The Liturgy Series: Word on Fire’s The Liturgy of the Hours monthly prayer resource

Note: For consistency, the term breviary is used in this post to refer to the hardcopy four-volume Liturgy of the Hours.

The Liturgy of the Hours is the Prayer of the Church – prayed around the clock by members of the Church all around the world. Some may think it is a prayer reserved for the clergy and religious, but the Catechism of the Catholic Church has affirmed that, “The Liturgy of the Hours is intended to become the prayer of the whole People of God.” (1175, emphasis added) However, the hard-copy breviaries that you sometimes see priests and religious carry around in leather cases with several ribbon markers may seem daunting to the lay-person. Where do you start? Perhaps the lay-person just wants to pray without the stresses of ribbons, of Commons and of page-flipping… sometimes 3-4 page flips at some hours on some days. It is with these sentiments in mind that Word on Fire Ministries (WOF) has recently started publishing a monthly subscription simply titled The Liturgy of the Hours.

I think many readers of our blog is familiar with WOF – a Catholic evangelization ministry founded by Bishop Robert Barron. The ministry has published numerous books written by Bishop Barron, by also a variety of books in theology, evangelization and apologetics by world-renown theologians and scholars. Most notably, the WOF Bible volume I (which has been reviewed on our blog) and subsequently volume II has been very well received by people all around the world, not only for its commentary, but its quality and beauty. Producing beautiful books and publications has always been something WOF has strived to do because beauty is a way of evangelization. Moreover, The Liturgy Series on our blog has always mentioned that beauty reminds one of the author of beauty, which is God.

Therefore, WOF’s The Liturgy of the Hours instilled in me high expectations for a booklet that was simple, practical, but also beautiful – and it does not matter if this was a mere monthly subscription booklet. Evangelization & Culture, the journal of the WOF Institute serves as testament to high-quality of subscription pieces published by WOF.

Physicalities

Opening the plastic, you find yourself holding in your hands a simple, handsome, orange-red cover book, embossed/debossed gold foil depicting the symbol of the Holy Name of Jesus (IHS) and a monogram, and white calligraphic text. The symbols are embossed/debossed without gold foil on the back. Personally, I am not a big fan of the red-orange – simply because when I think of a design of a liturgical publication, even if it were a monthly missalette or devotional, orange is not a colour that comes to mind. My mind often turns to a dark red, or a dark green, as seen with many classic liturgical book bindings. But maybe, the orange was chosen because WOF wanted to allow the book to stand out on your night stand, allowing it to remind you to “Pray it!” morning and evening.

The booklet’s paper is not newsprint like the Canadian Living with Christ monthly missalette. The paper is thin cream-coloured bible paper, which resembles closer to the Magnificat monthly missalette and devotional. I never liked newsprint missalettes or annual missals found in the pews of some parishes. Even if a resource were to be replaced monthly or annually, I think it should in no way resemble a copy of the daily newspaper like the Toronto Star, where you read through it once, and tossed into the trash. The Liturgy of the Hours‘ paper provides this sense of dignity to the content of texts that will be prayed – ultimately these are Liturgical Prayers, drawn from Scriptural passages, and thus I think it is rightful that a paper besides newsprint is used.

There is just a sense of reverence when you hold and pray using a printed copy of The Liturgy of the Hours that a movile device app just can’t achieve. Not only does the cover and paper merit attention, but the use of fonts, calligraphy and optimization of two-colour printing elevates the contents of the booklet. WOF seems to stick to two colours for the booklet: black and an orange-red font, which complements the elements of the cover, and gives a sense of cohesiveness to the booklet as a whole. Scattered throughout the book are full pages of calligraphic text of Bible verses in the orange-red ink – simply beautiful. These one-pagers of Bible verses, though seems rather trivial, or like ‘space-filler’, provokes further thought and reflection at times.

