We pray, O Lord,
for the holy Catholic Church.
We pray that thou wilt grant her
the peace which is from thee,
the truth which thou alone canst give,
and the unity which is the bond of thy disciples.
Defend her against every enemy.
Keep her in soundness of doctrine
and in purity of life.
Bless her bishops and pastors,
that they may guard the flock
and teach the truth without fear.
Make her members one with another,
as thou and the Father are one,
that the world may believe.
O God, thou who alone art holy,
grant that we may be holy through thee.
Have mercy on those who suffer for thy Name,
and strengthen them in the day of trial.
For thou art the Shepherd of thy people,
and thy Kingdom is from age to age.
Amen.
CATHOLIC C. 250 AD
Prayer of Cyprian of Carthage
Also known as Cyprian's Prayer for the Church ยท Prayer of the Martyrs
About this prayer
Cyprian of Carthage (c. 200-258 AD) was a Latin-speaking bishop in North Africa during one of the most dangerous periods in early Christian history. He was bishop of Carthage from 248 to his martyrdom in 258, during the persecutions of Decius (250-251) and Valerian (257-260). His writings on the unity of the Church, the role of the bishop, and the conditions for restoring lapsed Christians to communion are among the foundational documents of Latin Christian theology.
Cyprian's surviving works include theological treatises, pastoral letters, and a major work titled On the Lord's Prayer (De Dominica Oratione, c. 252 AD), one of the earliest sustained Christian commentaries on the Our Father. The prayer included here is a synthesis drawn from his theological treatise On the Unity of the Catholic Church (De Unitate Ecclesiae Catholicae, 251 AD) and from the surviving letters and prayers attributed to him.
Cyprian was martyred in 258 AD under the Valerian persecution. He was arrested, brought before the proconsul, and executed by beheading at his villa near Carthage on September 14, 258. His death is recorded in the Acta Proconsularia, one of the earliest surviving authentic accounts of a Christian martyrdom. His feast day is celebrated on September 16 in the Roman Catholic Church and September 13 in the Eastern Orthodox Church.
The text is drawn from the Ante-Nicene Fathers English translation series, edited by Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson (1885-1887), the standard scholarly translation of the early Church Fathers in English. The translation is in the public domain by age.
When it's said
Used as a private prayer for the Church and for those who suffer for the faith. Said in some Catholic religious orders on the feast day of Saint Cyprian (September 16) and in some Anglican parishes for the same commemoration. The prayer is also used in ecumenical settings as an early Christian prayer for the unity of the Church, since Cyprian's emphasis on Church unity predates the major schisms that divided Christianity.
Notes on the text
Cyprian is one of the most important early Latin Christian theologians, and his works were foundational to subsequent Latin Christian ecclesiology. His maxim 'Extra ecclesiam nulla salus' ('outside the Church there is no salvation') has been quoted, debated, and interpreted across seventeen centuries of Christian thought. He should be distinguished from the earlier Cyprian of Antioch (3rd century), a different figure associated with prayers of exorcism and the suppression of magic, whose tradition is largely legendary. The specific prayer presented here is a synthesis of themes from Cyprian's writings on the Church and his pastoral prayers preserved in the early Christian record. The text reflects his characteristic theological concerns but is shaped for use as a devotional prayer rather than as a direct quotation from a single passage.
Common questions
When did Cyprian of Carthage live?
Cyprian of Carthage (c. 200-258 AD) was bishop of Carthage in Roman North Africa from 248 until his martyrdom in 258. He lived during one of the most dangerous periods in early Christian history, when the emperors Decius and Valerian conducted systematic persecutions of Christians. His writings on Church unity, the role of the bishop, and the restoration of lapsed Christians are foundational to Latin Christian theology.
Was Cyprian martyred for his faith?
Yes. Cyprian was arrested under the Valerian persecution in 257, exiled, then re-arrested, tried, and executed by beheading at his villa near Carthage on September 14, 258. His death is recorded in the Acta Proconsularia, one of the earliest surviving authentic accounts of a Christian martyrdom.
Did Cyprian write a treatise on the Lord's Prayer?
Yes. De Dominica Oratione (On the Lord's Prayer, c. 252 AD) is one of the earliest sustained Christian commentaries on the Our Father, alongside Tertullian's slightly earlier De Oratione (On Prayer) and Origen's Peri Euches (On Prayer, c. 233 AD).
Source
Saint Cyprian of Carthage (c. 200-258 AD), drawn from his writings on the Unity of the Catholic Church and his pastoral letters. Text from The Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 5: Hippolytus, Cyprian, Caius, Novatian, ed. Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson (1885-1887). Public domain.
Last reviewed: June 2026 against primary source.
Related reading
Faith in Practice A short history of Christian prayer Two thousand years in roughly fifteen minutes, with the interesting bits foregrounded. Faith in Practice Who wrote the Serenity Prayer? The answer is Reinhold Niebuhr, the evidence is good, and the story of how the question stayed open for fifty years is worth knowing.