I don't know any prayers!

I has Bible. You can borrows Bible. Check out the Psalms for a start.

I don't know them specifically but common prayers would include "Hail Mary" and I think there is another one, if you go searching around for "Hail Mary" you should find some good stuff.

Try this page: http://www.catholic.org/clife/prayers/

Scroll down & click the link for prayers about travel & danger. (BTW I'm not Catholic myself, just interested!)

Mother Mary, full of Grace, please find me a parking space.

But in all seriousness, I was raised an Anglican, so obviously I don't know enough about Catholicism (is that what it's called?) to be able to give 100% accurate advice.

Have you tried searching catholic prayers on Google? Just searching for Catholic prayers surrounding travel, I found these two:

This and this, which may help.

Goodluck. :-)

Edit: Apparently Richard Ericsson beat me to it while I was trying to remember how to link things in HTML. The above are two of the Travel prayers from the site he listed, excluding the prayer about the automobile.

Brilliant! Thanks for those everyone - they should be enough to get me started.

Great minds think alike, Shadwell! ;-)

Lofwyr: re: your musical interests on your profile, perhaps you could write a prayer in the style of an Amy Lee or Neil Finn song?

Hmm... the character in question would be into some of that. More likely the Finns than Amy Lee, though one of her other friends may be able to help her out with that.

I don't think even Catholic prayers have to have set forms of words.

I come from a nonconformist background and, beyond the Lord's Prayer and a couple of traditional blessing-type things, we generally just "talk to God" for a bit.

Catholicism puts more emphasis on going through a Priest where possible as your intermediary, but, under correction, I don't think there'd be any particular issue with a Catholic nervous flyer saying "Lord, help me get through this flight. Amen" just before takeoff.

The patron saint of travel is St. Christopher, so if you wished to specifically show your character to be Catholic as opposed to generically Christian, she could maybe ask *him* for help (or to have a word with Jesus on her behalf) instead of going directly to Jesus.

Yup. If you're the sort of Catholic I am. Roman Catholic, that is. And sort of relaxed about it, you don't pray much in the way of standard prayers. I reckon that's an old-fashioned sort of thing, really. So it would be more as Brickie said, like talking.

But if she's been excommunicated from her family she might want to talk to a priest. Or go to confession (which is the sacrament of Reconciliation).

And the most common prayer after the Lord's prayer would be the Hail Mary. And of course, if she's very stressed, she might even pray the Rosary because that's nice and long and comforting like that.

I second the idea of her praying the rosary. I'm a lapsed Catholic but quite often find myself doing this when I'm stressed and need to calm down (and in need of connection to whatever higher power is up there).

sorry for the double

St. Christopher is the patron saint of travelers (even if he no longer has a feast day on the calendar). I don't know any prayers for his intercession, but "St. Christopher, pray that I have a safe journey" might work.

A prayer book from 1936 that I have suggests this as a prayer for travelers:

O almighty and merciful God, Who has commissioned Thy angels to guide and protect us, command them to be our companions from our setting out until our return; to clothe us with their invisible protection; to keep from us all danger of collision, of fire, of explosion, of falls and bruises; and finally, having preserved us from all evil, and especially from sin, to guide us to our heavenly home. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

If she's afraid or feels she's in danger, she could ask her guardian angel to protect her - aside from the prayer little kids are taught, "Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God's love commits me here, ever this day be at my side, to light, to guard, to rule, to guide," she could improvise something, or she could ask the Archangel Michael for protection, "St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the Devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray. And do thou, O prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, cast into Hell Satan and all evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls."

I'm not Catholic, but I know a few very devout people. One favorite prayer in times of stress seems to be a novena, which is a nine day series of Rosaries and occasionally other prayers. There are prayer books published, and likely online as well, you may want to find one to refer to as needed.

well, the three more common are the Lord's Prayer, Hail Mary and the Apostle's Creed.

i found catholicy.com, where the text for many prayer can be found (in english)
i know them,but only in spanish.

http://www.catholicity.com/prayer/prayers.html

a good one i do all the time when i'm afraid is the guardian angel.

and i know this one for travelers:

O Almighty and merciful God, who hast commissioned Thy angels to guide and protect us, command them to be our assiduous companions from our setting out until our return; to clothe us with their invisible protection; to keep from us all danger of collision, of fire, of explosion, of fall and bruises, and finally, having preserved us from all evil, and especially
from sin, to guide us to our heavenly home.
Through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen.

you know, your character oughta have a favorite saint and use their prayer.
there are plenty of saints, depending on her interests.
it would also be good to know a little of the character's background, like was she raised catholic, what kind of school did she attend, has she always been devout or has she strayed before?

