HIGHER INSTITUTE OF RELIGIOUS

SCIENCES “OUR LADY OF THE PILLAR”

The Prayer of the Faithful

in the Liturgy of the Catholic
Church

MARIA JOSE PEREZ

GONZALEZ Aragoza, 2000
 “You can pray at home, but your prayer does not
have the strength of that which is made by all
the members of the body of the Church,
unanimously and with a single voice (...).
When you hear the deacon's invitation: Let
us pray for the bishop and the priest... for
those present and for the whole land... do
not fail to do what is commanded and with
great readiness of mind, offer your
intentions because you know what
strength our assembly has."

S. John Chrysostom, De
prophetarum obscuritate, 2, 4-5

INDEX

The Prayer of the Faithful in the Liturgy of the Catholic Church....................................................1

 INDEX...........................................................................................................................................3
YO. ORIGIN AND MEANING OF THIS PRAYER...................................................................4
1. Origin..............................................................................................................................4
2. Sense................................................................................................................................6
II. NAME AND CONTENT...................................................................................................7
1. Name...............................................................................................................................7
2. Content............................................................................................................................9
III. CHARACTERISTICS......................................................................................................10
1. Possible definition.........................................................................................................10
2. Moment in which it is carried out.................................................................................10
IV. STRUCTURE...................................................................................................................11
1. Invitation to prayer........................................................................................................11
2. Intentions.......................................................................................................................11
3. The people's response....................................................................................................13
4. The conclusion..............................................................................................................13
V. THE BOOK OF PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL 26.......................................................14
VI. ACRONYM......................................................................................................................15
VII. LITERATURE..................................................................................................................15
I. BOOKS.............................................................................................................................15
II. MAGAZINE ARTICLES.............................................................................................16
VIII. GRADES.......................................................................................................................16
III.
1. Invitation to prayer
2. Intentions
3. The people's response
4. The conclusion
The Prayer of the Faithful in the Liturgy of the Catholic Church....................................................1
INDEX...........................................................................................................................................3
YO. ORIGIN AND MEANING OF THIS PRAYER...................................................................4
1. Origin..............................................................................................................................4
2. Sense................................................................................................................................6
II. NAME AND CONTENT...................................................................................................7
1. Name...............................................................................................................................7
2. Content............................................................................................................................9
 III. CHARACTERISTICS......................................................................................................10
1. Possible definition.........................................................................................................10
2. Moment in which it is carried out.................................................................................10
IV. STRUCTURE...................................................................................................................11
1. Invitation to prayer........................................................................................................11
2. Intentions.......................................................................................................................11
3. The people's response....................................................................................................13
4. The conclusion..............................................................................................................13
V. THE BOOK OF PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL 26.......................................................14
VI. ACRONYM......................................................................................................................15
VII. LITERATURE..................................................................................................................15
I. BOOKS.............................................................................................................................15
II. MAGAZINE ARTICLES.............................................................................................16
VIII. GRADES.......................................................................................................................16
V.
YO. ORIGIN AND MEANING OF THIS PRAYER
1. Origin

