Send a Prayer for Someone Else
To send a prayer for someone else, put your own name in our prayer form and theirs inside the prayer, with one hope for them, in up to 300 characters and any language. Ask before you share their illness. Our family places every prayer on the wishing wall at the House of Virgin Mary near Ephesus, free of charge.
Written by Hasan Gülday · the Gülday family, Ephesus
Can I send a prayer for someone else?
Yes. More than half the prayers we carry to the House of Virgin Mary are for another person: a parent in hospital, a child far from home, a friend who is grieving, someone who has died. Write their first name and one hope for them. You do not need to be related to them, and they do not need to share your faith.
Christians have prayed this way from the start. The Letter of James asks believers to “pray for one another, that you may be healed” (James 5:16), and the Catechism calls intercession “asking on behalf of another.” People of every faith leave prayers for the ones they love on the wishing wall, the long wall of folded notes in the garden of the House of Virgin Mary.
How our prayer form works when the prayer is for another person
The prayer form on our home page has three fields, and none of them asks who the prayer is for. That is on purpose: the person you pray for belongs inside the prayer itself.
- Your name is you, the sender. As you type, it signs the small paper note in the preview beside the form, the way a note on the wall is signed.
- Your e-mail is only used to receive your prayer. We never share it, and we do not write to the person you pray for.
- Your prayer or wish holds their name and your hope for them: up to 300 characters, in any language.
Press “Send my prayer to the wall” and a confirmation appears on screen. If you prefer, e-mail the same words to submit@prayersunchained.com. Either way, our family places the prayer on the wishing wall on our next regular visit to the House of Virgin Mary, free of charge. We do not promise a date, only that it is placed with care. The full steps are in our guide on how to send a prayer request.
What to write in a prayer for someone else
Use the same pattern as any good prayer request: their first name, who they are to you, and one hope for this week or this season. A date helps if there is one. Here are six examples, each well under the 300-character limit.
For my friend Leila, waiting for test results this week: calm while she waits, good news if it can come, and friends close by whatever it says.
A friend · 143 charactersFor my brother Paul, who I have not spoken to in two years: peace in his life, and the courage for one of us to make the first call.
Family · 132 charactersFor our neighbor Karim, alone since his wife died in the spring: company on the long evenings and a reason to open his door again.
A neighbor · 130 charactersFor my son’s wife, Clara, and the baby due in November: a safe birth, a healthy child, and rest for them both in the first weeks.
New parents · 129 charactersFor my friend R., for a need she has asked me to keep private: strength for this month, and the help she is waiting for.
A private need · 120 charactersFor my colleague Sam, who does not pray himself but said I could: a steady heart through his divorce, and good days with his children.
Someone who does not pray · 134 charactersFor more to start from, see our 12 prayer request examples for illness, family, work, exams, travel, grief and thanks.
Ask first: privacy, consent and health details
You do not need anyone’s permission to pray for them. Sharing their details is different. The wishing wall stands in a garden open to every visitor, so a few habits protect the person you are praying for:
- Ask before you name an illness. A diagnosis is theirs to share. If you cannot ask, write “for my friend Leila, for her health” and leave the details to God.
- First names only. No surnames, addresses, phone numbers or hospital names. An initial is enough when a need is private.
- Children: a first name is plenty, or simply “my granddaughter.”
- Someone who has died: use their name freely; saying it is part of mourning. Begin with “In memory of…”.
- Someone who does not pray: ask if they mind. Some people are glad to know someone is praying for them; others would rather not be named, and a first initial respects both.
On our side, your e-mail is used only to receive your prayer and is never shared or sold, and we never publish prayers with full names.
Should you tell them you prayed?
If it is welcome, yes. People write to us that knowing a prayer was waiting for them in Ephesus was itself a comfort. A short message is enough: “I sent a prayer for you to the House of Virgin Mary today.” If the person is private about their faith or their health, a prayer they never hear about is still a prayer.
What the Bible says about praying for others
Praying for other people runs all through Scripture. A few passages, quoted from the World English Bible, a public-domain translation:
- Four friends and a roof. In Mark 2:3–5, four people carry a paralyzed man to Jesus and let him down through the roof, and “Jesus, seeing their faith,” speaks to the man. Their faith, not only his.
- Job and his friends. “Yahweh restored Job’s prosperity when he prayed for his friends” (Job 42:10).
- Prayers for everyone. Paul asks “that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and givings of thanks be made for all men” (1 Timothy 2:1).
- For all the saints. Writing to the Christians of Ephesus, Paul asks for “requests for all the saints” (Ephesians 6:18). We turn that verse into six prayer points on our page about Paul’s prayers.
Sources & further reading
- James 5:16: “pray for one another, that you may be healed” — Bible Gateway, World English Bible
- Mark 2:1–12: the four friends and the roof — Bible Gateway, World English Bible
- Job 42:10: “when he prayed for his friends” — Bible Gateway, World English Bible
- 1 Timothy 2:1: prayers and intercessions “for all men” — Bible Gateway, World English Bible
- Ephesians 6:18: “requests for all the saints” — Bible Gateway, World English Bible
- Catechism of the Catholic Church §2634–2636: the prayer of intercession — Vatican.va
More than half the prayers our family carries up the mountain are written for someone else: a parent in hospital, a child leaving home, a friend who lost someone, a husband or wife who has died.
“Yahweh restored Job’s prosperity when he prayed for his friends.”
Job 42:10
People often ask
Can I send a prayer request for someone else? ▾
Yes. Put your own name in the name field and theirs inside the prayer: “For my sister Anna, courage before her surgery.” A first name is enough, and the prayer can be up to 300 characters in any language. We place it on the wishing wall at the House of Virgin Mary, free of charge.
Do I need their permission to pray for someone? ▾
Not to pray, but ask before you share their details. Praying for someone needs nobody’s permission; putting their name and illness on a note in a garden open to every visitor does. If you cannot ask, use a first name or an initial and leave out the diagnosis.
How do I pray for a friend who is going through a hard time? ▾
Name the friend and the one thing they need most right now: sleep, work, courage before a hospital visit, company in grief. Pray it every day for a week. For words to start from, Paul’s prayers in Ephesians work with a name put in where he says “you.”
Can I send a prayer for someone who has died? ▾
Yes. Begin with “In memory of” and their first name, then pray for them and for the people who miss them: “In memory of my grandmother, Eleni. Give her rest, and comfort my mother, who misses her.” It is placed on the wall like every other prayer.
Will the person I pray for be contacted? ▾
No. We only receive your name, your e-mail and your prayer, and we never publish prayers with full names. Whether to tell them is up to you; people write to us that knowing a prayer was waiting for them in Ephesus was a comfort.
Continue the story
How to send a prayer request
What to write, how to send it, and exactly what happens after you press send.
Step by step →
Prayer Request Examples
Twelve short prayers for illness, family, work, exams, travel, grief and thanks, ready to copy.
See the examples →
The Wishing Wall
Thousands of folded prayers on one wall — the tradition your prayer becomes part of.
Discover the tradition →Write their name. We will carry it.
Send your prayer for a friend, a parent or a child. We will place it on the wishing wall at the House of Virgin Mary near Ephesus, free of charge, in any language.
Send my prayer nowFree · No donations asked · Any language · Placed by our family in person