Customer Reviews

The Catholic Prayer Book

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This prayer book is excellent for personal devotion and for a glimpse into the life of the Church. It includes a variety of prayers for many different occasions. The book is divided into three parts:

1) The Christian Vocation: This part includes prayers addressed to the Trinity. It contains the Jesus Psalter, the Litany of the Sacred Heart, the Way of the Cross, and the Devotion to the Five Sacred Wounds, as well as various Psalms and other prayers.

2) The Sacraments: This section has the prayers and liturgy relating to Baptism, the Eucharist, and Reconciliation. The latter is particularly useful in personal devotion since it contains excerpts from the penitential Psalms.

3) Prayer: This is the longest section and has daily prayers (e.g. morning prayers), family prayers (e.g. grace before meals), the Jesus prayer, and prayers for special occasions (e.g. for peace, for the harvest). It also has prayers to Mary and the Saints.

Although Michael Buckley wrote some of the prayers, most have been taken from famous Christian authors. They come from many periods of Church history, ranging from the earliest days until modern times. Prayers by notable Protestants such as T.S. Eliot and William Barclay are included, but most of the writers are Roman Catholic. I would recommend this book to everyone, Catholic or non-Catholic, who wants to enrich his/her prayer life.

This book has become a constant companion to me. The organization of the prayers makes it easy to find just the right prayer for any occasion. There are variations available to suit every taste. From very formal prayers to modern prayers. I would recommend this prayer book for anyone Catholic who wants to begin or enhance their prayer life.

While it doesn't contain some of my personal favoriteprayers and novenas, this is a well rounded and verynice prayer-book. In addition to dozens of prayers, shortand long, it also contains a basic, 'fits all Masses' outline of the Mass, very helpful to myself (a convert)and my (very confused at Mass) non-Catholic fiance. Theorganization of the book is also very thoughtfully done,with the prayers grouped in sections of similar prayers.I highly recommend this book both for personal use and as Confirmation gift. The compact size travels easily, and mysoft-bound copy has held up very well for nearly 5 years now

Twelve years ago, as a new convert to Catholicism, I bought this book as a guide to Catholic prayer. I couldn't have made a better choice. This volume has the perfect blend of contemporary and ancient prayers generously interspersed with religious poetry and quotations. It contains the traditional prayers of the Church mixed with personal prayers of saints and others who are seeking God. It balances these prayers beautifully. One will find all the basics, for sure, plus others that might inspire you in a different prayer direction. I have since gone on to collect prayerbooks, Catholic and non-Catholic, with a collection now totaling over 150 volumes. This prayerbook contains a unique selection of prayers I have never seen in any other volume. Hands down, this is the prayerbook I return to again and again. Whatever mood I find myself in, or especially when I'm not sure what to pray, this is the book I go to first. Were I to select only one from my collection to recommend, this would be it.

Received this book today and it's all I wanted and more!! It has the traditional prayers, prayers for different occasions, prayers relating to the way of the cross, the rosary, devotions to God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, prayers relating to the sacraments and the Mass and prayers to Mary, St. Joseph and the saints. A very complete prayer book for all Catholics!!

As a member of an RCIA team at my church this little book is loaded with ideas for opening and closing prayer. It touches upon all of the topics that we teach during our sessions. I keep mine tucked into the bag with my notebook and other essentials and always have it with me for any occasion.

Over the years I've had many prayer books, and have spiritually greatly benefited from all of them. However, the one that I most connect with is "The Catholic Prayer Book." This small volume, edited by Monsignor Michael Buckley, contains a remarkable collection of some of the best and most inspiring prayers from the Catholic spiritual tradition. What appeals to me in particular about this prayer book is that it manages to strike the right balance between the more structured prayer life on one hand, and the spontaneity of individual personal prayer on the other. Also, even though many of the prayers are many centuries old, this still manages to be a very contemporary book that is relevant in today's world.

In this collection there are prayers form some of the most venerable spiritual masters and saints, such as Saint Ambrose, Saint Augustine, Saint Thomas Aquinas, Saint Thomas Moore, and many others. The book also draws heavily on the Roman Missal and other liturgical resources. The book is divided in three main sections: The Christian Vocation, The Sacraments, and the general Prayers. Within each section there are further subdivisions that cover almost all aspects of Christian devotional life. All of the prayers are extremely inspiring and uplifting. This small book is an invaluable tool and resource for building of one's faith and spirituality. I cannot recommend it strongly enough.

This is a great prayer book. I love the scale that it covers, and I love all of the obscure prayers. It has a prayer for almost any situation that you might be in. It has over 250 prayers that are well organized. Many of these prayers are incredibly beautiful and effective. Some of my favorite prayers in the book are: The Prayer of St. Francis, St. Patricks Breastplate, Jesus Psalter, Devotion to the Five Sacred Wounds, the Magnificat, Come Holy Spirit, The Act of Faith, The Act of Hope, The Act of Charity, The Confietor, the morning and night prayers, and the prayer to St. Ignatius Loyola. Some of the prayers are common, some of the prayers are uncommon, but all of them are beautiful and powerful.

This book has been around for years, but has not been updated since 1986! This book has been invaluable to myself and my prayer life, but is in desperate need of an update. The most obvious and glaring example is the lack of the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary in the book.

Overall, however, the book is a great asset to the prayer life of any Catholic, or any other Christian for that matter.

This volume is slightly larger than the more familiar pocket brown vinyl prayer books, and for me has several significant improvements over the other books. First, the selection of prayers includes ancient and modern prayers, from devout writers across history, including many prayers from outside Catholicism. Second, as a relatively new Catholic (returning home after three decades), the arrangement of the prayers helps guide me in my reading and my praying. Third, and this is entirerly personal, it does not contain any of the old-fashioned illustrations that distracted me in the older prayer books sold here. Simple, well-chosen, and clearly organized, this prayer book is going to stay with me a long time.