Since its origins, the Christian community, as a priestly people, has prayed and
interceded for all men. It is customary, when outlining the historical
foundations of the prayer of the faithful, to refer to the Pauline text addressed
to the disciple Timothy (1 Tim 2:1-4). Paul's recommendation to his faithful
collaborator, many Fathers of the first centuries "have interpreted it as
supplications that must be made either in favor of communities, such as the
Church, people, the Pope, bishops, the poor, or in order to achieve some goods,
such as peace, prosperity, etc."1
The restoration of universal or faithful prayer is undoubtedly one of the
fundamental achievements of liturgical reform:
Let the “common prayer” or “prayer of the faithful” be reestablished after
the Gospel and the homily, especially on Sundays and holy days of
obligation, so that, with the participation of the people, supplications may
be made for the holy Church, for rulers, for those who suffer any need, for
all men and for the salvation of the entire world (SC, 53)
Because of its origin, some claim that it is a direct inheritance from the Jewish
tradition, which added requests to its prayers of praise, such as, for example,
the prayer of the Eighteen Blessings. Saint Justin Martyr has left us a
description of its content and the exact place it occupied in the Eucharistic
celebration.
The original framework was the gathering of Christians for the liturgical
celebration of the Lord's day. After the bishop's sermon, which follows the
reading of the Word of God:
We all rise together and offer our prayers, and when these are finished, as
we said, bread and wine are offered.2
Justin offers us the first testimony of the Prayer of the Faithful. Due to their
chronological proximity, the writings of the African Tertullian are valuable.
In the apology he describes specific intentions for which those gathered for
prayer pray:
We pray for the emperors, for their ministers and authorities, for the
needs of the present world, for tranquility, for the delay of the last day.3
In another work, he specifies the specific place occupied by the universal
liturgical prayers, placing them after the celebration of the Word, according to
this order:
This is followed by the reading of the Scriptures, the singing of the psalms,
the speech is given and the petitions are made.4
Both Justin and Tertullian place the kiss of peace at the end of their prayers.
The solemn prayers of the celebration of Good Friday, which follow the Liturgy
of the Word, are the historical reminder of the survival of a particular form of
prayer of the faithful in the Roman liturgy.
The acceptance of the prayer of the faithful was such that it multiplied
excessively. As a result, it ended up being devalued. Thus, in Rome, universal
prayer disappeared from the Mass towards the 6th century, and was not
reintroduced until the liturgical reform promoted by Vatican II.
The prayer of the faithful died and disappeared from the books of Liturgy:
The only thing that survived from them were just two small vestiges: the
solemn intercessions of Good Friday and, possibly, the "kyrie" of the mass
which, in its origins, may have been, according to some, the response to
the intercessions of the Universal Prayer, abbreviated and moved to the
 beginning of the celebration by the work of St. Gregory the Great5.

2. Sense

Universal prayer is like the other side of evangelization, since “speaking to men
about God cannot be separated from speaking about God to men”6.
It does not mean alienation, it is not done to free oneself from one's own
commitment, but to reinforce it. With it, human poverty and the gratuitousness
of the divine gift are confessed, and a profession of faith is made in the human
capacity resulting from the grace that God gives us. Makes the absent present.
It makes the liturgical meeting universal, giving it an evident missionary
dimension. Hence, before (and still in the Eastern rite) it was concluded with
the embrace of peace, which Tertullian calls the seal of common prayer (De
oratione, 18).
This prayer is called universal, not so much because it takes into account all the
intentions of all the members of the community that celebrates it, but because
all the members take into account the needs of the world. It is the Catholic
prayer of this people who exercise their priestly (mediatory) function in favor
of the entire universe:
Between him (the people) and the nations of the earth, God has placed
Christian communities, however small they may be. Between him and the
sorrows of men, God has placed the intercession of the smallest
community. Universal prayer is the mystery of love that links this
community to the universe.7
Not all litany prayers are “universal” prayers. For example, the prayers of
Lauds, which also have a litanic structure, are prayers for ourselves, and not for
the universal Church.
Aldazábal8 points out how this prayer educates us, infecting us with great
attitudes of faith, if done well:

• It helps us to be universal. It makes us leave our own circle, personal and

communal, and opens our horizon to the world and our Church.

• It gives us sensitivity to history, it teaches us to read what happens around

us from the eyes of God, illuminated by the newly proclaimed Word, and to
convert this history into prayer. However, it is worth taking into account
some observations:
 - It doesn't have to be like a television or radio newscast. But let us make
our own the great desires of our generation: peace, social justice,
success in constructive initiatives...
- Our requests do not always have to reflect the catastrophic or
spectacular. Daily life must also become prayer: the situation of so many
sick people, the joys and ecclesial and social undertakings, the
catechism courses given in the parish...

• It teaches us to open ourselves to God, coming to recognize that it is He who

grants us the deepest values and that He is the Lord of History. All salvation
is his gift.