WOF’s website states, “The booklets include special artwork to mark and celebrate solemnities throughout the year, helping you to better enter the Church’s liturgical life.” Unfortunately, I did not get to see that – I asked for a review copy in May for the June issue, which never came. I received a review copy for July, and sadly July had no Solemnities… guess just bad luck, because June had many Solemnities and August at least has the upcoming Solemnity of the Assumption. I would have loved to see the art for June’s Solemnities, especially that of the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, and the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, simply because WOF has always had great artwork in so many of their publications.

The size of the booklet is of a good, user-friendly, and portable size, measuring about 5″x7″x0.75″ – that is less than half the size of a classic breviary. I set aside my copy of the breviary for the month of July to fully immerse myself into the experience of the booklet, and was quite happy with the ability to bring this copy of The Liturgy of the Hours along with ease during my pilgrimage to Québec at the end of the month.

“Bare Bones”, Easy to Pray

The content is “bare bones”. Whether this is the first time praying the Liturgy of the Hours, or you are very familiar with the breviary, WOF’s The Liturgy of the Hours makes praying the Prayer of the Church with ease. I think the first thing that needs to be clear is that The Liturgy of the Hours booklet unlike the full-breviary, only contains Morning, Evening and Night Prayer. I often pray the Office of Readings as well and I had to supplement that segment with a copy of a now, out-of-print The Office of Readings published by St. Paul’s Editions.

The Liturgy of the Hours provides the “bare bones” to facilitate the most straight-forward praying experience of praying the Liturgy of the Hours. For every hour, the Introductory is printed, the Psalms and Canticles are provided with the antiphons in bold at the start and end of each Psalm/Canticle (without the Psalm-Prayers found in the breviary), and proper formulae of dismissal for either layperson or clergy.

For every hour, there is only one instance of page-flipping, and that is ironically the hymn. Why do I say “ironic”? Because in the breviary, at least for the Ordinary Time season, the hymn is already printed after the introductory – that is unless you want to choose a different hymn. I often use the hymn provided for that hour. Therefore, having to flip for that portion of the hour seemed a little unusual for me, but totally understandable. Unlike the breviary, WOF provides notation for the hymns which really allows the Liturgy of the Hours to be prayed in its fullest sense possible. I know a number of people who have difficulty singing with breviary because of lack of notation. Unless you are familiar with the tune, it is difficult to follow along. WOF eliminates this questioning of, “how does this tune go?” and provides the notation which makes singing the hymn a lot easier.

In keeping with the “bare bones” user-friendly structure, I like how the headings are not printed in the text block itself, but rather, in the left margin. This is helpful for new users to know what is to be recited and what not, because I think “say the black, do the red” is unfamiliar among lay-people. I know the breviary even has some quotes from the saints or another source before some of the Psalms and Canticles, and those are printed in black and italicized, which might make things even more confusing for someone new to the breviary.

Some Critiques

An American Liturgical Calendar: While the Liturgy of the Hours is the Prayer of the Church, like the Mass and Lectionary texts, there are some adaptations in terms of the liturgical calendar in each country. While it was not surprise to me, it might be to some Canadian subscribers, and those outside of the United States, that The Liturgy of the Hours is reflective of the United States’ Liturgical Calendar. This was evident in July in two instances for me. The first was on Thursday July 14, 2022, which had the memorial of St. Kateri Tekakwitha. Canada does not celebrate St. Kateri’s memorial on this day, but rather on April 17. Another instance was on Tuesday July 26, 2022 in which in the United States the memorial of Sts. Joachim and Anne was observed, while in Canada, this day is observed as a feast. Therefore, not only would one of the Commons was to be utilized for most of Morning and Evening Prayer, but Morning Prayer was supposed to utilize Sunday Week 1’s Psalms and Canticles, as is the case with Morning Prayer of Feasts and Solemnities.

This is understandable on the part of WOF, because WOF is based in the United States, and it seems that Americans are their largest recipients of their materials, compared to Canada. Even the current breviary fails to acknowledge Canadian saints and the Canadian Liturgical Calendar, which makes praying the breviary on days like the memorial of St. Kateri Tekakwitha or the feast of Sts. Jean de Brébeuf and Companions even more difficult with the extra work to locate prayers, inserts and commons. On these days, I find praying with the Universalis app all the better, because the app has reflected these Canadian adaptations. The only bummer with that is the use of a mobile device, rather than a printed book.

