[.ca] Handbook of Prayers (ISBN 0879735791)

Awesome:
I was introduced to this great little book on a retreat last winter with Opus Dei. A number of the men there had it and I borrowed one for a while on the retreat. This is a little treasure that should be in every Catholic home. A number of features make this one such a nice prayer book. It is compact and fits in a shirt pocket. Also it contains great pen and ink sketches and illustrations, especially for the Stations of the Cross. It has such a variety of prayers if you only had this prayer book it would be sufficient for a wide and varied prayer life. The first section of the book is a series of articles on How to Be a Better Catholic. The next section is a collect of basic prayers, the Sign of the Cross, Hail Mary, Our Father ... then the sections become more specific: Midday Prayers Evening Prayers Preparation for Mass The Eucharistic Sacrifice Prayers after Mass Communion Outside Mass Eucharistic Adoration Guide for a Good Confession Devotions to the Blessed Trinity Devotions to Our Lord Jesus Christ Devotions to the Holy Spirit Devotions to the Blessed Virgin Mary Devotions to St. Joseph Various Prayers Prayers at the Time of Death Prayers for the Dead Blessings Sacraments When in Dander of Death I guarantee that if you pick up this little book, you will find yourself referring to it time and time again. It will become one of your most valued books, for help in developing your spiritual lif

Must Have:
I was introduced to this great little book on a retreat last winter with Opus Dei. A number of the men there had it and I borrowed one for a while on the retreat. This is a little treasure that should be in every Catholic home. A number of features make this one such a nice prayer book. It is compact and fits in a breast pocket. Also it contains great pen and ink sketches and illustrations, especially for the Stations of the Cross. It has such a variety of prayers if you only had this prayer book it would be sufficient for a wide and varied prayer life. The first section of the book is a series of articles on How to Be a Better Catholic. The next section is a collect of basic prayers, the Sign of the Cross, Hail Mary, Our Father ... then the sections become more specific: Midday Prayers Evening Prayers Preparation for Mass The Eucharistic Sacrifice Prayers after Mass Communion Outside Mass Eucharistic Adoration Guide for a Good Confession Devotions to the Blessed Trinity Devotions to Our Lord Jesus Christ Devotions to the Holy Spirit Devotions to the Blessed Virgin Mary Devotions to St. Joseph Various Prayers Prayers at the Time of Death Prayers for the Dead Blessings Sacraments When in Dander of Death I guarantee that if you pick up this little book, you will find yourself referring to it time and time again. It will become one of your most valued books, for help in developing your spiritual life.

Great book, but...:
It's definitely a great prayer book. The Handbook of Prayers contains prayers for before and after Mass, a section on How to Be a Better Catholic, various Devotions, and prayers for use during the day (among many other things). Here's the problem: if you own the Daily Roman Missal published by Our Sunday Visitor, you will find that most/all of the Handbook of Prayers is contained in it.

Great Prayer Book!:
As a Catechism teacher, I find that this book has all the basics of Catholic doctrine, as well as many of the traditional and all the prayers in one, easy to read, easy to reference volume. I often refer to it during class to answer specific questions for my students, or to lead them in prayer. I believe that it is a useful book to have for both teachers and students - especially if the objective is not merely to familiarize the student with a generalized knowledge of the Catholic Faith. If the objective is to help the student develop a close, personal, loving relationship with Our Lord, then the prayers in this book are a good path to set out for the students to take. The book breaks down everything - especially the Holy Mass, the Holy Rosary, How to make a Good Confession, etc. - and gives brief explanations for the rich liturgy of our Holy Church. I recommend it to all of my Catechism students - especially those preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation. I thank Fr. Socias for his fine work in assembling the prayers for this book.