Customer Reviews

Oracional bilingüe: A Prayer Book for Spanish-English Communities (English and Spanish Edition)

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Considering the majority of Hispanic Catholics in these United States, this book is truly a God-send from the great Catholic Liturgical Press based in Collegeville, Minnesota, bearing the copyright of the Order of Saint Benedict. The editor who gathered this excellent and comprehensive collection and also illustrated beautifully throughout this prayer book is a priest who for a quarter century has "served as teacher and spitirual director at St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary, Boynton Beach, Florida" and who "dedicate(s) this book of prayers to all ( . . .) those people who through the years have shared the vision of St. Vincent's as a bilingual seminary and have supported and contributed to the efforts to make it so. (p. iii)" Certainly for the future of our American and Catholic Church we can do no nobler deed than to support and contribute to and pray for this important and bilingual seminary in its foresight and vocational development, if we are to survive as one Church at all in a time of shrinking congregations, shrinking vocational development and shrinking though eschatalogical vision.

I was thrilled to find within these pages so many familiar prayers, including not only the famous Prayer of Saint Francis we sing so often at Mass (at least still here in Mexico), but also the intense Prayer of the Blessed Charles de Foucauld. This in itself should show the kind of all-inclusive nature of this surprisingly brief yet comprehensive and well chosen work. Here we also find in both languages the basic prayers of the Holy Rosary (also so familiar to me in Mexico) as well as scriptural passages to accompany each mystery (of course this was published before the promulgation of the fourth set of mysteries which so few know and say anyway), along with the opening and ending prayers, including the Salve Regina in both languages (wow, do I miss the Latin version!) which we also say after every Mass in Mexico, which bears special import for me in exile.

We have here everyday prayers, including prayers of Saint Joseph, Guardian Angel, dearly departed, etc. and prayers for meals. This book could also be used to fulfill a Breviary obligation (as if such a joy could be considered an obligation!) as it also contains morning, mid-day and evening prayers complete with all the ritual and common prayers, such as the powerful morning Canticle of Zechariah (Benedictus), Psalm 23 at mid-day, and the evening Magnificat. This book also contains the Angelus in both languages (English and Spanish), to go along with these daily prayers.

Along with the Rosary we find the Way of the Cross (and please permit me to suggest you accompany this profound and personal prayer with the hand of the great Brazilian theologian Father Boff and his Way of the Cross--Way of Justice). The regular prayers at Mass are also included and so this prayer book also serves as Missal although without the three cycles of readings. You can follow the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass by this book, in either language, like in the old days of our Bilingual missals in Latin and English! Both Nicene and Apostles Creeds are included here in both tongues, repeating in full the Apostles Creed although it also appears in the Rosary section, etc. Also included in this section are over seven pages of prayers for before and after receiving Holy Communion, very extensive prayers focusing us inwardly upon the true meaning of our Eucharistic celebration. Again these are all traditional yet often forgotten prayers. The Divine Praises once well known during the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament end this section. We still recite these regularly in Mexico, needless to say, and so I am glad to have this book. Some prayers, such as Alma de Christo, santificame, I have only heard previously in Spanish and am glad to see them here.

A long section for the Sacrament of Reconciliation follows (although sacramentally it ought to proceed the Mass!), with a private examination of conscience, etc., and with the common variations in the ritual between Spanish and English, as I have found to be true: The Spanish precedes the shared sign of the Cross with ejaculations of the BVM. Very extensive prayers are attached in this book to this essential sacrament of reconciliation and this grant us solid spiritual nourishment and strength in this process of conversion and forgiveness.

This very comprehensive book closes with various prayers for the sick of all ages and stages, and a long section of prayers for the dead and dying. Thus this book is a great consolation and help, although I would have liked to see the Seven Penitential Psalms at this point, but we can always look them up if we remember which they are!

As you can see this book is extrememly useful to any Catholic, even if you refer to the English pages alone. I am grateful for those pages which I can use with my congregation in Mexico, which they know from birth by heart, but which I still stumble over. But anyone can find here a good source of prayers and our traditional, orthodox rituals and sacraments, even if you only read the English, and it is a very fine resource to carry with you to Church, on the bus, everywhere you go, including into Mexico, or your local barrio.

This book may be helpful for some communities, but I found it disappointing. The prayers have a very modern translation and the wording is not what I expected. This books does not have the prayers written in the standard or traditional way, the author instead re-translated the prayers in both languages to a modern way of speaking making the prayers unfamiliar to both languages. Being myself bilingual I have learned prayers in the traditional way and I can't use this book. I think is my fault for not reading through the book before buying it.

The reason why I don't give this book less stars is because it has a very good format, is easy to read and is full of illustrations.

I bought it to learn my prayers in English. It is an awesome prayer book. The Spanish prayers are exactly the way I learned it from Catholic School.

I help with RCIA classes in a predominently Hispanic community and it was such a joy to have this book to use in the class. Easy to read and the lettering is large. Has bi-lingual prayers that you don't find elsewhere. I totally love this book!

Compact beautifully presented bilingual edition that is at once intimate and authoritative. Our Parrish cherishes this newly found treasure and will purchase more. Thank you.