I think WOF should address the use of the American Liturgical adaptations in their FAQs. They have an FAQ on their site that states:

On saint/feast days, will you give people options or just pick one set of prayers?

The booklet includes one set of prayers for each day, choosing the highest ranking feast or celebration. Our goal is simplicity. We want to reduce the number of choices so that people can just read and pray without worrying about extra decisions.

I think this is a perfect place to mention the American Liturgical Calendar adaptations. It is just unfortunate that the Canadian market is just too small to justify the making of a Canadian version of The Liturgy the Hours subscription program. Even the popular Magnificat has a version with American Lectionary translations and no Canadian version. But overall, you will only find these adaptations on a handful number of days of the liturgical calendar.

Recordings for the Hymns: I am glad that WOF chose to include musical notations for the hymns. For someone who can read musical notation, I can find my way through the hymns easily, but I do not think that is the case for many users. To facilitate the learning of some of the hymns, I recommend adding a page with recordings for the hymns on the WOF website. Perhaps there are permissions that must be sought, but even if these recordings are made available to subscribers only, it might be of great help to many who wish to learn these hymns.

Reconsidering Gospel Canticles and Night Prayer: I know WOF wants to have the prayers in proper sequence laid out for every day, even duplicating prayers every day as necessary, but is there too much dupication? I questioned this while praying using the booklet, especially for Gospel Canticles – I wonder if it is better to have the Benedictus, Magnificat, and Nunc Dimittis or at least just the Benedictus and Magnificat on the inside front covers, especially since as of now, the two inside front covers are blank.

I do not think it is difficult, or of inconvenience to have to turn to the front or back cover for these Canticles. That means that only the antiphon would need to be printed once at the point these Canticles are to be recited. Moreover, I have found the Gospel Canticles easy to learn by heart after frequent praying of the Liturgy of the Hours.

Some consideration might also be given to Night Prayer which is less complicated than Morning and Evening Prayer, and I think, better suited to have just a section dedicated to Night Prayer in the back with the Night Prayer from Sunday to Saturday. This is a better alternative, I think, than printing four-weeks worth of the same prayers. The only extra effort required is turning to the back section each night, but that is very simple, given that you know which day of the week it is. For the day’s prayer after Evening Prayer, some note to turn to page # for Night Prayer might be an option.

Adding the Invitatory Psalm: I was a bit disappointed to not see the Invitatory Psalm included in The Liturgy of the Hours, especially since the Introductory for the Invitatory is so meaningful, “Lord, open my lips. And my mouth will proclaim your praise.” The Invitatory Psalm, often Psalm 95, but Psalm 100, 67 or 24 can serve as alternatives, is said at the first hour of the day. I often pray it at the Office of Readings, but for users of The Liturgy of the Hours, it is most appropriate to include it at Morning Prayer. I hope some consideration will be given to including the Invitatory Psalm in future editions of The Liturgy of the Hours booklet.

For WOF’s Future Consideration

WOF has provided a wide range of resources in theology and apologetics, and it seems with The Liturgy of the Hours, WOF is entering a different field – of liturgy. Seeing the quality that WOF puts into their publications, I have questions as to what other types of publications may publish, especially in the area of Liturgy. Coming out in a couple of years, is the second edition of The Liturgy of the Hours, and I wonder if WOF will consider a more permanent resource, of publishing a user-friendly breviary for use by the lay-faithful that is not subscription based.

Moreover, the artistic beauty makes me wonder if WOF has any plans to publish high-quality liturgical books. I would love to see one-day the possibility of an edition of the Roman Missal printed with the highest standards, similar to the WOF Bible. Since the promulgation of the third english edition of the Roman Missal in 2011, there has been no new editions (i.e. new bindings, printings) of the Roman Missal in the english market, and I hope that WOF can introduce something new, worthy for use at the altar. These are just some possible liturgical projects, that I hope WOF might consider down the road.