• It is also a mode of commitment. The kingdom is a gift and a task. It's not
about asking and then ignoring it. If we ask for God's help, it passes through
our hands. If we ask for peace for our world, our commitment will be to
work for peace.

II. NAME AND CONTENT

1. Name

This prayer of intercession has received various names: Universal Prayer,

Common Prayer, Prayer of the Faithful... After the Council, a serious study of
ecclesial tradition began immediately, and already in 1966, the permanent
commission (the “Consilium”) published a booklet entitled De oratione
communi fidelium (OC). It combines the classic name of “common prayer” with
that of “prayer of the faithful.” The first is the one used by Saint Justin, and, in
fact, it is a common prayer of the entire celebrating assembly, although the
Lord's Prayer is also common.
The most appropriate name does not seem to be the Prayer of the Faithful,
because this expression is also valid for other prayers (Eucharistic Prayer, Our
Father) but rather the Universal Prayer (IGMR, 45). However, the Prayer of the
Faithful remains the most common name among us.
In an article9, Pere Tena alludes to a mistake that often occurs as a
consequence of this habitual way of naming it: converting this prayer into the
moment of the celebration consecrated to the faithful praying, as if it were a
question of presenting their personal prayers to God, following what the Spirit
suggests to them and asking or giving thanks for themselves or for others.
This view of the prayer of the faithful is based on a mistaken interpretation of
the meaning of the word faithful. The faithful are usually interpreted as lay
people or secular people, as opposed to clergy or officiants. Thus, it is
understood that those who must participate in this prayer are the lay people
(not the ministers), and if possible, it is better if there are several or all those
present. However, this reasoning is flawed. And the faithful are not contrasted
with clerics but with catechumens (not baptized). Therefore, the Prayer of the
Faithful means the prayer of the Church, that is, of the baptized as a people
consecrated to be a universal priesthood under the ministry of those
responsible. According to many early documents, not only the catechumens but
also the penitents must leave before the Prayer of the Faithful, because neither
the former nor the latter are faithful. However, as soon as the neophyte has
received baptism, he begins to participate in the Prayer of the Faithful, as we
observe in texts by Justin and Hippolytus of Rome, among others:
We, after having baptized those who confess their faith, take them to
those who are called brothers where they are gathered, in order to make
common prayers.10
Immediately after baptism and confirmation, the new Christians pray
together with the entire people, since they (the catechumens) never pray
with the faithful before having received these sacraments. 11

2. Content

The topics that must be included in the intentions are the following (although
in some particular celebrations, the content and order can be adapted to the
circumstances)12:
• The Church and its needs: the Pope, bishops and pastors, Christian unity,
priestly and religious vocations13...
• Those who govern the state and the salvation of the world: peace, rulers,
social and economic problems...
• Those who suffer any difficulty: the poor, the persecuted, the sick, the
unemployed...
• The local community: its circumstances, its initiatives... This is not an
exhaustive enumeration or an exclusive order:
Our history is not in any book and, therefore, if we want to have not only
our antenna with God deployed, but also the one that makes us be in tune
with humanity (...) we will have to add and adapt other intentions, so that
the intercession before God is more concrete and effective.14
There often seems to be a concern about the need to give variety to this prayer,
in order to avoid routine. But we must not forget that the variety of this
sentence is only a problem of form, above which we must place another more
important problem: that of content.
The fact that the Prayer of the Faithful always responds to its nature as a
prayer of intercession (and of intercession for the great needs of the world and
of the Church) is much more important than achieving a literature of changing
and varied expressions. Perhaps the desire for variety could cause us to avoid
those requests that, because they are the most important, are necessarily those
that can vary the least, since they must always be present.
The most varied petitions and those related to the liturgical year and the
readings of the day, especially during the important seasons, can better find
their place in the three presidential collects (prayer, prayer over the offerings
and prayer after communion) than in the prayer of the faithful:
Wanting to relate the prayer of the faithful too closely to the liturgy of the
day runs the risk of turning it into a prayer parallel to the presidential
prayers.15

III. CHARACTERISTICS
1. Possible definition

• It is a plea addressed to the Father

• It is done for the needs of the universal, local and worldwide Church.
• It is carried out with the participation of all the faithful people: the assembly
responds to the minister's invitations and expresses its supplication or a
common invocation, which is pronounced after each intention, or with
silent prayer (OGMR, 47).
• It is a liturgical prayer, it belongs to the structure of the liturgy of the Word
in the Mass.

