How this collection is built

Editorial standards

Every prayer on this site is reproduced from a verified primary source. We do not paraphrase, modernize, or adapt prayer texts for contemporary readers. The words on each page are the words as they appear in the source we cite. Where archaic spellings or punctuation might confuse a modern reader, we preserve the original and clarify in the notes.

Where a prayer exists in multiple forms, for example the Lord's Prayer with "trespasses" or "debts," or the Apostles' Creed in its modern and BCP forms, we document each form with its tradition, its date, and a note on which Christians use which version.

How sources are chosen

Where possible, we use the earliest broadly-accepted public-domain English translation of each prayer. For the Anglican collects and the General Thanksgiving, this means the Book of Common Prayer of 1662. For the Catholic prayers, this typically means the Lasance Blessed Sacrament Book of 1913 or the Roman Missal. For the Orthodox prayers, the Hapgood Service Book of 1906. For scriptural prayers, the King James Version of 1611. Every source is linked to a publicly-available scan, usually on archive.org.

Reporting errors

If you notice a difference between our text and the text in your own prayer book or liturgical edition, please tell us. Send the prayer name, the difference, and the source you're working from to hello@christian-prayers.com. We will check and correct.