PRAYERS WHICH EVERY CATHOLIC SHOULD KNOW BY HEART

The Lord's Prayer - The Angels' Salute to Mary - The Apostles' Creed -
 An Act of Contrition - Hail, Holy Queen   Hail Mary

THE LORD'S PRAYER

Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

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THE ANGEL'S SALUTE TO MARY

Hail, Mary, full of grace! The Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

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THE APOSTLES' CREED

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord; Who was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell; the third day He arose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.

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AN ACT OF CONTRITION

O my God! I am heartily sorry for having offended you, and I detest my sins, because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell, but most of all because they offend you, my God, who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of your grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen.

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HAIL, HOLY QUEEN

Hail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy; our life, our sweetness and our hope! To you do we cry, poor banished children of Eve; to you do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn, then, most gracious Advocate, your eyes of mercy toward us; and after our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus; O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary!

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Hail Mary

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.  Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus.  Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

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WHAT EVERY CATHOLIC MUST BELIEVE

Every Catholic must believe that there is one God, and only one God; that in this one God there are three distinct Persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, all equal and equally one and the same Lord, one and the same God; that God is not only man's creator, but his final end, in whom man can find eternal life through the means supplied by God's Providence; that the Son of God became man in Jesus Christ and is the way that leads to eternal life.

Furthermore, every Catholic must believe that Christ sent the Holy Spirit into the world and established His Church, which possesses His authority in matters pertaining to salvation and continues His mission on earth until the end of the world.

In addition to these altogether basic and fundamental truths, every Catholic should know, according to his capacity and opportunities for instructions, the doctrine contained in the Nicene Creed, what the Church is, as taught by the Second Vatican Council, the Ten Commandments of God, the ordinances of Christ concerning the sacraments and prayer, those laws and regulations of the Church which pertain to him, and the particular duties and obligations of his own state of life.

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WHAT EVERY CATHOLIC MUST DO

The most general duties of all men were revealed in the Ten Commandments. These are set forth here with a brief, albeit incomplete, explanation in the case of each commandment of the obligations which it embraces.

1st - 2nd - 3rd - 4th - 5th - 6th - 7th - 8th - 9th - 10th

I. I AM THE LORD THY GOD: THOU SHALT NOT HAVE STRANGE GODS BEFORE ME.

Under this commandment we are obliged to keep from all idolatry and all practice of false religions. We must also avoid superstition, and by that is meant all manner of divinations, serious fortune-telling, witchcraft, charms, spells, solicitude about omens, black magic, devil worship, etc. Such things as these are contrary to the worship of the true and living God. On the positive side, we must worship God as our first beginning and last end. We give Him this worship, first, by Faith, by which we firmly assent to and accept all those truths which God has taught. Secondly, we worship Him by Hope, by which we do honor to His infinite power, goodness and mercy, and the truth of His promises. Upon these grounds we confidently expect mercy, grace and salvation, through the merits of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Thirdly, we worship God through Love, by which we love Him with our whole heart, for His own sake, and our neighbor as ourself, for the sake of God. And lastly, we worship God through the exercise of the virtue of Religion, that is, through acts of adoration, praise, thanksgiving, offering of ourselves to God, sacrifice and prayer. Besides honoring and worshiping God alone as our Creator and Final End, we must also devoutly reverence and venerate those who are especially near to God, namely, the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, the holy Angels, and the Saints who reign with Him in glory, whose intercession we may profitably and laudably invoke.

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II. THOU SHALT NOT TAKE THE NAME OF THE LORD THY GOD IN VAIN.

Here we are commanded to reverence the name of God by religiously observing all lawful oaths and vows and by avoiding all false, rash, or unjust oaths, and blasphemies.

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III. REMEMBER TO KEEP HOLY THE SABBATH DAY.

This obliges us to dedicate a portion of our time to the service of God, and especially to consecrate to His worship those days appointed by the Church.

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IV. HONOR THY FATHER AND THY MOTHER.

We observe this commandment by loving, reverencing and obeying our parents and other lawful superiors, both spiritual and temporal, by observing the laws of the Church and State, by taking due care of children and others under our charge.

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V. THOU SHALT NOT KILL.

This forbids us to do injury to our neighbor's person by murder or any other act of violence, and obliges us to refrain from hatred, envy, or harboring the desire for revenge. We are obliged to love our neighbor, to promote his spiritual welfare, and to help him in his necessities.
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VI. THOU SHALT NOT COMMIT ADULTERY.

All uncleanness, whether in word or action, is forbidden by this commandment.

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VII. THOU SHALT NOT STEAL.

This obliges us not to steal, cheat, or in any other way to wrong our neighbor in his goods or possessions.
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VIII. THOU SHALT NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS AGAINST YOUR NEIGHBOR.

Just as it is wrong to injure our neighbor in his person and possessions, so it is wrong to injure his good name or character. Furthermore, we are forbidden to tell lies, even when they involve no special injury to others.

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IX. THOU SHALT NOT COVET THY NEIGHBOR'S WIFE.

This commandment requires us to abstain from internal sins of desire contrary to purity, and to keep guard over our thoughts.

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X. THOU SHALT NOT COVET THY NEIGHBOR'S GOODS.

Here we are commanded to restrain all unjust desires, to curb our tendency to avarice and all inordinate appetite for possession and wealth.

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OTHER OBLIGATIONS

The Catholic also has certain special duties laid upon him by the Church. These are known as the Commandments of the Church, which are as follows: 

1. To hear Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation, and to rest from servile (i.e. unnecessary unpleasant physical) work on Sundays; 
2. To observe the days of fasting and abstinence appointed by the Church; 
3. To make one's Easter Duty, that is, to receive Holy Communion at some time during the interval between the first Sunday of Lent and Trinity Sunday; 
4. To contribute, according to one's means, to the necessities of the Church; and 
5. Not to marry within certain degrees of kinship; nor privately without witnesses; nor before State officials or non-Catholic clergymen without the permission of the bishop.

Besides these precepts of the Church, every Catholic should strive 

1. To form the habit of frequent sacramental confession and the reception of Holy Communion; 
2. To give religious training (by example and word) to his children and to use parish schools or religious education programs; 
3. To perform acts of voluntary penance; to join in the missionary and apostolic spirit of the Church; 
4. To pray every day and to read the Scriptures frequently; 
5. To develop a sense of loving brotherhood with other men and women, especially the suffering, the underprivileged, and the oppressed; 
6. And even to adhere to the Church's fallible teachings.
   

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