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Monday Prayers

Catholic custom gives Monday to the holy souls in purgatory, and many people begin the week by praying for their dead. Here are St Philip Neri's Monday prayer for patience, a Monday prayer for the holy souls, the Eternal Rest and the De profundis (Psalm 130).

St Philip Neri's Prayer for Monday: For Patience

St Philip, my patron Saint, whose heart was ever so constant in time of trouble, and whose spirit was so loving under suffering that, when persecuted by the jealous, or calumniated by the wicked who thought to discredit thy sanctity, or, when tried by God with many long painful infirmities, thou didst always bear thy trials with wonderful tranquillity of heart and mind; pray for me that I may have a spirit of true courage in every adversity. Alas, how much I stand in need of patience! I shrink from every little trouble; I sicken under every light affliction; I fire up at and resent every trifling contradiction; never setting myself to learn that the road to Paradise lies amidst the thorns of tribulation. Yet was this the path our Divine Master deigned to tread, and this too, my saintly patron, was thy path also. Obtain for me, then, this courage, that with good hearty will I may embrace the crosses which every day I receive from God, and bear them all with the same endurance and ready will which thou didst manifest on earth; that so I may be made worthy to enjoy the blessed fruit of sufferings with thee in heaven above.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

From the Raccolta (1910)

On Mondays the rosary's joyful mysteries are prayed. Start the rosary

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For the Holy Souls on Monday

O Lord God Almighty, I pray Thee, by the Precious Blood which thy Divine Son Jesus shed in his cruel scourging, deliver the souls in purgatory, and that soul especially amongst them all which is nearest to its entrance into thy glory; that so it may forthwith begin to praise and bless Thee for ever. Amen.

Our Father, Hail Mary, and the De profundis (Psalm 130).

From the Raccolta (1910)

Eternal Rest

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.

Latin

Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis. Requiescant in pace. Amen.

Latin from Medulla pietatis Christianae (1868)

From the Mass: The Holy Sacrifice (1915)

Also on Eternal Rest Prayer

Out of the Depths (Psalm 130)

1Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O LORD. 2Lord, hear my voice: let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications. 3If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? 4But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared. 5I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope. 6My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning. 7Let Israel hope in the LORD: for with the LORD there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption. 8And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.

Psalm 130, King James Version

Also on Funeral Prayers

Questions

Why is Monday dedicated to the holy souls?

Catholic custom gives each day of the week a devotion: Sunday the Holy Trinity, Monday the holy souls, Tuesday the angels, Wednesday St Joseph, Thursday the Blessed Sacrament, Friday the Passion and Sacred Heart, and Saturday Our Lady. The customs are old and vary from place to place; none is required.

Who was St Philip Neri?

A priest of Rome (1515-1595) who founded the Oratory and was loved for his cheerfulness and his care for the young. His prayers for the week ask for a different virtue each day: humility, patience, purity, the love of God, love of neighbour, detachment and perseverance.

Do I have to pray all of them?

No. Choose one or two: for example, St Philip's prayer for the day's virtue in the morning and the prayer for the holy souls in the evening.

Prayers for the other days of the week