Conclusion

The Liturgy of the Hours is a wonderful subscription that will help one be introduced to the hours. For a mere $7USD/month (at Special Founder’s Discount), one can have the chance to immerse one’s prayer life with the Prayer of the Church. I recommend it for individuals, families or prayer groups and chaplaincies in educational institutions so that many more people will be introduced to this wonderful prayer of the Church.

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To learn more about WOF’s The Liturgy of the Hours subscription and subscribe, click here.

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Disclaimer: Vincent Pham was provided a review copy of The Liturgy of the Hours – July 2022 to provide an honest review of it on this blog. The Catholic Man Reviews thanks Word on Fire for the opportunity for us to review this subscription on our blog and look forward to future reviews. All thoughts and opinions expressed in here are our own and reflect our sincere thoughts about the title.

The Liturgy Series: Prayer Tools On-the-Go

For the 15th installment of The Liturgy Series, I am going to take things on a little bit of a different route. We have talked about albs, breviary covers, missals and even a paschal stylus… all sorts of liturgical items for use in a reverent celebration of the Mass. However, I want in this installment to go back to the basics. What is beautiful about the liturgy is that no matter where you are in the world, the structure of the celebration of the liturgy (i.e. Mass, Liturgy of the Hours, sacraments and other rites prescribed in the liturgical books) are the same. The only difference is the use of language in which after the Second Vatican Council, the vernacular can be used so to foster an “active” and “conscious” participation in the Sacred Rites. As travel picks back up in the next couple months for North Americans and Europeans at least, I thought it would be fitting to feature some “prayer tools” that I carry with me to ensure that I can actively pray and take part in the liturgy of the Church wherever I am at, whether it be at a church celebrating Mass in a language I do not know, and some sacramentals that I think would help one “stay fit” spiritually, especially on vacation, pilgrimage or retreat. I have featured some of these items on our blog throughout the years, but never managed to compile them – so here they are!

1. A Good Backpack – Starting with my journey to Europe in 2019, I began using a High Sierra Overtime Fly-By Laptop Backpack. When I think of a “pilgrimage,” an image that comes up in my mind is that of a personal with a backpack. Oftentimes, we come on a pilgrimage and a retreat at a certain point in our lives where we would be carrying with us much “baggage.” It may be physical (a.k.a. overpacking), but moreso, I speak of here in a spiritual sense – we come with our worries, concerns and even our sins on a pilgrimage or retreat. The backpack that I have used throughout pilgrimages and retreats bears sentimental value to me because I am reminded of this reality of a pilgrimage. I find moments of consolation when reminded of these pilgrimage or retreat moments because I am reminded that only in God can I let go of all this baggage that is weighing me down, the baggage that prevents me from having a sincere relationship with Our Lord.
On more practical terms, a good backpack (especially on flights) allows for ease in carrying your necessities both physical and spiritually. On flights, I would often bring a laptop to get work done, so a backpack with an accessible laptop compartment is the most ideal. However, I care the most about the many compartments to compartmentalize be toiletries, shirts, socks… and spiritual tools that I will outline further.

2. Crucifix – When I was a part-time sacristan at St. Michael’s Cathedral Basilica, I remember seeing a prayerful woman who was there often, both weekends and weekdays in the first pew of the Cathedral, near the Blessed Sacrament. She often had many prayer cards laid out in front of her but what stood out for me was a large crucifix which she would often carry in her arms.
The crucifix is the sign of salvation. The cross that was once a symbol of shame, of death, through the death and resurrection of Jesus became for us a sign of victory and life. Therefore, I think it is important for one to have a crucifix with them wherever they go. It does not need to be a big one – there are many high quality crucifixes from reputable Catholic shops. Some you might want to consider is the indulgenced pardon crucifix. I personally carry a simple crucifix that has a depiction of Mary at the back. I bought it some time ago at the Liturgical Centre in Toronto but unable to locate it online. Interesting fact: this crucifix has served as an altar cross twice for a camping retreat, in which unfortunately the liturgical team failed to prepare an altar cross. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) no. 297 states that, “The celebration of the Eucharist in a sacred place is to take place on an altar; however, outside a sacred place, it may take place on a suitable table, always with the use of a cloth, a corporal, a cross, and candles.” (emphasis added)
In brief, the cross with the crucified Lord is a symbol of our faith, and let yourself be reminded of this sign of salvation always.

