Welcome to the Athboy Parish Prayer Space
Prayer is an essential and life giving part of our faith. Spontaneous prayer together with traditional prayers are important in our lives. One can be enriched by the other and our faith can be helped to grow and develop by using both.
This space is dedicated to prayers, scripture and inspirational thoughts that you may find useful.
Traditionally October and May are months of devotion to Our Lady and we are encouraged to pray the Rosary with our family at home. The Rosary invites us to meditate on the joyful, sorrowful, luminous and glorious mysteries of Christ.
TO MARY FOR THE SICK
Mary, health of the sick,
be at the bedside of all the world’s sick people;
of those who are unconscious and dying;
of those who have begun their agony;
Of those who have abandoned all hope of a cure;
Of those who weep and cry out in pain;
Of those who cannot receive care because they are poor;
of those who need to be resting;
but who are forced to work;
for those who seek in vain for a less painful position in their beds;
for those who pass long nights sleepless;
of those who are tormented by the cares of a family in distress;
of those who must renounce their plans for the future;
of those, above all,
who do not believe in a better life;
of those who rebel and curse God;
of those who do not know that Christ suffered like them and for them.
PRAYER TO THE VIRGIN MARY AFTER HOLY COMMUNION
Mary, Holy Virgin Mother,
I have received your Son, Jesus Christ,
With love you became his mother,
gave birth to him, nursed him,
and helped him grow to manhood.
With love I return him to you,
to hold once more,
to love with all your heart,
and to offer to the Holy Trinity
as our supreme act of worship
for your honour and
for all the good of all pilgrim brothers and sisters.
Mother, ask God to forgive my sins
and to help me serve him more faithfully.
Keep me true to Christ until death,
and let me come to praise him with you
for ever and ever. Amen.
POPE FRANCIS’ PRAYER TO OUR LADY UNDOER OF KNOTS
Holy Mary, full of presence during the days of your life,
you accepted with full humility and Father’s will
and the Devil was never capable of distracting you with his confusion.
Once with your Son you interceded for our difficulties
and full of kindness and patience
you gave us an example of how to untie the knots of our life.
By remaining forever Our Mother,
you make it more clear how to put in order
the ties that link us to the Lord.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, and our Mother,
to you, who untie with motherly love the knots of our life,
we pray to you to receive into your hands (the name of the person)
and to free him/her of the knots and confusion
with which the enemy attacks him/her.
Through your grace,
your intercession and your example,
deliver us from all evil and untie the knots that prevent us from being united with God,
so that we, free from sin and error,
may find Him in all things,
and that we may place our hearts in Him,
and may serve Him always in our brothers and sisters. Amen
MEMORARE
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, I fly to thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother; to thee do I come; before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.
HAIL, HOLY QUEEN, mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Amen.
Take my hand, O Blessed Mother,
Hold me firmly lest I fall,
I am nervous when I am walking,
And to thee I humbly call.
Guide me over every crossing,
Watch me when I am on my way,
Let me know you are beside me,
Listen to my frequent prayers,
Bring me to my destination,
Safely every single day,
Help me with my understanding,
As the hours pass away.
And when evening falls upon me,
And I fear to be alone,
Take my hand O Blessed Mother,
And once again guide me home.