2. Moment in which it is carried out

The Universal Prayer has its place at the end of every celebration of the Word
of God, where it should normally be done, even if it is not a celebration of the
Eucharist.
After the consecration, we find another series of intercessions for the pope, the
bishops, the priests, the deceased and all the people of God. So that these
intercessions do not become a repetition of universal prayer, it is necessary
that the latter be enriched and illuminated by the Word that has been
proclaimed:

This prayer becomes the fruit of that Word in the faithful. After listening
to it and contemplating God's action in the past and present, we ask that
God continue to intervene in supporting human action. The salvation
announced in the readings is the object of the assembly's prayer. In the
Eucharist, one opens oneself to communion with the entire Church,
keeping it in mind at the moment in which the Eucharistic liturgy is about
to begin, which this prayer comes to inaugurate16.
However, universal prayer does not have to be reduced to the theme of the
readings, since it has its own independent identity: asking for salvation for the
world, whatever the message of the readings. This is what happens in the
solemn prayers of Good Friday. It is important not to forget that the homily is
fundamentally essential for applying the Word of God to life.
We position ourselves as bridges (pontiffs) between God and humanity. We do
this as a priestly people, and that is why we stand up.
Its importance is such that, after being restored by the Second Vatican Council
as an important part of the Mass, it must be used on Sundays and holy days of
obligation, but it is also recommended on weekdays, whether the mass takes
place with or without people (OGMR, 45, 220).

IV. STRUCTURE
1. Invitation to prayer

The person presiding over the celebration invites the faithful to prayer, with a
brief exhortation. With it, if possible, you will connect the readings with the
prayer, both in the Invitation and in the Conclusion of the Prayer of the
Faithful. This invitation must be made from the headquarters.17
It is not a question of him starting the list of requests, but rather of motivating
and helping to create an attitude of supplication in the assembly.
2. Intentions

In ancient practice, it was the priest who proposed the intentions. In the
current Roman liturgy, it is indicated that the priest makes the introduction
and the deacon proposes the intentions.18 They may also be read or sung from
the ambo by a lector or another suitable minister.19

This function can be performed by women, in the same way as the reading of
the word of God20.
It is advisable not to forget the possibility of singing the requests, or at least the
responses. It is a very valuable element that pastoral ministry must understand
as pedagogy for certain times or for certain faithful.21
During Masses with children, they may also recite the petitions (Directory for
Masses with Children, 22)
When the priest does not propose the intentions, he joins the people in the
responses. In itself, there must be only one minister who proposes the
intentions, unless it is convenient to use more than one language due to the
composition of the assembly. Otherwise, the assembly's plea is diminished.
The formula of intentions can have variants:
a. Complete: first designating the persons or institutions, and then the
intention of the supplication (Let us pray for...so that...)
b. Partial first: stating the intention directly, without reference to specific
people (Let us pray for...)
c. Second partial: in which reference is made only to the people for whom
the prayer is being prayed (Let us pray for...)
It should be ensured that the structure, in the same prayer, is similar, so as not
to confuse the faithful. Its function is to initiate and encourage the prayer of the
people without supplanting or distracting them with speculation or
digressions. The intentions should not be too long, avoiding proposing doctrine
or inculcating ideas, or turning them into a gloss of the biblical readings of the
celebration.
Pedro Farnés states that, in many cases, a curious phenomenon has occurred
whereby the meditation scheme (traditional practice of piety) is adapted to the
Prayer of the Faithful. This practice consisted of three elements: reading some
points, reflecting on them and discussion or requests. Thus, the homily has
sometimes tended to be a “personal reflection” rather than an objective and
admiring exposition of the biblical message lived in the celebration, and the
Prayer of the Faithful has become a colloquium on the theme of the readings,
forgetting its character of “intercession for the world”22
Intentions should never be addressed to God directly, unlike other prayers.
They are not prayer in themselves, but rather a kind of admonition, intended to
suggest to the faithful the main areas for which they should pray. They, the
faithful, do direct their prayer to God. The style must be clear and concise. It
would also be necessary to take care of “the slow rhythm of its recitation, a
rhythm that allows the serene assimilation of the intention”23.

