Prayers

To be able to rise with a cheerful heart while the Angelus’ chimes do ring;
To be able to offer thanks and prayers for the blessings the day will bring;
To be able to meet my sisters all with a greeting kind and gay;
To be able to do my duty well through the hours of the live-long day,
Help me God.

To be able to seek and find the good every kindness to be done;
To be able to meet temptation’s lure and make sure that the battle’s won;
To be able to help all those in need, most the timid, poor, and weak’;
To be able with patience, cheer, and love, only Christian words to speak,
Help me God.

To be able to do my daily work with my soul a-singing a song;
To be able to frown away a frown, and to smile when all goes wrong;
To be able to bring some happiness into hearts where ‘tis unknown;
To be able to lighten my sister’s cross while resignedly carrying my own,
Help me O God.

Heavenly Father, we thank You for the many blessings You have bestowed upon us, and for bringing us together with our CDA sisters as we celebrate our faith and common goals.

We reflect on the sacrifices and dedication of those You sent before us, who formed the strong traditions and deep character traits of our Order. We are deeply grateful for the lessons they taught us - hard work, empathy, patience, patriotism, perseverance, honesty, integrity, love, service, forgiveness, compassion, and above all, deep faith in Your presence. Help us to continue to be mindful of their influence on our lives and to honor their memory through our daily thoughts and actions.

We ask that You continue to watch over and protect our court members, our families, those we serve, and the clergy of our beloved Catholic Church. Help us to recognize the good things You bring. Teach us to slow down long enough to appreciate Your blessings and to hear Your whisper. Guide us to accept our trials and tribulations with grace and an understanding of the plans You have for us. Help us submit to Your Will and summons.

Keep us mindful of Your presence in our lives as we look to the future. Help us impart the wisdom of our forefathers and leadership of the Catholic Daughters, and mirror their deep commitment to family, country, and Church.

We pray for our nation, “One Nation Under God,” for Texas, “One State Under God,” and for the Order of The Catholic Daughters of the Americas, grounded in Unity and Charity and dignity for all. Keep us safe as we travel the road You have laid before us. As Your humble servants, we ask these things in Your Most Holy Name, Amen.

May you walk with God today in whatever you do and wherever you go.

Walking with God means walking with honesty and courage, love and respect, and concern for the feelings of others.

May you talk to God every day, and in every situation.

Talking with God means praying words of praise for the beauty of creation, saying prayers of thanks for friends and good times, asking God's help in all your decisions, and expressing sorrow when you have failed.

May you walk and talk with God every day.

Amen

Dear Jesus, Help us to remember that the Catholic Daughters of the Americas is composed of all types of women, all of whom are children of God. Our Courts will be filled, if we fill them. They will do great work, if we work. They will make generous gifts to many causes if we are generous. They will bring other women into its fellowship, if we bring them.

Catholic Daughters will be an organization of loyalty, love, faith, and noble spirit, if its members, who make it what it is, are filled with those qualities. Therefore, with the help of God, we dedicate ourselves to the task of being all that we can be so that our Order continues to contribute to the benefit of Catholic womanhood, and that it may spread Unity and Charity among all members.

Amen

Lord, You invite all who are burdened to come to You.

Allow Your healing hand to heal me.

Touch my soul with Your courage and infinite love for all.

Touch my mind with Your wisdom, that my mouth may always proclaim Your praise.

Teach me to reach out to You in my need, and help me to lead others to You by example.

Most loving heart of Jesus, bring me health in body and in spirit that I may serve You with all my strength.

Touch gently this life which You have created, now and forever.

Amen

Almighty God, Author of all life, You created us in your image and sent Your Son to bring us life.

Instill in us a respect for all life, from conception to natural death.

Inspire us to cherish the fragile life of the unborn.

Empower us to work for justice for the poor.

Nourish us that we may bring food to the hungry.

Guide us in protecting all Your children from harm and help us to bring comfort to all the victims of abuse in our communities.

Strengthen us to bring comfort to those who are neglected or chronically ill.

Teach us to treat the aging with dignity and respect.

Motivate us to a more devout prayer along with acts of service and charity that will lead to a greater respect for all life.

Bring us one day into the glory of everlasting life.

We ask this in Jesus’ name.

Amen.

Lord Jesus

I give You my hands to do Your work;

I give You my feet to go Your way;

I give You my eyes to see as You do;

I give You my tongue to speak Your words;

I give You my mind that You may think in me;

Above all, I give You my heart that You may love in me, You, Father and all mankind;

I give You my whole life that You may grow in me,

So that it may be You, Lord Jesus, who works and loves and prays in me.

Amen

May today be all that you need it to be.

May the peace of God and the freshness of the Holy Spirit rest in your thoughts, rule in your dreams tonight, and conquer all your fears.

