Prayers to God the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Most Holy Trinity; he is ‘Lord and giver of life’, and the One who enables us to pray. The Spirit comes to us ‘from the Father and the Son’; because of this, direct prayers to the Holy Spirit are less frequent in our corporate worship. However, such prayers are used at key moments (e.g. Confirmation) to invoke his sanctifying presence and his seven gifts.
 

• Come, Holy Ghost (Veni Creator Spiritus)

Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire,
and lighten with celestial fire;
thou the anointing Spirit art,
who dost thy sevenfold gifts impart.
 
Thy blessed unction from above
is comfort, life and fire of love;
enable with perpetual light
the dullness of our blinded sight.
 
Anoint and cheer our soiled face
with the abundance of thy grace;
keep far our foes, give peace at home;
where thou art guide no ill can come.
 
Teach us to know the Father, Son,
and thee, of Both, to be but One;
that through the ages all along
this may be our endless song:
 
Praise to thy eternal merit,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
 

• Holy Spirit, Come into my Heart (St Catherine of Siena)

Holy Spirit, come into my heart;
draw it to yourself through your power, O my God,
and grant me true love with filial fear.
Preserve me, O beautiful Love, from every evil thought;
warm me, inflame me with your dear love,
and every pain will seem light to me.
My Father, my sweet Lord, help me in all my actions.
Jesus, love, Jesus, love. Amen.

• For the guidance of the Holy Spirit (Désiré-Joseph Mercier)

O Holy Spirit, Beloved of my soul,
I adore you.
Enlighten me, guide me,
strengthen me and console me.
Tell me what I ought to do
and command me to do it.
I promise to submit to everything
that you ask of me
and to accept all
that you allow to happen to me.
Just show me what is your will. Amen.
 

• To the Holy Spirit (from the Byzantine Liturgy of Pentecost)

Heavenly King, Comforter, the Spirit of truth,
everywhere present and filling all things,
Treasury of blessings and Giver of life,
come and dwell in us, cleanse us of every stain
and save our souls, O gracious Lord. Amen.
 

• To the Holy Spirit in Every Need

Holy Spirit,
my light, my life, my love, my strength,
be with me now, and always:
in all my doubts, perplexities and trials, come, Holy Spirit;
in hours of loneliness, weariness and grief, come, Holy Spirit;
in failure and in loss, in disappointment, come, Holy Spirit;
when others fail me, when I fail myself, come, Holy Spirit;
when I am ill, unable to work, depressed, come, Holy Spirit;
now, and forever, and in all things, come, Holy Spirit.