How do I pray for my workplace?

Pray for the work itself, for the people you work with, and for the way you treat them. A workplace prayer is usually short and specific: name the day ahead, the pressures on the team, and the colleagues who are struggling.

Is prayer allowed in the workplace?

In most workplaces private prayer is permitted, and in many countries reasonable accommodation for religious practice is protected. Silent prayer at your desk, or a voluntary group that meets on a break, is ordinarily uncontroversial. Check your own employer's policy, which is the rule that actually governs you.

How do you start a prayer group at work?

Start small and voluntary: a couple of colleagues, one agreed moment in the day, and the same short prayers. Keep it outside working obligations, invite rather than recruit, and let people join or leave freely.

Can a team pray the same prayers at the same time?

Yes. A team can share one prayer format so everyone follows the same prayers at the four workday moments, including people in other offices or time zones.

How do you pray over a toxic workplace?

Pray for patience and clarity before you pray for the situation to change, and pray for the person who is hardest to work with by name. The prayers for a difficult colleague on this page are written for that.

What is a workday prayer format?

A prayer format is a selection of prayers assigned to the four workday moments, and optionally to specific days of the week. It can be personal or shared with a team, saved, and exported as a PDF.

Workplace Prayer

Workplace prayer works best when it is short, regular, and shared. Below are prayers for the workplace you can pray at your desk, prayers for a difficult colleague or a toxic workplace, a simple way to start a prayer group at work, and answers to the questions people ask about praying in the workplace.

Prayers for the workplace

A prayer for the workplace

Prayer for the Spirit of Work

God our Father, Creator and Ruler of the universe, in every age you call us to use and develop our gifts for the good of others. With St. Joseph as our guide, help us to do the work you have asked and come to the rewards you have promised. Please grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Open prayer

To open the working week together

A Prayer for Monday Morning

Lord, as I begin this new week, grant me strength and wisdom to face whatever challenges come my way. Help me to be a light in my workplace, bringing peace and patience to all my interactions. Amen.

Open prayer

To Saint Joseph, patron of workers

Prayer to St Joseph the Workman

O glorious St. Joseph, model of all those who are devoted to labor, obtain for me the grace to work conscientiously, putting the call of duty above my natural inclinations, to work with gratitude and joy, in a spirit of penance for the remission of my sins, considering it an honor to employ and develop by means of labor the gifts received from God, to work with order, peace, moderation and patience, without ever shrinking from weariness and difficulties, to work above all with purity of intention and detachment from self, having always death before my eyes and the account that I must render of time lost, of talents wasted, of good omitted, of vain complacency in success, so fatal to the work of God. All for Jesus, all through Mary, all after thine example, O Patriarch, St. Joseph. Such shall be my watchword in life and in death. Amen.

Open prayer

For humility among colleagues

Litany of Humilty

O Jesus, meek and humble of heart, Hear me. From the desire of being esteemed, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the desire of being loved, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the desire of being extolled, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the desire of being honored, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the desire of being praised, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the desire of being preferred to others, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the desire of being consulted, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the desire of being approved, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the fear of being humiliated, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the fear of being despised, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the fear of suffering rebukes, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the fear of being calumniated, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the fear of being forgotten, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the fear of being ridiculed, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the fear of being wronged, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the fear of being suspected, Deliver me, O Jesus. That others may be loved more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That others may be esteemed more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That, in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That others may be chosen and I set aside, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That others may be praised and I go unnoticed, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That others may be preferred to me in everything, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

Open prayer

How to pray together at work

Agree on the moments

Pick the points in the day everyone can keep — start of day, midday, lunch, end of day. Consistency matters more than length.

Share one set of prayers

A team format gives everyone the same prayers at the same moments, so people pray together even when they are apart.

Carry each other's intentions

Members add intentions for the group — a colleague's illness, a hard week, a decision ahead — and they appear alongside the prayers.

Keep it quiet and optional

Every prayer here can be read silently in seconds. No meeting invite, no pressure on anyone who would rather not take part.

Prayers for hard situations at work

Start a prayer group at work

Create a team and invite colleagues by email or with a join link. Nobody is added without accepting.
Share one prayer format so the whole group prays the same prayers at the start of the day, midday, lunch, and the end of the day.
Add intentions for each other, and take the day's prayers with you as a PDF.

Create a prayer team Build a prayer format

Praying on your own? See prayers for work through the day.

Common questions about prayer in the workplace

How do I pray for my workplace?: Pray for the work itself, for the people you work with, and for the way you treat them. A workplace prayer is usually short and specific: name the day ahead, the pressures on the team, and the colleagues who are struggling.
Is prayer allowed in the workplace?: In most workplaces private prayer is permitted, and in many countries reasonable accommodation for religious practice is protected. Silent prayer at your desk, or a voluntary group that meets on a break, is ordinarily uncontroversial. Check your own employer's policy, which is the rule that actually governs you.
How do you start a prayer group at work?: Start small and voluntary: a couple of colleagues, one agreed moment in the day, and the same short prayers. Keep it outside working obligations, invite rather than recruit, and let people join or leave freely.
Can a team pray the same prayers at the same time?: Yes. A team can share one prayer format so everyone follows the same prayers at the four workday moments, including people in other offices or time zones.
How do you pray over a toxic workplace?: Pray for patience and clarity before you pray for the situation to change, and pray for the person who is hardest to work with by name. The prayers for a difficult colleague on this page are written for that.
What is a workday prayer format?: A prayer format is a selection of prayers assigned to the four workday moments, and optionally to specific days of the week. It can be personal or shared with a team, saved, and exported as a PDF.