3. Rosary – a sacramental that helps with travelling on long roads is the rosary. I remember sitting on the bus one Sunday travelling from Barcelona, Spain to Nice, France. I remember praying with the scenery as the bus was passing by mountains and cities. Praying is not an act to pass time, but rather, a connection with God at a certain moment in time. You can bring any rosary, a ten-decade or a five-decade rosary. I have many but have a few that I use frequently. Throughout my time in Europe, I used a Pocket Rosary from Catholic Milestones which I often carry with me on travel. I do recommend Rugged Rosaries as well, which provides rosaries in all shapes and sizes, including pocket rosaries. I recently bought their Catholic Gentleman Rosary and highly recommend that one, especially if you don’t mind the little bit of extra weight.

4. Breviary – pilgrimage and retreats allow one to immerse further into prayer and if you have a breviary, I highly recommend you bring it along. I have mentioned countless times on the blog that I can not recommend enough the use of a paper, hard-copy for breviaries, missals and prayer books. May I recommend a breviary cover as well? This protects your breviary and even missals, from wear and tear. Have not been able to purchase a breviary? I highly recommend Universalis or the free-alternative, iBreviary or Divine Office.

5. Missal – pray with the Mass readings on your journey and at Mass with a hand missal such as the Daily Roman Missal. Along with that, I highly recommend if you are going to another country and have the chance to participate in Mass in a foreign language, The Order of Mass in Nine Languages by Liturgical Press which includes the Order of Mass in English, Spanish, French, Italian, Latin, Polish, Portuguese, Tagalog and Vietnamese. (Note the new Order of Mass in Italian with minor revisions in the new edition has not been reflected in this current publication.)

6. Journal – it is a noteworthy practice particular on retreats and pilgrimages is to have a journal. It is also a worthy practice to do spiritual journaling everyday in which one would be able to record the ways in which you see God working in your life. On pilgrimage or retreat, you may find yourself in a thought and mode to jot down a prayer from the heart. Journals as one may know, come in all shapes and sizes, but choose the one that fits you. Personally, I prefer a small sized, passport-sized journal. Some people may prefer larger. One journal I would recommend is a leather cover traveller’s notebook. I purchase mine from an AliExpress vendor, IPBEN which has very affordable styles and even free customization for their traveller’s notebooks. I was somewhat skeptical at first, but the purchase proved to be very smooth and the item is of good quality. I have also used pocket composition notebooks throughout the years which have proved to be a fine companion as well.

7. Bible – especially on a pilgrimage, you want to have a bible with you. I have reviewed a variety of bibles on our blog, and if you have read through the various reviews, there are various bibles of different formats and sizes that will suit your needs. For on-the-go Catholics, I recommend the The New American Bible Revised Edition – Black Zipper Duradera Compact Edition from Oxford University Press or the feature-filled New American Bible Personal Size Gift Edition. If you are leaning towards the New Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition, I would recommend either the NRSV Catholic Bible Personal Size Standard Edition or Thinline Edition (to be reviewed soon on our blog) both from Catholic Bible Press. You can even bring only the Gospels with you if you think that is sufficient for you in a particular point in time. I have seen the paperback New American Bible translation Pocket Gospels and Acts of the Apostles published by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Recently, I just bought from Amazon a leather copy of Ignatius Press’ pocket New Testament and Psalms of the Revised Standard Version, Second Edition translation. I have seen Cardinal Collins’ copy and admired it and therefore, recently, decided to get a copy for myself and may hopefully review it on this blog in the near future.

