Anima Christi
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 Thy wounds hide me
Separated from Thee let me never be
From the malignant enemy defend me
In the hour of my death call me
And bid me come unto Thee
That with thy saints I may praise Thee
Forever and ever
Amen
The author of this traditional prayer from the Roman Missal is unknown. It has often been attributed to St. Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556), for it was indeed a favorite of his and it appears at the beginning of his Spiritual Exercises. However, he could not have been its author for a copy of the prayer appears in a document from 1334, a good century and a half before St. Ignatius was born. Others have attributed it to Blessed Bernadine of Feltre (1439-1494), but again the prayer was around for at least a century before his time as well. The prayer is also known as the Prayer of St. Patrick and some scholars formerly placed the prayer's composition in seventh century Ireland. This too seems unlikely, since no copy that early is known to exist. The prayer carries a partial indulgence.
[An indulgence of 300 days. An indulgence of 7 years, if recited after Holy Communion]
copyrighted by Michael Martin.
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