In the Prayer of the Faithful the assembly is invited to pray for the concerns of Church and the world. The pattern for use at Mass reminds us that the local Church gathered in prayer united with universal Church.

The recommended order for intentions given in the Roman Missal is as follows.

1. For the needs of the Church
2. For the world
3. For those in need
4. For the local community

The overall structure of the Prayer of the Faithful is given in Celebrating the Mass, paragraph 173 and is briefly as follows.

• Invitation to Prayer
• Silence
• Intentions
  • Intention (Let us pray for… )
  • Silence for prayer
  • Response
• Concluding Prayer

The Concluding Prayer is normally in the form of a collect prayer.

Familiar responses include:

Lord, in your mercy.
Hear our prayer.

We pray to the Lord:
Lord, hear our prayer

• The Prayer of the Faithful: Reflections on Good Practice (pdf) is a document produced by the Liturgy Committee
• The Prayer of the Faithful worksheet (pdf) provides a template for writing intercessions.
• Cycle of Prayer — Model Intercessions
• The diocese of Arundel & Brighton has produced some useful Guidelines for Prayers of the Faithful (pdf)
• Preparing the Prayer of the Faithful at Mass (pdf)
• Preparing the Prayer of the Faithful — GIRM Opportunities Series