I'm Jewish so I don't know about Catholic prayers, but Jews do have a specific prayer for travel called Tefillat HaDerech (The Travellers Prayer):
"May it be Your will, Lord, our God and the God of our ancestors, that You lead us toward peace, guide our footsteps toward peace, and make us reach our desired destination for life, gladness, and peace. May You rescue us from the hand of every foe, ambush along the way, and from all manner of punishments that assemble to come to earth. May You send blessing in our handywork, and grant us grace, kindness, and mercy in Your eyes and in the eyes of all who see us. May You hear the sound of our humble request because You are God Who hears prayer requests. Blessed are You, Lord, Who hears prayer."

I don't know if Catholics say this as well, but....

Also you could probably flip through Psalms and pick out anything in there....

The Hail Mary's a pretty regular one for praying when someone's scared or in need of reassurance.
'Hail Mary, full of grace,
The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou amongst women,
And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
Pray for us sinners,
Now, and at the hour of our death."

Travel: This isn't as much a memorized one, but might be written down as it is fairly known-
"O Almighty and merciful God, who hast commissioned Thy angels to guide and protect us, command them to be our assiduous companions from our setting out until our return; to clothe us with their invisible protection; to keep from us all danger of collision, of fire, of explosion, of fall and bruises, and finally, having preserved us from all evil, and especially from sin, to guide us to our heavenly home. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen."

And there's also the Apostle's Creed, which basically is reciting the beliefs of a Catholic. Good for reasurrance of faith:
"I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried, He descended into hell; the third day He arose again from the dead; He ascended into Heaven, sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty, from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen. "

Hope those help ^_^
~ Kathryn

The guardian angel prayer:

Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God's love commits me here, ever this (day/night) be at my side, to light and guard, to rule, and guide. (A common prayer children learn, so it might be easy for her to revert to when stressed.)

Also the St. Michael prayer is good for times of feeling under attack:

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle,
Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,
And do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host,
By the power of God, cast into Hell Satan and all evil spirits
That prowl throughout the world for the ruin of souls.

Our Lady of Loretto is considered a patron of flying specifically, though I don't know offhand of a specific prayer to/through her.

The Rosary, as was mentioned; also the Chaplet of Divine Mercy might be calming, as it's a series of repeated prayers in the same format as the Rosary (5 decades of 10 prayers each, more or less.) There are also various litanies, though it's less common that someone would know those by heart, unless one had special meaning to her.

She might ask her patron saint(s) to intercede -- the saint she chose at confirmation, one that she's named for, or one she feels a special affinity for.

The Hail Mary, as mentioned; the Glory Be is another common one (Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end, Amen.)

There are also hymns as prayers (thinking of the words or singing them in her head)...depending on her tastes there's a wide range of possibilities there.

And, as mentioned, free form prayer is perfectly fine too. Oh, and certain specific actions do require a priest, and it can be incredibly helpful and reassuring to have the prayers and advice of a trusted priest in difficult times, but there's nothing at all to say that personal private prayer would be somehow considered less valuable or valid.

(whoops, somebody mentioned the angel prayers already; sorry for the repeat!)

I quite like this one.

Each day for eight days, perform the following,

1.) Pray the prayer of St. Thérèse.

St. Thérèse of the Little Flower
Please pick me a rose from your Heavenly garden
And send it to me with a message of love.
Ask God to grant me the favor,
I Thee implore,
And tell Him that I will love him each day, more and more.

2.) State request.
3.) Pray (9) Our Fathers, (9) Hail Marys and (9) Glory Be's.
4.) On ninth day, pray as above, and at the end, pray once more St. Thérèsa's prayer.

I forgot to say, if your prayer is answered, St. Thérèse will send you a rose to show that it is answered, hence the line about picking a rose from her Heavenly garden.

I can only speak for me personally, but as a lifelong Catholic, when I'm praying, like, on the go - when I'm in the middle of a stressful situation or freaked out - the Hail Mary is the prayer that just pops up naturally in my head. I pray a lot of other prayers when I have time to think about it, but if I'm, say, on an airplane that's experiencing turbulence - Hail Mary. Automatically.

Thanks for the prayers everyone - they'll all come in handy at one point or another.

okelay, you asked about the character? Well, Celine was born and raised in a devout Catholic household, the second of five children. She didn't actually attend a Catholic school - her parents felt that their life at home and their visits at church would be enough - so she did get some exposure to other belief systems. She kept her faith, however, and has always been a strong believer.

