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Catholic Prayer Book for Mothers

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A mother's daily list of "to do" items is seemingly endless, but there is one essential item that should top the others when a mother prioritizes her day: making time for prayer.

To this end, author and mother of five Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle has given both a gift and a "secret weapon" to mothers of every age with her new Catholic Prayer Book for Mothers (Our Sunday Visitor, September 2005, hardcover, 64 pages).

In our ever busier world, many mothers feel stressed out, overwhelmed, and at times separated from God. Cooper O'Boyle understands - and for this reason she took the time to write and compile a book for any woman looking to embrace and blossom in her role as "heart of the home". "Feeling compelled to help all mothers, drawing from my own spiritual experiences during my vocation of motherhood and spiritual lessons learned from Mother Teresa, I decided to write this book," shares Donna-Marie. She recognizes prayer both as a tool mothers need to embrace in order to have success and be fruitful in their vocation, and as a gift they will ultimately teach and pass along to their families.

Catholic Prayer Book for Mothers is diminutive enough in size to fit into a small handbag but superior enough in substance to change a mother's life. Every facet of the book, from its lovely design to its unique combination of both original and traditional prayer, combines to provide a book that is both inspirational and heartwarming.

This beautiful little book is deceptively slim yet bursting with wisdom, original prayers, advice and the encouragement of one who knows.

Donna, a writer and mother of five, also seems to have peeked into my life. How does she know what a transforming vocation motherhood has been for me? In a reflection entitled "A Glimpse into the Future" she writes:

If a woman could get a glimpse at
What her world would be
When she becomes a mother,
She would be presented with the reality
That her innermost desires and life plans
would be altered or put on hold
because she would be inundated with the care of others.
If she was also allowed to glimpse the unending joy
she would receive as a mother,
There would be no pause to consider,
No hesitation, as she embraced the whole package,
Knowing in her heart that her children will become her life's desires.

And, in "The Rosary, One Decade at a Time" I see my life reflected: the ways in which our children change our prayer lives are to be celebrated, not bemoaned, and God understands when we do such things as say a halting Rosary and sprinkle bits of prayer throughout our days and our duties.

With quotations from Blessed Teresa of Calcutta (who personally encouraged the author), John Paul the Great (who gave Donna his apostolic blessing), Scripture, and a variety of saints, this book is exactly the sort to keep by the bedside, on the prayer table, or in one's purse for the many times we, as mothers, need a boost, a bit of solace or an inspirational lift.

Finally, the book itself is lovely, with pages of pastels and florals that are calming and beautiful.

Donna Cooper O'Boyle speaks straight to a mother's heart, as she embraces her fellow moms with her uplifting and hopeful message of the salvific beauty of our vocation.

Our Sunday Visitor has put together a handy and attractive book for mothers, which is a multi-faceted endeavor. But Donna-Marie, as a good writer and mother of five, knows well that mothers are also daughters and fellow pilgrims with their children, leading and learning all the while. This book will fit easily into a purse or diaper bag so that it can be read anywhere - offering its spiritual morsels for the nursing mother, the waiting-room mother, the car-pool mother, and the woman who at one sitting can hardly absorb more than the assurances that Mary is her mother, too.

Containing far more than initially meets the eye, the author covers the basics of prayer, the wisdom of the Church, and the essence of virtue in this challenging vocation, calling to mind the vision of holiness and spiritual meaning when all the reader can see are dishes, demands, and diapers. Ordinary life masks the beauty of the motherly vocation, but this little book reminds the reader of its true value on every page. This would be an excellent gift for new - or not so new mothers.

As mothers, it is often hard to find time to pray, yet prayer is so essential to
our lives. Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle, a mother of five children, understands
this and wrote "Catholic Prayer Book for Mothers" as a way to help meet that
challenge.

The first thing that strikes you when you meet this book is its size and design.
It is small, meant to tuck neatly into a purse or diaper bag, an on-the-go
reminder that God comes first and is there to help us in our daily lives. The
pages are also beautifully designed with soft background images. One can't help
but feel calmer and more centered just appreciating the pages. The true value of
this book, however, are the words on the pages. Cooper O'Boyle has combined
classic prayers (for example, one will find the Memorare of St. Bernard and the
Prayer to St. Michael) with quotes from the Bible and spiritual giants such as
St. Thomas Aquinas and Blessed Teresa of Calcutta with her own original prayers
and reflections.

In Chapter Nine "Prayerful Days" Cooper O'Boyle writes of the need to make our
everyday life a prayer. "Jesus was known to retreat from the crowds often to
pray in solitude, usually on a mountain or in a desert, preferably at night. As
mothers, most times we don't have the opportunity to sneak away or retreat to
solitude. We know that the care of our family is pretty much all-consuming, and
while we cannot go off to the mountain or the desert, we can strive to find the
mountain and desert moments in our lives, even in the midst of the busyness.
Capture these moments and use them prayerfully." Cooper O'Boyle's prayers and
reflections are moving and honest. She understands the pressures that mothers
are under as well as the joys and sorrows they face. Her words tug at the heart
and raise the mind to focus on God.

