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Published on: Vocabulary

12 Essential Catholic Prayers in Spanish for Daily Inspiration

The Catholic religion is the most present in the Spanish-speaking world, so if you are a student or if you want to learn Spanish, you should have some notion of this since you will come across the subject at any time if you visit a Spanish-speaking country.

Latin America currently has 425 million Catholics representing almost 35% of the world’s Catholic population. Furthermore, Holy Week, together with Christmas, is the most important Catholic celebration of the year for Spanish speakers, and without a doubt, it is the most important liturgical moment, in which the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ are commemorated. 

Holy Week was originally called “La Gran Semana” (The Great Week). Now it is called Holy Week or Major Week. This week begins with Palm Sunday and ends with Easter Sunday or Resurrection Sunday.

Of course, the Catholic religion has its prayers, which, according to the Church, prayer is a dialogue between God and man. Here is a list of the most important prayers in the Spanish language with their English translation!

What is the Catholic main prayer in Spanish?

The Lord’s Prayer is the Christian prayer by excellence and elaborated by Jesus of Nazareth according to the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke.

The majority of Christian branches regard the Lord’s Prayer as the ultimate common Christian prayer. For the Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, and Protestant Churches, it is the model of Christian prayer. Here is the Spanish and English version.

Padre Nuestro (Our Father) in Spanish

Padre nuestro, que estás en el cielo,

Our Father, who art in heaven,

santificado sea tu Nombre;

allowed be thy name;

venga a nosotros tu reino;

thy kingdom come;

hágase tu voluntad en la tierra como en el cielo.

thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Danos hoy nuestro pan de cada día;

Give us this day our daily bread;

perdona nuestras ofensas,

forgive us our trespasses,

como también nosotros perdonamos a los que nos ofenden;

as we forgive those who trespass against us

no nos dejes caer en la tentación,

and lead us not into temptation,

y líbranos del mal.

And deliver us from evil.

Amén.

Amen.

Other main Catholic prayers in Spanish

The Catholic religion has different typical prayers established, also important and recited during the rosary, together with the Our Father. These are other main Catholic prayers.

Ave Maria – Hail Mary in Spanish

Dios te salve, Maria.

Hail Mary, Hail Mary.

Llena eres de gracia:

Full of grace:

El Señor es contigo.

The Lord is with thee.

Bendita tú eres entre todas las mujeres.

Blessed art thou among women.

Y bendito es el fruto de tu vientre:

And blessed is the fruit of thy womb:

Jesús.

Jesus.

Santa María, Madre de Dios,

Holy Mary, Mother of God,

ruega por nosotros pecadores,

pray for us sinners,

ahora y en la hora de nuestra muerte.

now and at the hour of our death.

Amén.

Amen.

Gloria – Glory Be in Spanish

Gloria al Padre, al Hijo y al Espíritu Santo.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Como era en el principio, ahora y siempre,

As it was in the beginning, now and forever,

por los siglos de los siglos.

forever and ever.

Amén.

Amen.

Image by RobertCheaib via Pixabay

Credo (Creed) in Spanish

Creo en Dios Padre, 

I believe in God the Father, 

Todopoderoso,

Almighty,

Creador del cielo y de la tierra. Y en Jesucristo, su único Hijo,

Creator of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ, his only Son,

Nuestro Señor, que fue concebido por obra y gracia del Espíritu Santo, 

Our Lord, who was conceived by the power and grace of the Holy Spirit, 

nació de Santa María Virgen,

born of the Virgin Mary,

padeció bajo el poder de Poncio Pilato,

suffered under the power of Pontius Pilate,

fue crucificado, muerto y sepultado,

was crucified, died and was buried,

descendió a los infiernos,

descended into hell,

al tercer día resucitó entre los muertos,

on the third day he rose again from the dead,

subió a los cielos y está sentado a la derecha de Dios Padre,

ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father,

Todopoderoso.

Almighty.

Desde allí vendrá a juzgar a vivos y a muertos.

From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

Creo en el Espíritu Santo, la Santa Iglesia Católica,

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church,

la comunión de los santos,

the communion of saints,

el perdón de los pecados, 

the forgiveness of sins, 

la resurrección de la carne

the resurrection of the body

y la vida perdurable.

and life everlasting.

Amén.

Amen.

Catholic Prayers For Everyday Life In Spanish

These Spanish prayers that you will see below are not part of the rosary, but they are used to give thanks and pray in the course of the day, on occasions such as waking up, eating, sleeping, health needs, etc. 

Catholic Morning Prayer In Spanish

Señor, que nada me separe de ti hoy. 

Lord, let nothing separate me from you today. 

Enséñame a elegir solo tu camino hoy 

Teach me to choose only your path today 

para que cada paso me lleve más cerca de ti.

so that each step may lead me closer to you.

Ayúdame a caminar por la Palabra y no por mis sentimientos.