8. Prayer Book – it is in the moments of silence in a church that I have had the opportunity to flip through my prayer books. While the Mass and Liturgy of the Hours are the prayers of the Church, there are countless litanies, prayers of the saints that speak to your heart in a specific moment. A beautiful traditional prayer book is the Manual of Prayers published by the North American Pontifical College in collaboration with Midwest Theological Forum. A prayer book that I have brought with me so many places is the Handbook of Prayers – Student Edition published by Midwest Theological Forum, edited by Fr. James Socias, the figure who was also behind the Daily Roman Missal. I have that copy stuffed with prayer cards. For a truly portable prayer book, I recommend the beautifully illustrated St. Joseph Pocket Prayer Book from Catholic Book Publishing Corporation. I often keep the two – Handbook of Prayers and St. Joseph Pocket Prayer Book together when travelling.

Am I missing anything from the list? Maybe? Each person is different and may bring along with them other items that will aid their spiritual life, that will help them become connected with the liturgy and prayer life of the Church. Which other “prayer-tools” do you bring along when on-the-go? Put them in the comments below! I would love to know.

Review: Alleluia to Amen – The Prayer book for Catholic Parishes, written and compiled Justin McClain

Have you ever been in a position where you are assigned to lead others in prayer for a parish ministry, a social gathering at the parish or some occasion and you gladly accept “yes,” without hesitation. You tell yourself, “I’ll wing it,” and while sometimes it goes well, it is meaningful, at times not very much. There have been times where a prayer turns into a long litany and you lose track of what you’re saying. I am sure that many parish leaders have fallen into the same scenario before. Well, thankfully Ave Maria now has a new publication that will take are of that!

Alleluia to Amen: The Prayer Book for Catholic Parishes, written and compiled by Justin McClain is such a resourceful tool, even during this time of pandemic as many parishioners take part in in online meetings and ministry. Throughout the years, I have learned that there is really no shame in using notes or a book to lead others in prayer. People want to pray rather than be distracted by you not knowing what to say.

The prayer book is consisted of ten sections with nearly 200 pages worth of prayers. I will go through each section, noting the features and also some points for I hope the author will consider for future editions of this prayer book.

1. Days of the Week – Honestly, I thought there would only be one prayer per day of the week. However, the author decided to compose four prayers per day of the week – one for each morning, afternoon and evening. Another feature I found that specifically for Friday, there is a prayer dedicated ‘for a restful weekend’, and another special prayer ‘for those traveling this weekend.’ Like many of the other prayers in the book, I like how they are simple and speak to the realities of our daily lives. I only wish that there was a prayer dedicated to the daily dedications of the week. I think this custom is now gone among modern Catholics, but it is good to continue the tradition, recognizing that Sunday is dedicated to the resurrection and Trinity, Monday to the Holy Spirit and souls in purgatory, Tuesday to the Holy Angels, Wednesday to St. Joseph, Thursday to the Holy Eucharist, Friday to Christ’s Passion and his Sacred Heart and Saturday dedicated to Our Lady and her Immaculate Heart. I know some of the prayers, specifically that of Sunday, Thursday and Friday allude to these themes but I would like to see that for the other days of the week as well.

2. Seasons and Movable Feasts – When you think of the word, ‘seasons’ in the Catholic context, what do you think of? I think of immediately of the Liturgical seasons. However, for this prayer book, the word ‘seasons’ also refer to the natural seasons – a first I’ve seen for a prayer book. There are prayers for every task of the season, from prayers of gratitude for the distinctness of each season, for road crews during the winter, for gardeners during the spring, for long daylight during the summer, and for a successful fall harvest during the fall… just a sampler of what you’d see in the ‘natural seasons’ section. After, you move to the section of ‘liturgical seasons’ along with the movable solemnities and feasts located in the timeframe of their respective liturgical seasons.

