
Apart from You, let me never be.
From the enemy, defend me.
At the hour of my death, call me.
And close to You bid me,
that with Your saints and angels
I may always be praising You eternally.
Amen.
Prayer of Saint Padre Pio
Stay with me Lord,
for it is necessary to have You presentso that I do not forget You.
You know how easily I abandon You.
Stay with me Lord,
because I am weak and need Your strength, that I may not fall so often.
Stay with me Lord,
for You are my life, as without You, I am in darkness.
Stay with me Lord, to show me Your will.
Stay with me Lord, so that I hear Your vouce and follow You.
Stay with me Lord,
for I desire to love You very much, and always be in Your company.
Stay with me Lord, if You wish me to be faithful to You.
Stay with me Lord, as poor as my soul is,
I want it to be a place of consolation for You, a nest of love.
Let me recognize You as Your apostles did in the breaking of the bread,
so that the Eucharistic Communion
may be the light which dispenses the darkness,
the force which sustains me, the unique joy of my heart.
Stay with me Lord, for it is You alone I look for,
Your love, your grace. Your will, Your heart, Your Spirit,
because I love You and I ask no other reward
but to love You more and more.
Amen.
Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary
Mary, Most Holy Virgin Mother, look down upon me.
I have now received your most dear Son.You conceived Him in your Immaculate Womb;
You gave birth to Him, and nursed Him,
and enfolded Him with the most loving embraces.
Humbly and with love I now present to you anew this Son of yours.
His very appearance brought you joy with all delight.
I offer Him to you,
that you may hold Him again in your arms
and love Him with all your heart.
I do this as an act of worship of the Most Holy Trinity,
and I offer Him for your honor and glory,
that through Him my needs
and those of the whole world may be fulfilled.
I ask you, most dear Mother, to obtain for me the forgiveness of my sins,
the grace of serving Jesus from now on,
and the gift of perseverance, so that with you I may praise Him forever.
Amen.
Oblatio Sui
Lord, take all my freedom.
Accept my memory, my understanding, and my will.
You have given all to me all that I hold dear.
I return it to You, that it may be governed by Your will.
Give me only Your grace and the gift of loving You,
and I will be rich enough; I will ask nothing more.
Amen.