On February 7, 2023, the Jesuit community came together to celebrate a prayer service about the variety of languages students speak in our school. The service highlighted many different languages and how some of the most popular languages in Catholicism translate and sound like in different languages. In this prayer service the reflected scripture passage came from 1 Cor 12: 3-7, 12-13.
Students were able to represent their own culture through the prayer service and learn about other cultures from the service as well. Through reflecting on the prayers from different languages, the Jesuit community was asked to explore with God on how they speak to God and how everyone’s culture plays an important role in their life. The prayer service also brought out topics on diversity and how everyone from different backgrounds and journeys in life benefits to the community in a positive way.
Student Interviews
Luke Nettune ’26 who prayed in Latin at the prayer service said, “I think that getting to speak and pray latin and different languages helps us all communicate more directly with God in our most comfortable form.”
Fabian Mares ’25 who prayed in Spanish at the payer service said, “I think it showed us all the different cultures we have at Jesuit and how we are all family even though some of us speak different languages, come from different cultures, or are not really biologically connected, we all still support and stand with each other.”
Peter Loh ’24 who spoke Mandarin at the prayer service said, “I think a pretty big advantage is that there are unique parts to languages that are not present in other languages [for prayer.] For example, I have been told from Spanish speakers that Spanish has a lot of aspects to it regarding things to prayer and faith that are unique to Spanish that can’t really be understood in other languages like English. So, I think prayers from all the different languages are very important because if you actually understand the language, you can understand how beautiful some of the phrases are and no language is alike to another. So, a prayer in Mandarin compared to a prayer in English is going to have slightly different meaning to it.”
Prayers from Different Languages in the Service
Luke Nettune
This is the Anima Christi in Latin. This prayer is an invitation to us, through the Spirit, to a profound union with Christ and His suffering. The Anima Christi is often attributed to Saint Ignatius and serves as the opening prayer of the Spiritual Exercises.
| Anima Christi, sanctifica me.
Corpus Christi, salve me. Sanguis Christi, inebria me. Aqua lateris Christi, lava me. Passio Christi, conforta me. O bone Iesu, exaudi me. Intra tua vulnera absconde me. Ne permittas me separari a te. Ab hoste maligno defende me. In hora mortis meae voca me. Et iube me venire ad te, ut cum sanctis tuis laudem te in saecula saeculorum. Amen. |
Soul of Christ, sanctify me.
Body of Christ, save me. Blood of Christ, inebriate me. Water from the side of Christ, wash me. Passion of Christ, strengthen me. O good Jesus, hear me. Within your wounds, hide me. Let me never be separated from you. From the malignant enemy, defend me. In the hour of my death, call me, And bid me come to you, That with your saints I may praise you. Forever and ever. Amen. |
Joshua Chacko
This is the Suscipe prayer in French. The Suscipe is not found in any of the four weeks of the Spiritual Exercises, but rather was included by Ignatius as additional material in regards to the “contemplation for attaining love” at the end of the Exercises. Through the prayer, Ignatius speaks of the immeasurable love of God that is bestowed upon all of creation, and then asks what we might offer to such a loving God.
| Prends Seigneur et reçois toute ma liberté, ma mémoire, mon intelligence et toute ma volonté.
Tout ce que j’ai et tout ce que je possède, c’est Toi qui me l’as donné. Tout cela, Seigneur, je Te le rends. Tout est à Toi, disposes-en selon Ton entière volonté. Donne-moi seulement de T’Aimer, donne-moi cette grâce, elle seule me suffit. Amen. |
Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will,
All I have and call my own. You have given all to me. To you, Lord, I return it. Everything is yours; do with it what you will. Give me only your love and your grace, that is enough for me. Amen. |
Nathan Pascas
This is the prayer Hail Holy Queen in Malayalam. This prayer is special to me as my family would often pray it together. Through the prayer, we ask for the intercession of Mother Mary. God has given her all His graces for us. They come from God through Mary. All we need to do is ask for them with a humble, loving, and contrite heart.
| പരിശുദ്ധരാജ്ഞി,കരുണയുടെ മാതാവേ സ്വസ്തി.