3. The people's response

This is what constitutes, properly speaking, common prayer.24 The authentic

“prayer of the faithful” before God is the response of all. It is advisable to repeat
the invitation to pray after each intention. The answer can take several forms:

• A brief acclamation, sung or recited, always identical in the same

celebration. It is the easiest and most advisable way. The sung form has
one advantage: “it gives everyone time to personalize this prayer.”25
• Silent prayer, after each intention. The people take up the plea
wholeheartedly. In this way the unanimity of community prayer is
combined with the incommunicable originality of individual prayer.
Silence may be accompanied by prostration (suggested by the diaconal
intention of “flectamus genua”). It has great pedagogical-symbolic value,
beginning with body prayer. It gives great strength to the supplication.
This body gesture is suppressed on Sunday. (See OGMR, 23)
• Recitation of a longer deprecatory formula, but it requires that it be
varied, so as not to tire, and that the faithful have the written text
available.
• The last form consists of a mixture of the first and the second: after a
brief silence, the one who proposes the intentions invites people to pray
and the people acclaim. It is recommended for some solemn occasions.

4. The conclusion

It is generally a brief intervention, which corresponds to the person presiding,

in which God is asked to listen kindly to the prayers that have been made. It is
usually a “collection” in which the prayers of the people are gathered and
presented to the Father through Christ.

V. THE BOOK OF PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL 26

For the prayer of the faithful, there is a work that can help at the time of the
celebration.
The National Secretariat of Liturgy published this work, which was corrected
and enriched in 1991 on the occasion of its fifth edition.
It has an Introduction, entitled Pastoral Guidelines, with four parts:
• Nature and importance
• Structure and ministers
• Use
• Singing
In these guidelines, freedom is granted to vary the formulas and the choice of
intentions, the way of expressing them and even to write or add other requests,
always respecting the characteristic nature, structure and order (no. 17, 18,
20)
Regarding the distribution of the work, follow the following scheme:
– OWN OF TIME:
• Advent time
• Christmas time
• Lent Time
• Easter week
• Holy Easter Triduum
• Easter Time
• Ordinary Time
– PROPER OF THE SAINTS
– COMMON OF SAINTS
– RITUAL MASSES (baptism of children, Confirmation, Marriage...)
– MASSES AND PRAYERS FOR THE HOLY CHURCH (For the Bishop, for the
Episcopal Conference, for the unity of Christians...)
– MASSES AND PRAYERS FOR VARIOUS NEEDS OR CIRCUMSTANCES (For
peace, for World Mission Day, for the sick, for vocations...)
– MASSES WITH CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE
– MASSES FOR THE DEAD (with various variations, depending on the deceased
or the circumstances of the death)

VI. ACRONYM
IGMR Institutio Generalis Missalis Romani, 1969-70
OC De oratione communi fidelium, 1966
OGMR General Ordination of the Roman Missal, 1969
OLM Order of the Readings for the Mass, 1981
PL JP MIGNE, Patrologiae Cursus Completus, Series Latinae, Paris-Montrouge
1844-1864
SC Sacrosanctum Concilium, 1963

