Prayers for the Family and Home

Prayer for Good Priests

Lord, the harvest is abundant and good laborers are few, so I beseech you: Enkindle in many young men a holy desire for the priesthood and a religious vocation! Grant to all whom You call, the grace never to become weary and feeble. Be their light; help them fulfill their divine call! Give to laborers in your field and garden, firm faith, unwavering hope and unconditional love! Amen.

Prayer for Married Couples Desiring Children

Mary and Joseph, whom God has granted the grace to know and rejoice in the happiness of parenthood, we beseech you to obtain from our Redeemer the grace of conceiving a healthy child, which we earnestly long for.

However, if it is God’s will that we remain childless, we pray that you may encourage us to adopt an abandoned child with love and to raise him for the love of God. Amen.

Prayer of an Expectant Mother for her Child

o Mary, watch over the child that I carry, so that it may always be happy, noble and just. Help me to love my husband ever more, the father of my child. I beseech you that my labor may be less painful, even though I am earnestly awaiting the birth of this new creation. Watch over the doctors who are taking care of me and the baby. Help them to carry out their duties carefully.

o Lord, may the life of this child be for Your greater glory, in health, sickness, success as well as failure. Lord, You trusted

Mary to be the Mother of Your Son. I am grateful that You have. entrusted me to be the mother of another child of Yours. Mary, help me to offer all the difficulties of pregnancy and labor with grace and serenity for the good of the child. Mother Mary, protectress of expectant mothers, pray for us.

Prayer for the Gift of Life

Sweet Lord, You gave me the most priceless gift of life. I greatly rejoice in Your gift and I give You thanks and praise for it. I truly desire that my life may be a ceaseless thanksgiving to You. May it also be a help to my brothers and sisters who do not regard this gift with due respect.

I ardently pray for ·married couples who do not wish to be carriers of life. I also pray for those fathers and mothers who are tempted to forcibly end the life of their unborn child. Enlighten them with Your Holy Spirit so that they may realize the magnitude of fatherhood and motherhood, through which they become Your cooperators in the creation of a new life. Grant them illumination of conscience as to the serious consequences that would result should they refuse to participate in this gift of Yours.

Send forth Your sweet angels to chase away the evil spirit from them and with the intercession of the most Holy Mother of God increase their faith, hope and love. By the merits of the life, suffering and death of Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, accept and grant us this petition. Amen. Our Father …

Prayer for Protection of the Family

Lord Jesus, I ask You to protect my family (mention by name) from sickness, from all harm and from accidents. If any of us has been subjected to any curses, hexes or spells, I declare these curses, hexes or spells null and void in the name of Jesus Christ. If any evil spirits have been sent against us, I decommission you in the name ofJesus Christ and I send you to Jesus to deal with as He wills. Then, Lord, I ask You to send Your holy angels to guard and protect all of us. Amen.

Prayer for Blessing of Buildings

o Father, come and visit our home (shop, office, etc.) and protect us from the lures of the enemy; may Your holy angels come to guard our peace and may Your blessing remain with us forever. In Christ Our Lord, Amen.

Lord Jesus Christ, Who said to Your apostles, “In whatever home you enter, greet it, saying, ‘Peace be in this home;” let this same peace, we pray, abide in this place. We beseech You to sanctify it by the merits of our trusting prayer!

Pour Your blessings on it, and make it a place of peace. May salvation enter our abode as it entered the house of Zacchaeus, when You graced it with Your Presence. Entrust Your angels to guard it and banish from it every evil power. Grant that all who live in it may please You with their good works, and so receive from You, when their time comes, the reward of Your heavenly home. We ask this through Christ, Our Lord, Amen.

Blessing for the Night

Visit this house, 0 Lord. Far from our dwelling drive the evil spirits. Under the shadow of Your wings protect us. Be You our guardian through the hours of darkness.

Heavenly Father, bless and comfort the sick and the needy. Visit the captive, solace the afflicted. Shelter the homeless during this night; feed your starving children; strengthen the dying. May they die in Your friendship. And may the faithful departed through Your mercy enter into Your joy and everlasting life. Amen.