The prayers below are for the person under the car: for safety, for skill, and for the honesty that makes customers come back.
Historical Context
Eligius was a seventh-century metalworker so honest that, given gold for one throne, he made two and returned the rest. He later became bishop of Noyon in France. Smiths, farriers and metalworkers took him as their patron, and many mechanics and garages have done the same.
A Mechanic’s Prayer Before Work
Lord, establish the work of my hands today.
Give me a clear head and a careful eye.
Let me find the real problem, not the easy guess.
Let every bolt be tight and every part be right,
because someone’s family will ride on it.
St Eligius, honest workman, pray for me.
Amen.
A Prayer for Safety Under the Car
Lord, keep me safe in this work.
Hold up what is lifted,
keep my hands clear of what moves,
my eyes protected and my lungs clean.
Make me check twice before I slide underneath,
and bring me home in one piece tonight.
Amen.
A Prayer for Honest Work
Lord, most of my customers cannot check my work.
Let me charge for what I did and only that,
tell them the truth about what they need,
and turn down the easy dishonest money.
Let my name be one people trust.
Amen.
A Prayer for the Mechanic in Your Family
Lord, bless my husband (my son, my father) in the shop.
Keep him safe on the lifts and around the tools.
Give him patience with difficult customers,
fair pay for long hours,
and strength left over for us when he gets home.
Amen.
Best Times for This Prayer
- At the start of a shift, or when opening the shop in the morning.
- Before a dangerous job: lifts, brakes, fuel systems.
- When opening a new garage, as a blessing on the building and tools.
- On 1 December, the feast of St Eligius.
- On 1 May, St Joseph the Worker.
Scripture Connection
“And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.” — Psalm 90:17
The psalmist repeats the request twice, as if once were not enough. That fits a trade where the work is checked by the road, every day, long after the customer has driven away.
Related prayers
For other trades that work with metal and heavy equipment, see the Welder Prayer and the Ironworker Prayer. For the drivers who depend on a mechanic’s work, there is the Truck Driver Prayer and the New Driver Prayer.