future; thou withdrawest me from sin; thou urgest me to good; and movest me to do penance and seek reconciliation with God. Ever be with me I beseech thee; encourage me in adversity; restrain me in prosperity; protect me in dangers and assist me in temptations, lest at any time I yield to them. Offer to the divine Majesty all my prayers, and sighs, and works; and when the last moment of life comes, be thou with me at my death. Spread over me the wings of thy protection, comfort and console me in my last agony; obtain for me the grace to die with the consolations of the Church and in the friendship of God, and so to enter into life eternal. Amen. ST. GERTRUDE'S PRAYER TO THE GUARDIAN ANGEL. O holy angel of God, appointed by him to be my guardian, I give thee thanks for all the benefits thou hast ever bestowed on me in body and soul. I praise and glorify thee that thou dost condescend to assist me, miserable and worthless as I am, with such patient fidelity, and to defend me against all the assaults of my enemies. Blessed be the hour in which thou wast assigned me for my guardian, my defender, my patron. Blessed be all thy love for me, and all thy care for me wherewith thou dost unwearyingly further my salvation. In acknowledgment and return of all thy living ministries to me from my youth I offer thee the infinitely precious and noble heart of Jesus, full and overflowing with all blessedness; beseeching thee to forgive me for having so often striven against thy holy inspirations, and saddened thee, my nearest, dearest friend; and firmly purposing to obey thee henceforward, and most faithfully to serve my God. Amen. PRAYER FROM THE MISSAL. O God who by thy unspeakable providence dost vouchsafe to send thy angels to guard us; grant to us, thy suppliants, ever to be defended by their protection, and to rejoice in their eternal fellowship. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. EJACULATION. O angel of God, who art appointed to be my guardian, enlighten and protect, direct and govern me. Amen. ITINERARY, OR PRAYERS BEFORE A JOURNEY. CANTICLE OF ZACHARY. Ant. Into the way of peace. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, because he hath visited and wrought the redemption of his people. And hath raised up a horn of salvation to us in the house of David his servant; As he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets who are from the beginning; Salvation from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us. To perform mercy to our fathers, and to remember his holy testament. The oath which he swore to Abraham our father, that he would grant to us. That, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, we may serve him without fear. In holiness and justice before him all our days. And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest; for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways. To give knowledge of salvation to his people; unto the remission of their sins. Through the bowels of the mercy of our God; in which the Orient from on high hath visited us. To enlighten them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death; to direct our feet into the way of peace. Glory, &c. Ant. May the almighty and merciful Lord direct me into the way of peace and prosperity; and may the archangel Raphael accompany me in the way, that I may return home in peace, safety, and joy. R. From the face of the enemy. V. Let not the enemy prevail against us. R. Nor the son of iniquity approach to hurt us. V. Blessed be the Lord day by day. R. May the God of our salvation grant us a prosperous journey. V. Make us to know thy ways, O Lord. R. And teach us thy paths. V. O that our ways may be directed. Ř. To keep thy righteous laws. V. The crooked ways shall become straight. O God, who didst shade in heat, a shelter make the children of in rain and cold, a stay Israel to pass dry foot in our weariness, a help through the midst of the in our adversity, a staff sea; and who didst mani- in our slippery path, a fest the way to the three haven in shipwreck ; sages coming to thee, by that, thou leading us, we the leading of a star, may prosperously arrive grant unto us, we beseech whither we are going, thee, a prosperous jour- and at length safely reney and a peaceable time; turn to our home. Hearkthat, thy angel accom- en, O Lord, we beseech panying us, we may thee, unto our supplicahappily reach the place tions, and direct the path whither we are going, and of thy servants, and make at the end come to the ha- it safe and prosperous, ven of eternal salvation. that, amid all the changes O God, who didst lead of this journey and of Abraham thy servant this life, we may ever be from Ur of the Chaldeans, protected by thy aid. and didst keep him unscathed throughout all his wanderings, we beseech thee to be pleased to guard us thy servants. Be to us, O Lord, a support in our setting out, a comfort in the way, a Grant, we beseech thee, O almighty God, that thy servants may walk on in the way of salvation, and that following the exhortations of St. John thy forerunner, they may safely come unto him whom he V. Let us proceed in peace. R. In the name of our Lord. Amen. ACTS OF FAITH, HOPE, CHARITY, AND CONTRITION. (Plenary once a month, if said every day. At the hour of death one Plenary Indulgence, as also seven years and seven quarantines each time the acts are made. Any form of words will do if they express the three theological virtues.) Preparatory Prayer. O almighty and eternal God, grant to us the increase of faith, hope, and charity; and that we may deserve to obtain what thou dost promise, make us to love what thou commandest; through Christ our Lord. Amen. An Act of Faith. I firmly believe there is one God; and that in this one God there are three Persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; that the Son took to himself the nature of man from the womb of the Virgin Mary, by the operation of the power of the Holy Ghost; and that, in this our human nature, he was crucified, and died for us; that afterwards he rose again, and ascended into |