3. Major Feasts, Solemnities and Memorials by Month – The problem I have with this chapter is not the content itself but rather, the section title. I would title it as, “Solemnities, Feasts and Memorials by Month”, or rather, “Solemnities, Feasts and Obligatory Memorials.” I know… I might be picky, but in liturgical terms, if a day is a Solemnity, it is a “major” feast day, and below that is a “feast”, and below that is a “memorial” and then “optional memorials” and ferials. Am I wrong to be picky?
Okay – picky terms aside – I like how these are composed prayers, not prayers from the Roman Missal. Before I had this book, if I would like to lead a group in prayer, I would most often use the Collect of the day in the Roman Missal.
There are prayers for every solemnity, feast and obligatory memorial in the Liturgical Calendar of the United States of America. Note, the Catholic Church of Canada has some slight differences in our calendar and this prayer book was published with an American Catholic audience in mind. If there are Solemnities that were featured in the previous section, but are featured again with a different prayer (e.g. December 8: Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception).
Along with the prayers, I wish there were some prayers to “fill in the blank” for those who have optional memorials not mentioned in this book. A sub-section similar to the “Commons” in the Roman Missal would enhance this section.

4. Civic Holidays and Remembrances – Probably the shortest of all the chapters, but necessary. The only exception is, again, this is a prayer book geared towards American Catholics so you won’t be finding Victoria Day and other Canadian Holidays here. But we can use prayers for New Year, Labour Day… so not too bad at all for Canadians.

5. Regularly Scheduled Parish Activities – There is a wide variety of prayers here for practically any regularly scheduled parish activities, even those I would not think of putting in this category, such as for the training of members of various parish ministries such as RCIA, youth ministries, young adults, prayer for regularly held administrative meetings such as deanery and pastoral council meetings… I simply love this section!

6. Occasional Parish Events – In this section, there are prayer for outreach projects, parish projects, social occasions, for people coming and going within the parish community and filling positions. Some notable prayers are those for going to pray in front of an abortion facility, for a parish picnic and even for guest speakers coming the parish.

7. Times of Crisis or Particular Need – This section covers all the ups and downs in the life of the parish community. A surprising prayer I found is the first one, “For an End to Gossip within the Parish.” When I hear the word crisis, I honestly think of crisis in far off places. However, this prayer book reminded me first hand of crisis within a parish community. Such acts like gossiping destroy the fraternity within the community and therefore, it is very wise that that be one of the first prayers in this chapter. A notable sub-section are the prayers for societal ills ever so needed during this time, especially the ills of abortion, euthanasia, pornography and racism. If this prayer book were to be published again, I would add a prayer during a time of pandemic – who knows how much longer the effects of COVID-19 are going to go on?

8. For Increased Virtue, Obedience, Mercy, and Holiness – Holiness is the primary vocation of all Christians from the day of baptism and virtue, obedience and mercy are the stepping stones that help us achieve holiness. The sub-sections included are prayer for an increase in each of the cardinal virtues, increase of the theological virtues, inspiration to follow each of the ten commandments, inspiration to perform each of the corporal and spiritual works of mercy, prayers for an outpouring of each of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and prayers to stay away each of the deadly sins. I don’t know what other prayers I would add here. I would include in here the Litany of Humility by Merry Cardinal del Val – I love this litany, but maybe it would not fit well here as all the prayers in this section and practically those found in most of the book, were written by McClain.

9. Occupations, Vocations, and Stages of Life – As a second-year University student, this is the section I am drawn to the most as I am still searching for what God wants of me. I appreciate how there are prayers for many, many vocations, not just for the priesthood and religious life.

10. Traditional Catholic Prayers – When you hear the word “prayer book”, you immediately think of the Traditional Catholic Prayers and this prayer book is no exception! What else can I ask for?

Need more prayers not listed in the prayer book? Well you can author some as well! The Appendix contains a very useful section on Writing Prayers for Your Group’s Gathering. Within four pages, McClain gives a clear and concise overview on how to write good and fitting prayers for practically any occasion.

Wow! What a wide coverage of scenarios and occasions covered in this book! Truly the prayer book for Catholic Parishes. This is a new resource I recommend every parish to have in their parish library and parish leaders to have in the toolkit.

Review: Encountering Jesus – A Holy Land Experience by Vincenzo Peroni

Well COVID-19 restrictions have loosened up a bit throughout the world but international travel, unless essential, is not on the radar for a lot of people now I would think – at least for me. I do not picture myself travelling anywhere internationally in the next year two and unfortunately, pilgrimages fall in the same category, being a Canadian, Rome or Jerusalem is not a couple walks away.