ഞങ്ങളുടെ ജീവനും മാധുര്യവും ശരണവുമേ സ്വസ്തി . ഹവ്വായുടെ പുറം തള്ളപെട്ട മക്കളായ ഞങ്ങള്‍ അങ്ങേ പക്കല്‍ നിലവിളിക്കുന്നു. കണ്ണീരിന്‍റെ ഈ താഴ്‌വരയില്‍ നിന്ന് വിങ്ങിക്കരഞ്ഞു അങ്ങേ പക്കല്‍ ഞങ്ങള്‍ നെടുവീര്‍പ്പിടുന്നു .ആകയാല്‍ ഞങ്ങളുടെ മദ്ധ്യസ്തെ, അങ്ങയുടെ കരുണയുളള കണ്ണുകള്‍ ഞങ്ങളുടെ നേരെ തിരിക്കണമേ. ഞങ്ങളുടെ ഈ പ്രവാസത്തിനുസേഷം അങ്ങയുടെ ഉദരത്തിന്റെ അനുഗ്രിഹീതഫലമായ ഈശോയെ ഞങ്ങള്‍ക്ക് കാണിച്ചു തരണമെ. കരുണയും വാത്സല്യവും,മാധുര്യവും നിറഞ്ഞ കന്യകമറിയമെ. Amen. |
Hail, holy Queen,
mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve; to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us; and, after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary. Pray for us O holy mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Amen. |
Fabian Mares
This is a prayer in Spanish, written by our very own Ms. Yanexi Perez. The prayer acknowledges the difficult journey of searching for one’s meaning, but also humbly asks for God’s grace and guidance.
| Oh, Señor todo poderoso y Salvador, ¿merezco la vida que tengo? ¿Merezco otra bendición? y si es tu voluntad, ¿cómo, y dónde necesitas que te glorifique y exalte tu santo nombre? Soy un instrumento de tu paz y de amor, mi único Señor Jesucristo.
Durante muchos años, he estado tratando de averiguar los propósitos de vida que tenías planeado para mí antes que me crearas, pero cuando he comenzado a vislumbrar un rayo de luz al final del túnel, me descubro de nuevo al comienzo de mi búsqueda incesante. Por favor, Señor, descúbreme tu rostro luminoso y déjame sentir el calor de tu llamada en mi corazón.! No te pido bienes materiales, solo riqueza espiritual. Que se haga tu voluntad según tu plan. |
Oh, my Almighty Lord & Savior, do I deserve the life I have? Do I deserve another blessing? And if it is your will, how, where do you need and want me to glorify and exalt your Holy Name? I am an instrument of your peace and love, my heavenly Lord Jesus Christ.
For many years, I have been trying to figure out your purposes for the life you had planned before you created me, but when I have begun to glimpse a ray of light at the end of the tunnel, I discover myself back at the beginning of my relentless search.
Please, Lord, uncover your luminous face for me and let me feel the warmth of your call in my heart! I don’t ask you for material goodness. I commend my soul, being, and everything in your hands. May your will be done in me according to your plan. Amen. |
Theo Nguyen
This is the Serenity Prayer in Vietnamese. The prayer is attributed to noted Theologian, Reinhold Niebuhr, and has been used by various church and religious groups. Many people recite this prayer when feeling overwhelmed, accepting hardships that they can’t change in their lives and learning to take control of what they can.
| Lạy Chúa,
Cho con an tĩnh Để chấp nhận những điều con không thể thay đổi Can đảm để thay đổi những điều con có thể Và sự khôn ngoan để biết khác biệt giữa hai điều Sống từng ngày Thưởng thức từng phút Chấp nhận khó khăn như đường đến bình an Nhận lãnh, như Chúa Giêsu đã làm, thế giới tội lỗi này Như nó là, không phải như con muốn Tin rằng Chúa sẽ làm mọi điều tốt đẹp Nếu con giao phó vào thánh ý Chúa Để con có thể hạnh phúc phần nào ở đời này Và hạnh phúc vô tận với Chúa Mãi mãi đời sau Amen |
God,
Grant me the serenity; To accept the things I cannot change; The courage, to change the things I can; And the wisdom, to know the difference. Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; Taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world As it is, not as I would have it; Trusting that You will make all things right If I surrender to Your Will; So that I may be reasonably happy in this life And supremely happy with You Forever and ever in the next. Amen |
Peter Loh
This is a reading from the second letter of Saint Paul to Timothy. I chose reading as I thought it instills a sense of hope, fulfillment, and reward. As we have gone through the school year, the verses remind us that even as we go through struggles, we can still retain our faith in God. Looking back on my fall semester, it was extremely challenging and the workload at times caused me fear and uncertainty. But knowing that others before me have endured far worse whilst retaining their faith in God inspires me to continue to go the distance, to finish the race, and keep the faith.
