Family Prayer Book
Prayers for Young People
This is an extract taken from the Parish of Dungannon’s Family Prayer Book launched in January 2017,focusing on the needs of this particular group.
It includes a selection of prayers for students as they prepare for examinations.
Click here to download the full Family Prayer Book
A youth’s prayer
Mother of God, and my mother too, especially dear
to the heart of Christ because of your purity, obtain
for me a great love of this virtue and determination
to protect it always. Help me to use the means of
safeguarding this priceless jewel of purity, by daily
prayer, by self-control and by frequent reception of
the sacraments of Reconciliation and the Blessed
Eucharist.
Shelter me, loving Mother, in times of danger, and
assist my efforts to keep my thoughts, words and
actions pure, for love of Jesus. Deepen my respect
for the human body – God’s temple – and may I
never forfeit friendship with my Saviour for sinful
gratification, which always brings much distress in its
train.
Relying on your assistance, Virgin most faithful, I will
gladly accept the challenge to live a pure and upright
life. And through your intercession, dearest Mother,
may I obtain, one day, the reward promised to the
clean of heart. Amen
Prayers for students
Mary, Mother of fair love, by whose prayers many
have wonderfully increased in wisdom and holiness,
I choose you as director and patron of my studies. I
humbly pray that you will obtain for me the grace of
the Holy Spirit, so that I may always be able to grasp
with my mind, retain in my memory and share with
others in word and deed everything that honours you
and your Divine Son, and everything that is conducive
to a healthy life here and hereafter. Amen
Examination prayer
Dear Lord,
Help me to approach my examination
With a clear head and a calm mind.
Give me Your strength and Your peace
And let me do justice to all that I have learned.
Thank you, Lord, for all my gifts and talents. Amen
The prayer knot
Dear God,
Please untie the knots that are in my mind,
my heart and my life.
Remove the “have nots”,
the “can nots” and the “do nots”
that I have in my mind.
Erase the “will nots”, “may nots”,
and “might nots” that may find
a home in my heart.
Release me from the “could nots”,
“would nots” and
“should nots” that obstruct my life.
And most of all, Dear God,
I ask that You remove from my mind, my heart and
my life all the “am nots” that I have allowed to hold
me back, especially the thought that I am not good
enough. Amen
For children leaving home
It is time to let go, to stand back as the young
leave home to go out into the world on their own.
Bless them, O Lord in all their endeavours, in their
successes and failures. Guard them from all harm and
evil and make them strong to resist temptation. Lead
them in Your paths that they may be the builders of
life and not destroy Your creation. Teach them Your
ways of justice that they may care for the well-being
of all and not for their needs alone. Guide them in
their search for truth that they may praise You in all
they do.
Let them trust the love of family to support them in
their time of need, to care for their hopes and dreams
and to love them no matter what comes Amen
Cherish
Lord, help me to cherish the last time I really laughed,
and value the last thing that I achieved.
Lord, be by my side so that I can find joy in the
smallest things, appreciate the wonder of Your
creation and live my life to the full. Amen
For a religious vocation
St Gerard Majella, dear runaway for God, you left all
to enter religion and became a saint. And ever after
by word and example you preached the nothingness
of things of earth, the danger of losing one’s soul
eternally in the world, and the peace and joy of living
for God alone. You wished others to share happiness,
and encouraged and helped many to give themselves
to God. Help me now, I implore you. I wish to save
my soul, to love and serve God with all my heart and
to help save the souls of others. Beg for me from God,
if it be His holy will, the grace of a religious vocation,
the courage to leave all for Jesus, and all the help
necessary to persevere to death in the religious state,
faithful to Jesus and Mary. Amen
