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Thursday Prayers

Thursday recalls the Last Supper and is dedicated to the Blessed Sacrament. Here are St Philip Neri's Thursday prayer for love of neighbour, a Thursday prayer for the holy souls, which honours the Eucharist, and prayers of adoration and spiritual communion.

St Philip Neri's Prayer for Thursday: For Love of Our Neighbour

Glorious Saint, who didst devote thyself wholly to the good of thy neighbour, thinking well of all, sympathizing with all, helping all; who throughout thy whole life didst ever try to secure the salvation of all, never shrinking from labour or trouble, keeping for thyself no time or comfort, that thou mightest win all hearts to God; pray for me, that, together with the pardon of all my sins, I may have charity for my neighbour, and be henceforth more compassionate to him in his necessities; and obtain for me grace that I may love every man with pure unselfish love as my own brother, succouring each one, if I am unable to do it with temporal good, at least with prayers and good advice. And teach me too, on every occasion, to defend the honour of my neighbour, and never to say to him a hurtful or displeasing word; but ever to maintain, even with my enemies, sweetness of spirit like thy own, whereby thou didst triumph over thy persecutors. Blessed Saint, ask of God for me also this lovely virtue, which already thou hast gained for so many of thy clients; that so we may all one day come to praise our God with thee in an eternity of bliss.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

From the Raccolta (1910)

On Thursdays the rosary's luminous mysteries are prayed. Start the rosary

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For the Holy Souls on Thursday

O Lord God Almighty, I pray Thee, by the Precious Body and Blood of thy Divine Son Jesus, which He gave with his own hands upon the eve of his Passion to his beloved Apostles to be their meat and drink, and which He left to his whole Church to be a perpetual sacrifice and the life-giving food of his own faithful people, deliver the souls in purgatory, and especially that one which was most devoted to this mystery of infinite love, that it may with the same thy Divine Son, and with thy Holy Spirit, ever praise Thee for thy love therein in eternal glory. Amen.

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

From the Raccolta (1910)

Tantum Ergo

St Thomas Aquinas; English by Edward Caswall

Down in adoration falling,Lo! the sacred Host we hail;Lo! o'er ancient forms departing,Newer rites of grace prevail;Faith for all defects supplying,Where the feeble senses fail.

To the everlasting Father,And the Son who reigns on high,With the Holy Ghost proceedingForth from each eternally,Be salvation, honor, blessing,Might and endless majesty. Amen.

Latin

Tantum ergo SacramentumVeneremur cernui:Et antiquum documentumNovo cedat ritui:Praestet fides supplementumSensuum defectui.

Genitori, GenitoqueLaus et iubilatio,Salus, honor, virtus quoqueSit et benedictio:Procedenti ab utroqueCompar sit laudatio. Amen.

Latin from the Mass Every Day of the Year: The Roman Missal (1916)

From the Complete Manual of Catholic Piety (1844)

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Act of Spiritual Communion

St Alphonsus Liguori

My Jesus, I believe that Thou art in the Blessed Sacrament. I love Thee above everything, and I long for Thee in my soul. Since I cannot now receive Thee sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. As though Thou wert already come, I embrace Thee and unite myself entirely to Thee; allow me not to be separated from Thee.

From the Raccolta (1910)

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Anima Christi

Soul of Christ, sanctify me. Body of Christ, save me. Blood of Christ, inebriate me. Water from the side of Christ, wash me. Passion of Christ, strengthen me. O good Jesus, hear me. Within thy wounds hide me. Suffer me not to be separated from thee. From the malignant enemy defend me. In the hour of my death call me, and bid me come to thee, that with thy saints I may praise thee for ever and ever. Amen.

Latin

Anima Christi, sanctifica me. Corpus Christi, salva me. Sanguis Christi, inebria me. Aqua lateris Christi, lava me. Passio Christi, conforta me. O bone Iesu, exaudi me. Intra tua vulnera absconde me. Ne permittas me separari a te. Ab hoste maligno defende me. In hora mortis meae voca me, et iube me venire ad te, ut cum Sanctis tuis laudem te in saecula saeculorum. Amen.

Latin from Medulla pietatis Christianae (1868)

Line by line with the English: Anima Christi in Latin

From the League Devotions for the Apostleship of Prayer (1895)

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Questions

Why is Thursday dedicated to the Blessed Sacrament?

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