Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak, and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid; one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory

Lead him, I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort, but under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenge.  Here let him learn to stand up in the storm; here let him learn compassion for those who fail.

Build me a son whose heart will be clear, whose goal will be high, a son who will master himself before he seeks to master other men, one who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past.

And, after all these things are his, give him, I pray, enough of a sense of humor, so that he may always be serious, yet never take himself too seriously.

Give him humility, so that he may always remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true strength. Then I, his father, will dare to whisper, ‘I have not lived in vain.

Amen

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Act of Entrustment to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary (For Young People)

Virgin of Fatima, my dearly beloved Mother, I entrust myself today, in a very special way, to your Immaculate Heart.

By this solemn act, I offer my whole life to you, my heart, my soul, my body and especially this time of my youth in which I am now living.

Guide me along the way that Jesus has traced out for us.
 
The way of love, of goodness and of sanctity.

Help me to flee from sin, from evil and from egoism and to resist temptations to violence, to impurity, and to drugs.

I promise you to go to confession often and to recieve Jesus into my heart as my spiritual food of life, to observe the commandments of God and to walk along the road of love and purity.

I want to be a witness of unity by my great love for the Pope, for my bishop, and for my priests.

I love you, 0 sweetest Mother of mine, and I offer you my youth for the triumph of your Immaculate Heart in the world

Amen

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Graduation Prayer

Father,  I have knowledge, so will You show me now, How to use it wisely and find a way somehow To make the world I live in a little better place, And make life with its problems a little bit easier to face. Grant me faith and courage and put purpose in my days, And show me how to serve Thee in effective ways. So my education, my knowledge and my skill May find their ture fulfillment as I learn to do Thy will. And may I ever be aware in everything I do, That knowledge comes from learning, and wisdom comes from You.

Amen

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Prayer for Healing the Family Tree

Heavenly Father, I come before You as Your child, in great need of Your help. I have physical health needs, emotional needs, spiritual needs, and interpersonal needs. Many of my problems have been caused by my own failures, neglect and sinfulness, for which I humbly beg Your forgiveness, Lord. But I also ask You to forgive the sins of my ancestors whose failures have left their effects on me in the form of unwanted tendencies, behavior patterns and defects in body, mind and spirit. Heal me, Lord, of all these disorders.

With Your help I sincerely forgive everyone, especially living or dead members of my family tree, who have directly offended me or my loved ones in any way, or those whose sins have resulted in our present sufferings and disorders. In the name of Your divine Son Jesus, and in the power of His Holy Spirit, I ask You, Father, to deliver me and my entire family tree from the influence of the evil one. Free all living and dead members of my family tree, including those in adoptive relationships, and those in extended family relationships, from every contaminating form of bondage. By Your loving concern for us, heavenly Father, and by the shed blood of your Precious Son Jesus, I beg You to extend Your blessing to me and all my living and deceased relatives. Heal every negative effect transmitted through all past generations, and prevent such negative effects in future generations of my family tree.

I symbolically place the Cross of Jesus over the head of each person in my family tree, and between each generation; I ask You to let the cleansing blood of Jesus purify the blood lines in my family lineage. Set Your protective angels to encamp around us, and permit Archangel Raphael, the patron of healing, to administer Your divine healing power to all of us, even in areas of genetic disability. Give special power to our family members' guardian angels to heal, protect, guide and encourage each of us in all our needs. Let Your healing power be released at this very moment and let it continue as long as Your sovereignty permits.
In our family tree, Lord, replace all bondage with a holy bonding in family love. And let there be an ever deeper bonding with You, Lord, by the Holy Spirit, to Your Son Jesus. Let the family of the Holy Trinity pervade our family with its tender, warm, loving presence, so that our family may recognize and manifest that love in all our relationships. All of our unknown needs we include with this petition that we pray in Jesus precious Name.

Amen

(Rev. John H. Hampsch, C.M.F.)

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Prayer for our Youth

God, our Father, we thank You for the gift of love and the gift of life. We thank you for the gift of our children. We ask You to send Your holy angels to protect and guide them each day so that they will walk the narrow path of purity, self-control and obedience, as was taught to us by Your own Son, Jesus Christ. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord, in union with the Holy Spirit.

Amen

Our Lady of Guadalupe . . . pray for our youth.
St. Michael . . . pray for our youth.
St. Charles Borromeo . . . pray for our youth

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Prayer for the Entrustment of the Family

Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary, I come to you to entrust myself, my entire family, and my parish family to your two hearts. I desire to renew the vows of my baptism and place each member of my family through an act of faith, hope and love into loving union with the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. I dedicate myself, each member of my family, and my parish family to the Guardian Angels God has given each one of us. O Holy Guardian Angels, enlighten, guide and protect each one so as to lead us safely home to heaven.

At Fatima, dear Mother of God, you appeared with St. Joseph and the Child Jesus blessing the world. O Holy Family, bestow blessings upon me, my entire family, and my parish family so that we may live the Christ - life. I desire that each member of my family, and my parish family adore always the Most Blessed Trinity and love our God in the most Blessed Sacrament.

Grant peace to each member of my family, and my parish family. Keep each one in the grace of Jesus Christ. Never permit any of my family, or my parish family to stray from the true faith. (For any family member, or parish family member, who has strayed, I beseech you to bind up the wounds, lift up the fallen, restore and keep each of our loved ones in grace. Bid them come back to their Father's true home.)

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Prayer of Children for their Parents

O Almighty God, you gave us the commandment to honor our father and mother. In your loving kindness hear my prayer for my parents. Give them long lives and keep them well in body and spirit. Bless their labors; keep them always in your care. Bless them generously for their loving care for me. Grant that, through your grace, I may always be their support and comfort, and that, after our life together on earth, we may experience the joy of together praising you forever.

Amen

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Prayer of Parents for their Children

O Lord, omnipotent Father, we give you thanks for having given us children. They are our joy, and we accept with serenity the worries, fears and labors which bring us pain. Help us to love them sincerely. Through us you gave life to them; from eternity you knew them and loved them. Give us the wisdom to guide them, patience to teach them, vigilance to accustom them to the good through our example.

Support our love so that we may receive them back when they have strayed and make them good. It is often so difficult to understand them, to be as they would want us to be, to help them go on their way. Grant that they may always see our home as a haven in their time of need. Teach us and help us, O good Father, through the merits of Jesus, your Son and our Lord.

Amen