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Cardinal Mercier's Prayer to the Holy Spirit

5 min

Holy Spirit, soul of my soul, I adore Thee;

enlighten, guide, strengthen and console me;

tell me what I ought to do and command me to do it,

I promise to be submissive in everything that Thou shalt ask of me

and to accept all that Thou permittest to happen to me,

only show me what is Thy will.

About this prayer

"Holy Spirit, soul of my soul": the daily act of submission to the Holy Spirit that Cardinal Mercier called the secret of sanctity.

History

Désiré-Joseph Mercier (1851–1926), Archbishop of Mechelen and Primate of Belgium, philosopher of the Thomist revival and defender of his people during the First World War, taught this prayer as "a secret of sanctity and happiness": for five minutes each day, silence the imagination, close the senses to the noise of the world, enter the sanctuary of the baptized soul, the temple of the Holy Spirit, and speak to Him. He promised that a life lived in this submission would flow on in peace even amid trials.

How to pray it

Each day, take five minutes of silence. Close your eyes, recollect yourself in the depth of your soul where the Holy Spirit dwells, and say the prayer slowly.

French: parish bulletin of Notre-Dame de Clignancourt, Paris, 12 May 2024 ([PDF](https://ndclignancourt.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/fip_12mai-2024.pdf)). English: Vultus Christi, Benedictine Monks of Silverstream Priory, "Favourite Prayers to the Holy Ghost (I)", 6 May 2016 ([link](https://vultuschristi.org/index.php/2016/05/my-favourite-prayers-to-the-ho/)). Portuguese: Apostolado Mãe dos Sacerdotes, "Tríduo de Consagração ao Espírito Santo" ([link](https://maternidadeespiritual.com.br/triduo-de-consagracao-ao-espirito-santo/)). No dated primary edition of Mercier's text was found.

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