Universalis
Friday 16 October 2026    (other days)
Saint Hedwig, Religious 
 or Friday of week 28 in Ordinary Time 
 or Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, Virgin 

Using calendar: United States - Hartford. You can change this.

Morning Prayer (Lauds)

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If this is the first Hour that you are reciting today, you should precede it with the Invitatory Psalm.
Based on the liturgy for the Common of a Woman Saint (Works of Mercy).

INTRODUCTION
O God, come to our aid.
  O Lord, make haste to help us.
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. Alleluia.

Hymn
All hail the power of Jesus’ name;
  Let Angels prostrate fall;
Bring forth the royal diadem
  To crown him Lord of all.
Crown him, ye Martyrs of your God,
  Who from his altar call;
Praise him whose way of pain ye trod,
  And crown him Lord of all.
Hail him, ye heirs of David’s line,
  Whom David Lord did call;
The God Incarnate, Man Divine,
  And crown him Lord of all.
Let every tribe and every tongue
  To him their hearts enthral,
Lift high the universal song,
  And crown him Lord of all.

Psalm 50 (51)
God, have mercy on me

A pure heart create for me, O God, put a steadfast spirit within me.
Take pity on me, Lord, in your mercy;
  in your abundance of mercy wipe out my guilt.
Wash me ever more from my guilt
  and cleanse me from my sin.
For I know how guilty I am:
  my sin is always before me.
Against you, you alone have I sinned,
  and I have done evil in your sight.
Know this, so that you may give just sentence
  and an unbiased judgement.
See, I was conceived in guilt,
  in sin my mother conceived me;
but you love truth in the heart,
  and deep within me you have shown me your wisdom.
You will sprinkle me with hyssop, and I will be made clean;
  you will wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
You will make me hear the sound of joy and gladness;
  the bones you have crushed will rejoice.
Turn your face away from my sins
  and wipe out all my transgressions;
create a pure heart in me, God,
  put a steadfast spirit into me.
Do not send me away from your presence,
  or withdraw your holy spirit from me;
give me again the joy of your salvation,
  and be ready to strengthen me with your spirit.
I will teach the unjust your ways,
  and the impious will return to you.
Free me from the guilt of bloodshed, God, God my saviour,
  and my voice will glory in your justice.
Open my lips, Lord,
  and my mouth will proclaim your praise;
for you do not delight in sacrifices:
  if I offered you a burnt offering, it would not please you.
The true sacrifice is a broken spirit:
  a contrite and humble heart, O God, you will not refuse.
Be pleased, Lord, to look kindly on Zion,
  so that the walls of Jerusalem can be rebuilt,
Then indeed you will accept the proper sacrifices, gifts and burnt offerings;
  then indeed will bullocks be laid upon your altar.
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.
A pure heart create for me, O God, put a steadfast spirit within me.

CanticleTobit 13

Thanksgiving for the freeing of the people

Rejoice, O Jerusalem, since through you all men will be gathered together to the Lord.
Bless the Lord, his chosen ones: all of you, praise his greatness.
Keep feast-days of rejoicing and proclaim his holy name.
Jerusalem, holy city: he will punish you for what you have done.
Thank the Lord for his good deeds, and bless the eternal king,
  so that in you, once more, with gladness, your tabernacle may be built,
  so that in you he may make all exiles rejoice,
  so that in you he may care for the distressed
for all ages, for ever.
Your bright light will shine out to the ends of the earth:
  many nations will come to you from afar.
From the farthest corners of the world they will come to your holy name
  carrying gifts in their hands for the King of heaven.
Generation on generation, they will proclaim their joy
  and the name of the chosen city will endure for ever.
So rejoice and be glad among the children of the just,
  for they will be brought together and bless the eternal Lord.
Happy are those who love you, fortunate those who rejoice in your peace.
My soul, bless the Lord, the great King,
  for in Jerusalem his house will be built,
  to stand for ever.
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.
Rejoice, O Jerusalem, since through you all men will be gathered together to the Lord.