Help me to walk by the Word and not by my feelings.

Ayúdame a mantener mi corazón puro e indiviso.

Help me to keep my heart pure and undivided.

Protégeme de mis propios pensamientos,

Protect me from my own careless thoughts,

palabras y acciones descuidadas.

careless thoughts, words and actions.

Y evita que me distraiga con MIS deseos y MIS pensamientos

And keep me from being distracted by MY desires and MY thoughts about how things should be.

sobre cómo deberían ser las cosas.

about how things should be.

Ayúdame a aceptar lo que se me presenta como una oportunidad

Help me to accept what is presented to me as an opportunity

en lugar de un inconveniente personal.

rather than a personal inconvenience.

Y finalmente, ayúdame a descansar en la verdad del Salmo 86:13,

And finally, help me to rest in the truth of Psalm 86:13,

‘Grande es tu amor hacia mí.’

‘Great is your love for me.’

Ya ves las formas en que me quedaré corto y me equivocaré.

You see the ways in which I will fall short and err.

Pero en este momento,

But at this moment,

conscientemente guardo tu susurro de amor absoluto por mí

I consciously hold your whisper of absolute love for me

en lo más profundo de mi corazón.

Deep in the depths of my heart.

Reconozco que tu amor por mí no se basa en mi desempeño.

I recognize that your love for me is not based on my performance.

Me amas con verrugas y todo

You love me warts and all

Eso es increíble,

That is amazing,

pero lo más sorprendente es que el Salvador del mundo

but what’s more amazing is that the Savior of the world

desearía unos minutos conmigo esta mañana.

I would like a few minutes with me this morning.

Señor, ayúdame a recordar para siempre

Lord, help me to remember forever

el regalo que es sentarme contigo de esta manera.

what a gift it is to sit with you like this.

Amén.

Amen.

Catholic Night Prayer In Spanish

Padre, tú conoces mis preocupaciones

Father, you know my worries

y te preocupas por mis problemas.

and you care about my problems.

Así que les doy estas preocupaciones pesadas.

So I give you these heavy concerns.

Pongo estas situaciones a tus pies.

I lay these situations at your feet.

La cruz vacía es un lugar de descanso,

The empty cross is a place of rest,

donde puedo reflexionar sobre tu resurrección

where I can reflect on your resurrection

y el momento en que venció el amor.

and the moment when love conquered.

Gracias porque tu amor en mí

Thank you that your love in me

puede transformar el paisaje de mi vida.

can transform the landscape of my life.

Camino con paz hacia el nuevo día,

I walk with peace toward the new day,

y en ti pongo mi esperanza. 

and in you, I place my hope. 

Nada está fuera de tu amor redentor,

Nothing is outside your redeeming love,

que ahora descanse sabiendo que iluminarás mi camino y guiarás mi vida.

may I now rest in the knowledge that you will light my path and guide my life.

Amén.

Amen.

Image by jcomp via Freepik

Catholic Prayer Before Meal In Spanish

Padre, te alabo por el alimento que tú provees.

Father, I praise you for the food you provide.

Gracias por satisfacer nuestras necesidades físicas

Thank you for meeting our physical needs 

de hambre y sed.

of hunger and thirst.

Perdónanos por dar por sentado ese simple gozo,

Forgive us for taking this simple joy for granted,

y bendice este alimento para alimentar nuestros cuerpos

and bless this food for nourishing our bodies

hacia tu voluntad para nuestras vidas. 

into your will for our lives. 

Oramos para que seamos energizados 

We pray that we may be energized 

y podamos trabajar para la gloria de tu reino.

that we may work for the glory of your kingdom.

En el Nombre de Jesús,

In Jesus’ Name,

Amén.

Amen.

The Bible has a very advanced level of Spanish but it will surely expand your vocabulary to a master level. On the other hand, if you want to start reading books a little easier, here are 10 Easy Books To Read In Spanish that language learners love.

Oh My Jesus

Oh mi Jesús,

O my Jesus,

perdónanos nuestros pecados,

forgive us our sins,

líbranos del fuego del infierno,

and save us from the fires of hell,

lleva todas las almas al cielo,

lead all souls to Heaven,

especialmente las más necesitadas de tu misericordia. 

especially those most in need of thy mercy. 

Amén.

Amen.

Image by WenPhotos via Pixabay

Last words

Now that you know the main 12 prayers in Spanish, you are ready to visit a Spanish-speaking country during the Catholic holidays. These holidays are not boring at all, in fact, some countries take advantage of them for a little family vacation.

And if you want to learn more about the culture of Spanish-speaking countries, the best thing to do is to have a native teacher who can answer all your questions properly! 

Start today, with a free 1:1 lesson or sign up for a 7-day trial of group lessons and see why SpanishVIP methodology is trusted by thousands of students.

 

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