May God manifest Himself today in ways that you have never experienced.

May your joys be fulfilled, your dreams be closer, and your prayers be answered.

I pray that faith enters a new height for you. I pray your territory be enlarged, and I pray that you step within your destiny in the ministry.

I pray for peace, health, happiness, and true and undying love for God.

Today Lord, I will pray not only believing that You will answer my prayers, I will pray knowing that You answer all our prayers according to Your Will.

Amen

(sung to the tune of “My Country Tis of Thee”)

Now sing, each loyal heart, in union, ere we part, and this foreseen, even though we number few, much may we dare and do, If to our standards true, we faithful be.

Then let us right the wrong, and let our faith be strong, Enduring, brave; thus shall all error flee, and blest our work shall be, When through true charity we seek to save.

(sung to the tune of “Oh Christmas Tree”)

Hail Glorious faith of ancient days!
Hail Church of God, O flower most fair!
We lift the cross beyond the clouds, and find the crown of glory there.
As members of a loyal band, we meet today in this fair land.
Then swell the chorus sweet and grand, and pledge anew that faith divine.

Hail, Emblem of our Country dear!
Long may it wave in freedom’s cause.
As Catholic Daughters of the land, we will uphold thy sacred laws.
Thy bars reflect the dawn of day.
Thy stars are sent in Heaven’s array, and with the cross shall lead the way to God and home triumphantly.

Enkindle the Fire of Your Love.

Transform all that is fearful into boldness of heart.

Inspire Your servant with Wonder and Awe at the Mystery of Your Presence.

Confirm Your friend in compassion and forgiveness.

Whisper discernment in the midst of confusion;

Reverence in the face of diversity;

Patience with the unfolding of life and forever anoint Your messenger with Joy.

Amen

God made us family.
We need one another.
We love one another.
We forgive one another.
We work together.
We play together.
We worship together.
Together we learn God’s Word.
Together we grow in Christ.
Together we love all people.
Together we serve God.
Together we hope for Heaven.
These are our prayers.
Help us obtain them, Father,
through Jesus Your Son, Our Lord,

Amen

Dearest Jesus, help me and each member of my family to thoughtfully consider the moral and spiritual harm of inappropriate pictures found on the television, movies, magazines, emails and the internet. Give us the courage to remove ourselves from these occasions of sin. Preserve us from the evil around us and turn our eyes to You, for You have promised that the pure of heart will see God. Send your Holy Spirit upon us to fill us with Your grace, and keep us pure of heart. In Jesus’ name we pray.

Amen.

They asked me to be an officer of CDA, I said, “Oh no, I couldn’t do that, my plate is already full.” But God pointed His finger at me.

I said “I’m just a small town girl, someone else may do better, you see.” He said, “My disciples were simple folk.” And He pointed His finger at me.

I said, “My family demands all my time, so the happier they will be.” He said, “you’ll grow in patience and love.” And He pointed His finger at me.

I said, “I can’t. For I get so nervous, so nervous I can scarcely see.” But He promised He would calm my fears, As He pointed His finger at me.

“But in CDA there is so much to do, and with them I do not always agree.” Tolerance and understanding He promised As He pointed His finger at me.

I said, “My talents are few, a leader I’ll never be.” He said, “But they shall be multiplied.” And He pointed His finger at me.

I said, “I’d like to use my leisure time, to gain popularity.” He said, “God’s love is more important than man’s.” And He pointed His finger at me.

So I said a prayer and answered “Yes”, to this fine opportunity. My life has been blessed in many ways Since He pointed His finger at me.

If you are called the Lord’s work to do, say “Yes, I give all to Thee.” And you too will be glad as I have been glad, That God pointed His finger at me.

We dedicate the Ceremonials of the Catholic Daughters of the Americas to Mary, Our Blessed Mother, for she is to each of us a model of Christian life and of what womanhood represents.

Mary is our Spiritual Mother and the Patroness of our Order. As Mother of God and Queen of Heaven, she is the example of what each Christian woman hopes to become.

Mary, a prayerful woman, is a woman dedicated to the service of God and others. We learn from Mary the meaning of true devotion to God and love of neighbor.

Dearest Mother of God, Intercede for us in our time of need and celebrate with us in times of joy. May our role as a Christian woman be a reflection of you.

Amen

Our lives are but fine weavings that God and we prepare, Each life becomes a fabric planned and fashioned in His care.

We may not always see just how the weavings intertwine, But we must trust the Master’s Hand and follow His design.

For He can view the pattern upon the upper side, While we must look from underneath and trust in Him to guide...

Sometimes a strand of sorrow is added to His plan, and though it is difficult for us, we still must understand, it’s He who fills the shuttle, it’s He who knows what’s best, So we must weave in patience and leave to Him the rest…

Not till the loom is silent and the shuttles cease to fly, shall God unroll the canvas and explain the reason why.

