Prayer is a very personal activity. It is the key to an individual’s relationship with God. It has been called “keeping company with God”. Catholics believe that the Holy Spirit is the inspirer of all prayer.
Prayer can be private or communal, silent or aloud, traditional or spontaneous. There are as many ways to pray as there are people. Prayers can be adoration, petitions, intercession, thanksgiving and praise. Above all, all prayers should come from our hearts and be our response to God’s love for us.
In both public and private prayer there are formulas which are approved by the Church, or have become well-loved by members of the Church.
This section is designed to give examples of different types of prayer, in particular those which are met most frequently in Lourdes.