However, she hit a big problem when she discovered she was attracted to other women. When she came out to her parents, they weren't impressed at all - in fact, she got kicked out of home for it. She had friends to turn to at least, but she starts the story unsure of herself and having something of a crisis, given that she has to reconcile her sexuality with her faith. There's no possible way that her friends would let her repress it for her faith, nor is she willing to discard the faith she grew up with. She's currently struggling to find a happy medium between the two.

If you're interested in a nice, old-fashioned prayer, here's one I've always been fond of:

Remember, O most gracious virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help or sought thy intercession, was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto thee, O virgin of virgins, my Mother. To thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word incarnate, despise not my petition, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.

A devotion to the Blessed Virgin would be especially appropriate for someone who's estranged from her own mother.

I like that one - Celine would definitely be saying that one. Thanks!

Maybe I could open up the novel with it - she's starting, after all...

These are a few prayers I found useful when I was a young, young child and still in deep belief of God and Jesus:

To thy Guardian Angel

Angel of God, my guardian dear,
To whom God's love commits me here,
Ever this day (or night) be at my side,
To light and guard, to rule and guide
Amen

Morning prayer to Mary:

My Queen, My Mother, I offer myself to Thee. And to show my devotion to Thee, I offer Thee this day, my eyes, my ears, my mouth, my heart, my whole being without reserve. Wherefore, good Mother, as I am thine own, keep me, guard me as thy property and posession. Amen.

Salve Regina:

Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of mercy!
Hail, our life, our sweetness and our hope!
To Thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve.
To Thee do we send up our sighs,
mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.
Turn then, most gracious Advocate
Thine eyes of mercy towards us
and after this, our exile,
show unto us the blessed fruit of Thy womb, Jesus
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary!

And my personal favorite, a children's bedtime prayer:

Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
Angels watch me through the night,
And keep me safe 'till morning light.

The adult version:

Now I lay me down to sleep
I pray the Lord my soul to keep
And should I die before I wake
I pray the Lord my soul to take.

One of the nice things about being Catholic is that there is a prayer for everything. Those who are not good with words or are not comfortable "chatting" with God can find a prayer to suit them.

Here is one possibility for your character, St. Jude, the Saint of Hopeless Causes, also called the Saint of the Impossible (but aren't they all). Here is his special prayer:
http://cweb.snip.net/stjude/stjpray.htm
And she might carry one of those Saint cards with his picture and prayer on it (they're like postcards or bookmarks).

She also should definitely have a rosary. She might wear it like a necklace, maybe under her clothes, or keep it in her pocket. You can refer to your character touching it for reassurance or clutching it.

The nice thing about prayers is, you can make up your own. There are no specific 'guidelines' to how you have to pray. For me a prayer is generally like this:
Oh Lord:
I'm sorry I was mean to ____. Please forgive me, Lord. Give me the courage to do well in karate tomorrow. May I find more strength and kindness, Amen.

Anything is a prayer. You only have to pray from the bottom of your heart.

I hope this helps somewhat. :)

I’m a Roman Catholic from Louisiana, and I’ve attended Catholic schools all my life. So I like to think I know what I’m talking about. Hope this helps.

Many devout Catholics always wear a Scapular. I own several myself. I believe the Brown Scapular is the most popular. The most common prayers have been mentioned, but you can make up your own prayer. One that I didn’t see was the Act of Contrition. There are many different versions, but this is the one I use:

O my God,
I am heartily sorry for having offended you
And I detest all my sins because of your just punishments
But most of all, because they offend you, my God
Who are all good and worthy of all my love
I firmly resolve, with the help of thy grace
To sin no more and to avoid whatever leads me to sin
Amen.

The Sign of the Cross is a very important prayer. Most Catholics say it when they begin praying and again when they finish. There are actions to go with the words, I’ll put them in parentheses next to the words.

In the name of the Father, (Touch your forehead with your right hand)
And of the Son, (Touch your chest, just over your heart, with your right hand)
And of the Holy Sprit. (Touch your left shoulder on the word Holy and the right shoulder
on the word Spirit, again using your right hand)

Hope that helped!
~Catherine

Several people mentioned asking St. Christopher, St. Michael, and so on to pray. There are many saints thought to be especially effective for particular kinds of prayers -- patron saints. So you might find a list of saints and see if any specific area fit something in your story.

If she makes any Protestant friends, invoking saints is one of the things that might drive a few of them ballistic.

When she's stressed she might resort to reciting the rosary, with or without beads. Or a part of it, like the Hail Mary:

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.