"Catholic Prayer Book for Mothers" is designed for mothers at all stages of the
journey. It would be a wonderful gift for any Catholic mother in need of
spiritual uplift.


Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur is editor of http://www.spiritualwoman.net

This book was given to me by my sister/godmother at a time when I truly needed it. The insights and quotations strengthen my resolve every day to be more the wife and mother that I believe God would have me be. It is a resource that you can use every day, as I do, to remind you what a gift you have been granted through your motherhood.

Motherhood is Donna Cooper O'Boyle's métier: her five children range in age from 4 to 28, with four of them still living at home. It's a vocation the Ridgefield native has written about often for Catholic publications.

Recently, O'Boyle began a new chapter in her writing career with the publication of Catholic Prayer Book for Mothers, a compact 64- page book filled with original and traditional Catholic prayer interspersed with quotes from the saints, Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, and Pope John Paul II.

The seventh of eight children in Cooper clan of Ridgefield, O'Boyle began expressing her talents while in junior high school. "I'd go on retreats where I did a lot of reflections on life - deep philosophical and spiritual," she recalls. "I'd write them down and draw a picture to go along with them. I loved expressing myself through art."

Married young and a mother by the age of 21, O'Boyle spent what little time she had for writing on opinion pieces covering pro-life and motherhood issues. It was during this time that she met Mother Teresa for the first time. Over a decade of visits and correspondence, the nun became a major influence on the author's life. Her nuggets of wisdom ("The child is the beauty of God present in the world, the greatest gift to the family") are sprinkled liberally throughout the book, which received the apostolic blessing of Pope John Paul II.

Survival by Prayer

O'Boyle contends that prayer is necessary for the survival of the family and advocates the mother's role in teaching her children the power of prayer in the heart of the home. She also encourages women to carve out spiritual time for themselves - not always an easy task given the busy lives they lead. So she suggests that they transform their very lives into a prayer.

For example, in "Roses for You," O'Boyle asks the Blessed Mother to accept each motherly task as an act of love. "Let them be as roses to be put at your feet, one by one," she writes. "I pray that by the end of the day, there will be an enormous bouquet to adorn your feet."

Each chapter of the pocket-sized book ends with an appropriate reflection penned by O'Boyle. For "Chapter Two: A Mother's Love - The Greatest Gift", it reads, "Take some time to reflect on a mother's love and how your heart has grown because of the children in your life. Ask our dear Lord in your own words for wisdom, insight, and all the graces needed to be the mother He wants you to be."

O'Boyle's book landed on the Catholic Book Publishers Association's Top Ten list of Catholic best-selling books in November, based on orders by Catholic and Christian stores in the U.S. and Canada. Her new manuscript, "Finding Sanctity in the Heart of the Home," is a more in-depth study of the sanctity of motherhood. Publication looks promising for 2006.

Thank you for giving me a book small enough to fit in my purse. I love to read it in thos seconds that I am waiting in the car between car pools. It is inspirational and draws me closer to Our Lord with each turn of the page. It is practical in that it shows me how to make everyday tasks into opportunities for grace. Spiritual Communion, Patience and Prayer in the Laundry Room are among my favorites! Please continue to write to edify your public!

With several situations that were on my plate and being the holiday season with all the hussle and bussle. I decided to take time out of my hectic schedule to visit the blessed sacrament at my local Adoration chapel. I brought along Mom's prayer book by Donna Cooper-Boyle as I thumbed through the inspirational quotes and prayers I found such peace that only is found I believe in Heaven. My situations were lightened as I read thru the pages of this beautiful book. The quotes from Mother Teresa made me see how being a mother is such a gift and also such a responsiblity in being the foundation of the family. Thank you Donna for bringing this beautiful book to me and inspiring me to continue to shape the existance of my family.

If you are looking for a book that is filled with inspiration, prayers and wisdom, you have found it.
Catholic Prayer Book for Mothers will help all mothers on every step of their journey.
This book will bless you!
I most like that this book speaks to all different ages, from the young mother to the more seasoned mother or grandmother.

Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle's delightful pocket-sized volume, Catholic Prayer Book for Mothers, is like all her work in that it comes from the depths of her heart. But it is so much more. Yielding her days, moment by moment to God through the example of Our Lady, and guided by the extraordinary teachings of the Catholic Church, Donna-Marie has received along the way the luminous and enduring grace of a mother's wisdom, which she shares with affection and humility.

I always light up under the influence of this wise and tender friend to women; one who has prayed, suffered and rejoiced with Our Lord through all of life's varied moments in an attitude of trust. This little book makes me think of a garden, with its smaller beds of ferns and flowers, overflowing with life and beauty. In each chapter, you'll discover small blossoms of scripture, quotes from popes, saints, and the Catechism, traditional and original prayers and poems, and personal thoughts for meditation.

This compilation is a wonderful gift for every mother or grandmother who needs a reminder that her hidden life of dedication to her children is "an integral part of the means to their salvation," and that God's grace is available to her in abundance for their every need. Like the author herself, the Catholic Prayer Book for Mothers is here "...to assist you in keeping your heart always lifted up toward Heaven, communicating with the Divine, even as your hands are occupied with household and motherly tasks."

Highly recommended.