The dark threads are needed in the Weaver’s skillful hand, as the threads of gold and silver, reveal the pattern He has planned.

Thank you Lord for being our Master, for weaving precious lives into our pattern of life, and for walking the times of joy and sorrow with us. Thank you for the sliver and gold in my life.

Amen

Thank You Lord, on this day, For our many great blessings. Thank You Lord, on this day, For the Catholic Daughters.

Glory to God, may You hear our prayers, Guide us on forever. Thank You Lord, on this day, For our blessings and friendships.

Bless our friends, bless our food, Come oh Lord and sit with us. Make our talk glow with peace, Come with Your love to surround us.

Friendship and love, may they bloom and grow, Bloom and grow forever. Bless our friends, bless our food, Bless Catholic Daughters forever.

(from the 56th Biennial National Convention Banquet Program)

God, our creator and sustainer, You loved us long before we knew ourselves to be lovable and You still love us. Give us, we pray, a greater awareness of Your love for all people, and a confidence in the action of Your grace in us and in Your Church.

Inspire us with a greater sensitivity to the poor and oppressed. Give us the courage to act on their behalf. We praise You today for Your mysterious ways among us, and for Your presence in the midst of human affairs. By the power of Your Spirit, may we grow in the truth that impels us to act justly, giving expression to compassion and hope.

Let us repeat, as Mother Teresa did each morning, her daily prayer:

Dear Jesus, help me to spread Your fragrance everywhere I go. Flood my soul with Your Spirit and Your love. Penetrate and possess my whole being so utterly that all my life may only be a radiance of You.

Shine through me, and be so in me, that every soul I come in contact with may feel Your presence in my soul. Let them look up and see no longer me, but only Jesus. Stay with me and then I shall begin to shine as to shine; so to shine as to be a light to others.

Amen

Father, thank You for my family. I ask that You bless them with your favor.

Provide for all of their needs. I ask You to protect them from harm and evil.

Surround them in the shadow of Your wing. Go before them and prepare the way for them.

If any path is crooked, I ask you to make it straight.

Protect them from the schemes of the enemy and keep them from deception.

Bring Your perfect peace to their hearts. In Jesus’ name I pray.

Amen.

Here in your inner sanctum,
here where my eyes behold the purple and white of penance,
twined in a cross of gold.

Here where my lips now tremble in the pledge of a solemn oath,
Charity and Unity, please God, teach me to know them both.

Here where your Virgin Mother is the symbol of womanhood;
where all that I see betokens that which is kind and good,
help me to keep these precepts.

Help me to be worthy of the name “Catholic Daughter” in its beautiful entirety.

God of the universe,
We thank You for Your many good gifts;
For the beauty of Creation and its rich and varied fruits,
For clean water and fresh air, for food and shelter, animals and plants.

Forgive us for the times we have taken the earth's resources for granted and wasted what You have given us.
Transform our hearts and minds so that we would learn to care and share;
To touch the earth with gentleness and with love, respecting all living things.

We pray for all those who suffer as a result of our waste, greed and indifference,
And we pray that the day would come when everyone has enough food and clean water.
Help us to respect the rights of all people and all species.
Help us to willingly share your gifts, today and always.

Amen.

Soul of Christ, sanctify me.

Body of Christ, save me.

Blood of Christ, inebriate me.

Water from the side of Christ, strengthen me.

O good Jesus, hear me.

Within Your wounds, hide me.

Separated from You let me never be.

From the malignant enemy, defend me.

At the hour of death, call me.

To come to You, bid me.

That I may praise You in the company of Your saints for all eternity.

Amen

Fill us Lord, with the warm and serene beams of Your light to guide our steps in Your way.

Grant us the strength and vitality of Your own life within us, that we may accomplish well the mission You have given us as Catholic Daughters of the Americas.

We ask for the depth and energy of Your love to help us seek a set of strong values, to touch each person You send into our lives who need Your caring presence.

Keep us faithful to the motto of our Order, “Unity and Charity,” and faithful to the light, life, and love given us through Your Church, that we may serve You, and the members of Your Mystical Body, generously.

May Your light shine from us and Your love animate us.

In Jesus’ name we pray.

Amen

Holy Virgin Mary, you are reigning in glory, with Jesus, your Son.
Remember us in our sadness. Look kindly on all who are suffering or fighting against any difficulty.
Have pity on those who are separated from someone they love.
Have pity on the loneliness of our hearts.
Have pity on the weakness of our faith and love.
Have pity on those who are weeping, on those who are praying, on those who are fearful.
Holy Mother, please obtain for all of us hope and peace with justice.
Amen.
 

"...to my words be attentive, to my sayings incline your ear; let them not slip from your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them, bringing health to one's whole being."   Proverbs 4:20-22