Psalm 147 (147B)
God, the foundation of Jerusalem

Sion, praise your God, who has sent out his word to the earth.
Praise the Lord, Jerusalem
  — Zion, praise your God.
For he has strengthened the bars of your gates,
  he has blessed your children.
He keeps your borders in peace,
  he fills you with the richest wheat.
He sends out his command over the earth,
  and swiftly runs his word.
He sends down snow that is like wool,
  frost that is like ashes.
He sends hailstones like crumbs
  — who can withstand his cold?
He will send out his word, and all will be melted;
  his spirit will breathe, and the waters will flow.
He proclaims his word to Jacob,
  his laws and judgements to Israel.
He has not done this for other nations:
  he has not shown them his judgements.
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.
Sion, praise your God, who has sent out his word to the earth.

Scripture ReadingRomans 12:1-2
Think of God’s mercy, my brothers, and worship him, I beg you, in a way that is worthy of thinking beings, by offering your living bodies as a holy sacrifice, truly pleasing to God. Do not model yourselves on the behaviour of the world around you, but let your behaviour change, modelled by your new mind. This is the only way to discover the will of God and know what is good, what it is that God wants, what is the perfect thing to do.

Short Responsory
God is her help; she will not be moved.
– God is her help; she will not be moved.
The Lord is with her.
– God is her help; she will not be moved.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– God is her help; she will not be moved.

CanticleBenedictus

The Messiah and his forerunner

If there is love among you, then all will know that you are my disciples.
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
  for he has come to his people and brought about their redemption.
He has raised up the sign of salvation
  in the house of his servant David,
as he promised through the mouth of the holy ones,
  his prophets through the ages:
to rescue us from our enemies
  and all who hate us,
to take pity on our fathers,
  to remember his holy covenant
and the oath he swore to Abraham our father,
  that he would give himself to us,
that we could serve him without fear
  – freed from the hands of our enemies –
in uprightness and holiness before him,
  for all of our days.
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High:
  for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his path,
to let his people know their salvation,
  so that their sins may be forgiven.
Through the bottomless mercy of our God,
  one born on high will visit us
to give light to those who walk in darkness,
  who live in the shadow of death;
  to lead our feet in the path of peace.
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.
If there is love among you, then all will know that you are my disciples.

Prayers and intercessions
With all the holy women let us praise our Saviour and call on him in prayer.
– Come, Lord Jesus.
Lord Jesus, you said of the woman who was a sinner, ‘Her many sins are forgiven, because she has loved much’;
  grant us your forgiveness for our many sins.
– Come, Lord Jesus.
Lord Jesus, women ministered to your needs on your saving journeys;
  open our eyes to see you in those who need our help.
– Come, Lord Jesus.
Lord and master, Mary listened to your teaching and Martha did the serving;
  may our faith grow ever deeper and our love go out to others.
– Come, Lord Jesus.
Lord Jesus, you called those who do God’s will your brother and sister and mother;
  teach us to live as members of your family.
– Come, Lord Jesus.

Our Father, who 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.

Almighty God, grant us your help as we pray to Saint Hedwig,
  whose holy life was a pattern of humility to all.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
Amen.

The Lord bless us, and keep us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.
  Amen.

The psalms and canticles here are our own translation from the Latin. The Grail translation of the psalms, which is used liturgically in most of the English-speaking world, cannot be displayed on the Web for copyright reasons. The Universalis apps and programs do contain the Grail translation of the psalms.

Universalis podcast: The week ahead – from 18 to 24 October

Pope Saint John Paul II: ‘Do not be afraid’. Blessed Daudi Okelo and Jildo Irwa. Saint John of Capistrano and why we are not Muslims..Saint Antony Mary Claret: 15 assassination attempts and millions of books. (24 minutes)
Episode notes.

You can also get the Hours in Latin or in Latin and English, by using the Universalis app. You can find it here.

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