Prayer Before Study (St. Thomas Aquinas)
This prayer before study is traditionally attributed to Saint Thomas Aquinas, the Dominican theologian known as the Angelic Doctor. Its Latin title, Creator ineffabilis, comes from its opening words and reflects Aquinas’s conviction that every created truth has its source in God. The prayer asks for light against ignorance, freedom from sin, a keen understanding, a faithful memory, and clarity in expression. Catholics commonly pray it before reading, classes, examinations, writing, or theological study. It places intellectual work under God’s guidance from beginning to completion. The familiar English form given here is a concise adaptation of the fuller Latin prayer traditionally associated with Saint Thomas.
In Latin
Creator ineffabilis, qui de thesauris sapientiae tuae tres Angelorum hierarchias designasti, et eas super caelum empyreum miro ordine collocasti, atque universi partes elegantissime distribuisti; tu, inquam, qui verus fons luminis et sapientiae diceris ac supereminens principium, infundere digneris super intellectus mei tenebras tuae radium claritatis, duplices, in quibus natus sum, a me removens tenebras, peccatum scilicet et ignorantiam. Tu, qui linguas infantium facis disertas, linguam meam erudias atque in labiis meis gratiam tuae benedictionis infundas. Da mihi intelligendi acumen, retinendi capacitatem, addiscendi modum et facilitatem, interpretandi subtilitatem, loquendi gratiam copiosam. Ingressum instruas, progressum dirigas, egressum compleas; tu, qui es verus Deus et homo, qui vivis et regnas in saecula saeculorum. Amen.
When to pray it: Pray this before study, reading, writing, classes, examinations, or any serious intellectual work.