VII. LITERATURE
I. BOOKS

– ALDAZÁBAL, José, The celebrating community. His interventions in the

Eucharist, Dossiers CPL, 39, Barcelona, 11932
– BOROVIO, Dionisio (dir.) The celebration in the Church. Fundamental Liturgy
and Sacramentology, Salamanca, 1985
– DEISS, Lucien, The Mass. Its celebration explained, Madrid, 1990
– MARTIMORT, A. G. (dir) The Church in prayer. Introduction to the Liturgy,
Herder, Barcelona, 1987
– PARDO, Andrés, Enchiridion. Post-conciliar liturgical documentation,
Barcelona, 1992
– NATIONAL SECRETARIAT OF LITURGY, The prayer of the faithful. Forms for
the entire liturgical year, Coeditores Litúrgicos, Madrid, 19989
II. MAGAZINE ARTICLES

– ALDAZÁBAL, José, “The universal prayer of the faithful”, in Prayer of the

Hours, December 1988
– BELLAVISTA, Joan,
– “Universal prayer. His story”, in Prayer of the Hours, July-August 1992.
– “The Prayer of the Faithful” in PHASE, 165-266, 1988,
– FARNÉS, Pedro,
– “Identity and theological meaning of the prayer of the faithful” in Prayer of the
Hours, July-August 1992.
– “Insisting on the prayer of the faithful” in Prayer of the Hours, November,
1977,
– TENA, Pere, “The Identity of the Prayer of the Faithful”, in Prayer of the Hours,
August-September 1976.

VIII. GRADES
1 BELLAVISTA, Joan, “Universal Prayer. His story”, in Prayer of the Hours,
July-August 1992, p. 225
2 ST. JUSTIN, Apol, 67: Apologist Fathers, BAC 116
3 TERTULIAN, Apologeticon, 39, 2-5: PL, 1. 153
4 TERTULIAN, De anima, 9,4: PL 2, 700-701
5 FARNÉS, Pedro, “Identity and theological meaning of the prayer of the
faithful” in Prayer of the Hours, July-August 1992, p 259.
6 MARTIMORT, A. G. (dir) The Church in prayer. Introduction to the Liturgy,
Herder, Barcelona, 1987, p. 381
7 DEISS, Lucien, The Mass. Its celebration explained, Madrid, 1990
ALDAZÁBAL, José, The celebrating community. His interventions in the
Eucharist, Dossiers CPL, 39, Barcelona, 11932, p. 50
“The Identity of the Prayer of the Faithful,” in Prayer of the Hours, August-
September 1976, pp. 19-23
St. Justin, Apol, 65: Apologist Fathers, BAC 116, p. 256
Hippolytus of Rome, Apostolic Tradition, ed. Botte, 21, o. 55
OGMR, 46
OGMR, 46, OLM, 30
ALDAZÁBAL, José, “The universal prayer of the faithful”, in Prayer of the Hours,
December 1988, p. 407
FARNES, Pedro, “Insisting on the prayer of the faithful” in Prayer of the Hours,
November, 1977, p. 5.
BOROVIO, Dionisio (dir.) The celebration in the Church. Fundamental Liturgy
and Sacramentology, Salamanca, 1985, p. 266
OLM, 31; OGMR, 99
OGMR, 61 and 132
Inter Oecumenici Instruction, 56; OGMR, 47; OLM, 31
Inestimabile Donum, 18; OGMR, 70; Liturgicae instaurationes, 7
BELLAVISTA, Joan, “The Prayer of the Faithful” in PHASE, 165-266, 1988, p. 269
FARNÉS, Pedro, op. cit. P. 4
ALDAZÁBAL, José, The celebrating community. His interventions in the
Eucharist, Dossiers CPL, 39, Barcelona, 11932, p 49.
“Other parts which are very useful for manifesting and encouraging the active
participation of the faithful, and which are entrusted to the entire assembly, are,
above all, the penitential act, the profession of faith, the prayer of the faithful and
the Lord's Prayer” (OGMR, 16)
ALDAZÁBAL, José, The celebrating community. His interventions in the
Eucharist, Dossiers CPL, 39, Barcelona, 11932, p. 49
National Secretariat of Liturgy, The Prayer of the Faithful. Forms for the entire
liturgical year, Coeditores Litúrgicos, Madrid, 1989