also known as The Fatima Prayer, The Decade Prayer, O My Jesus
Oh mi Jesu, dimitte nobis debita nostra,
O my Jesus, forgive us our sins,
libera nos ab igne inferni,
save us from the fires of hell,
conduc in caelum omnes animas,
lead all souls to heaven,
praesertim illas quae maxime indigent misericordia tua.
especially those most in need of thy mercy.
On 13 July 1917, during her third apparition at Fatima in Portugal, the Blessed Virgin Mary asked the three shepherd children — Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta — to pray a brief prayer after each decade of the Rosary. The prayer entrusts to the Mercy of Christ the salvation of all souls, especially those most in need of His mercy.
When prayed: Prayed after each of the five decades of the Holy Rosary, immediately following the Gloria Patri.
The Latin text of the Oratio Fatimae alongside its English translation, line by line.
| Latin | English |
|---|---|
| Oh mi Jesu, dimitte nobis debita nostra, | O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, |
| libera nos ab igne inferni, | save us from the fires of hell, |
| conduc in caelum omnes animas, | lead all souls to heaven, |
| praesertim illas quae maxime indigent misericordia tua. | especially those most in need of thy mercy. |
Word-by-word definitions and example uses. Tap any word to learn its meaning, then return to the prayer with new ears.
Definition: O, an expression of addressing or invoking
Oh magna virtus! (O great courage!)
Definition: my (vocative singular masculine)
Mi amice, salve! (My friend, hello!)
Definition: Jesus (vocative form)
Ave, Jesu Christe! (Hail, Jesus Christ!)
Definition: forgive, let go (imperative singular)
Dimitte eam, quaeso. (Forgive her, please.)
Definition: to us, for us (dative plural of 'nos')
Da nobis pacem. (Give us peace.)
Definition: debts, sins (accusative plural)
Debita solvi oportet. (Debts must be paid.)
Definition: our (nominative/accusative plural neuter)
Domus nostra est magna. (Our house is big.)
Definition: free, deliver (imperative singular)
Libera nos, Domine. (Deliver us, Lord.)
Definition: us (accusative plural)
Vide nos, Magister! (See us, Teacher!)
Definition: from, by (preposition with ablative)
Liberatus ab hostibus. (Freed from the enemies.)
Definition: fire (ablative singular)
Cave igni. (Beware of the fire.)
Definition: of hell, infernal (genitive singular)
Dominus inferni. (Lord of the underworld.)
Definition: lead, bring (imperative singular)
Conduc me ad montem. (Lead me to the mountain.)
Definition: into, to (preposition with accusative)
In urbem iit. (He went into the city.)
Definition: heaven, sky (accusative singular)
Caelum est serenum. (The sky is clear.)
Definition: all (nominative/accusative plural)
Omnes homines aequales sunt. (All men are equal.)
Definition: souls (accusative plural)
Animas curamus. (We care for souls.)
Definition: especially, particularly
Praesertim hieme eum video. (I see him especially in winter.)
Definition: those (accusative plural feminine)
Video illas puellas. (I see those girls.)
Definition: who, which (nominative singular/plural feminine)
Puella quae cantat. (The girl who sings.)
Definition: most, especially
Hoc maxime est mirabile. (This is most wonderful.)
Definition: need, lack (third person plural present)
Homines cibum indigent. (The people need food.)
Definition: mercy, compassion (ablative singular)
Ego confido in misericordia tua. (I trust in your mercy.)
Definition: your (nominative/ablative singular feminine)
Domus tua est pulchra. (Your house is beautiful.)
The Fatima Prayer — Oratio Fatimae in Latin — is a short prayer Our Lady gave to the three children of Fatima during her apparitions in 1917. It begins, 'O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell, lead all souls to Heaven, especially those most in need of Thy mercy.' Our Lady asked that it be added after each decade of the Holy Rosary.
The Blessed Virgin Mary gave the prayer to Sts. Francisco and Jacinta Marto and to their cousin Sr. Lucia dos Santos during her third apparition at Fatima, on 13 July 1917 — the same apparition in which she revealed the famous 'three secrets of Fatima.' The Marto children have since been canonized; their cousin Lucia died in 2005 and has been declared Venerable.
The Fatima Prayer is prayed at the end of each decade, immediately after the Gloria Patri and before beginning the next mystery's Pater Noster. So in a full Rosary it is prayed five times, holding before God the salvation of souls between each meditation on the life of Christ.
No — the Rosary is complete without it, and centuries of saints prayed the Rosary in its earlier form. But since the apparitions of 1917 the Fatima Prayer has become part of the universal Catholic devotional practice, and praying it is a way of honoring Our Lady's specific request and uniting our intentions to the great consecration she asked of the world.
The prayer Christ Himself taught — the heart of every Christian's life of prayer.
The greeting of the Archangel Gabriel, joined to the Church's own petition.
The Church's ancient doxology: glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
The Church's evening hymn to Mary, our life, our sweetness, and our hope.
St. Bernard's confident plea to the Mother of God.
Three times a day the Church remembers the Word made flesh.
Credo teaches you to read the Oratio Fatimae (and every other Catholic prayer) in Latin the way the saints did — through the words themselves, not grammar drills.
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