| 那美好的仗，我已经打过了；
当跑的路，我已经跑尽了 ； 所信的道，我已经守住了。 从此，有公义的冠冕，为我存留，是主——我们公义的审判者，到了那日，要赐给我的；不仅给我，也赐给，所有爱慕他显现的人。 |
I have fought the good fight,
I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing. |
Tejas Murugesh
This is a universal prayer in Sanskrit called Gayatri Mantra. It is addressed to the Supreme Creator, praised and revered and sought to awaken our minds and intellect. The Gayatri Mantra is a sacred chant that demonstrates our unity with the vastness of all creation.
| ॐ भूर्भुवः स्वः
तत्सवितुर्वरेण्यं भर्गो देवस्य धीमहि । धियो यो नः प्रचोदयात् ॥ ॐ शान्ति शान्ति शान्ति ॥ |
In the material, physical, and spiritual world, we worship the Supreme Being, our Lord.
We deeply meditate on the Divine Light’s sacred truth and intellect to be endowed upon us. We pray for peace upon all individuals. |
Max von Schlehenried
This is the Lord’s Prayer in Afrikaans. When the disciples asked Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray,” this is the prayer that Christ taught us. The Lord’s Prayer is a summary of the whole gospel and each word is an opportunity for deep reflection on who God is and how Jesus shows us the way to Him.
| Onse Vader wat in die hemel is,
laat u Naam geheilig word. Laat u koninkryk kom. Laat u wil geskied, soos in die hemel net so ook op die aarde. Gee ons vandag ons daaglikse brood, en vergeef ons ons skulde, soos ons ook ons skuldenaars vergewe. En lei ons nie in versoeking nie, maar verlos ons van die Bose. Want aan U behoort die koninkryk en die krag en die heerlikheid tot in ewigheid. Amen |
Our Father, which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy Name; Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory for ever and ever. Amen |
Anton Dimafelix
This is the Hail Mary in Filipino or Tagalog. As the only Christian nation in Asia, the Philippines has a deep and special devotion to the Blessed Virgin. Each time we pray the Hail Mary, we recognize the holiness of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and her unhesitating, unwavering acceptance of God’s will for her life. May we model our lives by her example.
| Aba Ginoong Maria,
napupuno ka ng grasiya, Ang Panginoong Diyos ay sumasaiyo. Bukod kang pinagpala sa babaeng lahat At pinagpala rin naman ang anak mong si Hesus. Santa Maria, Ina ng Diyos Ipanalangin mo kaming makasalanan Ngayon at kung kami’y mamamatay. Amen. |
Hail Mary,
Full of Grace, The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of our death. Amen. |
Mathis Valenta
This is the Glory Be in German. It is one of the most frequently used prayers in the Catholic Church, otherwise known as the prayer of praise to the Trinity. It is found in the Rosary, Liturgy of the Hours and nearly every other public prayer.
| Ehre sei dem Vater und dem Sohn und dem heiligen
Geist wie es war im Anfang so auch jetzt und alle Zeit in Ewigkeit. Amen |
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end Amen. |
Conclusion
Through this prayer service, the Jesuit community was able to ponder on how to embrace their identity in Christ and understand that while everyone in the community is not the same, we are all children of God. With all the diversity in the community and the speaking of many different languages, the variety helps explain the beauty in all things God has created even though everyone is different. This topic from Pope Francis was explained at the service that “Beauty can touch in everyone what is universal – especially the thirst for God – crossing the limits of language and culture.” Moreover, shows that Catholicism which is universal in Greek has spread God’s love to all and from the variety of people and cultures that share Catholicism together. In conclusion, this prayer service gave a way to embrace your faith through encountering diversity in life as well.
Thank you to all students and faculty that shared prayers from their cultures at the prayer service! Stay tuned on The Roundup for more Campus Ministry news!