However, no fear! While you can do virtual pilgrimages, Msgr. Vincenzo Peroni, a Papal Master of Ceremonies since 2012 and leader of “numerous pilgrimages in the Holy Land” seems to understand this very well. In his book, Encountering Jesus: A Holy Land Experience, with its English translation by Marsha Daigle-Williamson, published by Franciscan Media, one can become a pilgrim, walking along the roads that Jesus once walked.

The book is fairly simple – only 150 pages but upon reading it, really leads you to the Holy Land. It is an ideal tool to use while in the Holy Land, but for those who like myself, never stepped foot their, the reflections in here will allow you to close your eyes and “teleport” you, giving you and new perspective on what may seem to be a common Gospel story that you may know by heart.

There are 18 chapters in the book that leads the pilgrim through Nazareth, Ein Karem, Bethelehem, Capernaum, Mount of the Beatitudes, the Lake of Tiberias, The Church of St. Anne, Mount Tabor, Jericho, Bethany, Dominus Flevit, the Cenacle, Gethsemane, the Grotto of the Arrest, St. Peter in Gallicantu, the Holy Sepulchre, Tabgah and finally Emmaus.

While Franciscan Media books often consisted of a coloured cover and black and white printed textblock, I was amazed to find beautiful watercolour art marking the beginning of each chapter. The watercolour sketches are those of Alessandro Alghisi. While I think photographs could have been used for this book, there is something about watercolour art thatr really brings the book together – probably the simplicity of the text and the art brings Encountering Jesus into harmony.

Each chapter bears the same outline: The Gospel story of the place in which the Biblical event occurred, a meditation, personal reflection questions and a prayer. Now don’t be tricked thinking that this book is a guide book – no it is not. It is rather, perhaps, a spiritual guide book. You will not be told any of the historical facts of the places, nor the histories of the churches which are located on these holy grounds. However, this book calls one to be in the moment, and encounter the person of Jesus.

I think the purpose of a pilgrimage is defeated if one merely sees it as a vacation opportunity, a historical research opportunity. I remember how since I was only a couple months old, our family, along with thousands of other Vietnamese people in the Archdiocese of Toronto made a pilgrimage to Martyrs’ Shrine in Midland, Ontario and every year, our family made that pilgrimage (unfortunately not this year). There was something about making a pilgrimage which I loved. Maybe a part of it might be the beautiful scenery which people like to pull out their phones to take a picture of. However, for me, the moments that really stuck with me were the ones when I put my camera aside and be absorbed in the moment. I remember vividly a pilgrimage I made to the Shrine, the only time I’ve stepped foot there on a weekday without pilgrims. It was raining but I disregarded it and too a walk on the grounds where the Canadian Jesuit Martyrs once walked – this time, with nature all around and all the outdoor statuary and statues enveloping me as I walked in silence.

Another moment I remember was last March, when I went in St. Peter’s Basilica. I remember standing near the Papal High Altar, the Baldachino and made my Profession of Faith by the stairs leading to the Confessio – as close as I could to the tomb of St. Peter… again no camera but simply immersing myself in the moment and have an encounter with St. Peter and eventually, I realized, an encounter with Christ.

That is what Msgr. Peroni does so well with his book. Though I have never stepped foot to the Holy Land before, I can imagine grand and beautiful churches and we might find ourselves in awe of the beauty… but to dive deep into that moment from Biblical times from 2000 years ago, that is something we must strive to do. Msgr. Peroni presents this simple book to pilgrims and virtual pilgrims from the comfort of home with the goal that pilgrims will be “Encountering Jesus” who continues to journey with us as a pilgrimage companion every moment throughout history.

Review: Pocket Guide to Adoration by Fr. Josh Johnson

Have you ever been to a perpetual adoration chapel motivated to adore our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament but in the end, you did not know what to do? That is totally okay – being in the presence of our Lord in total silence is very fruitful. However, have you ever been in Adoration but distracted? I remember taking part in a High School Men’s Retreat at St. Augustine Seminary in Toronto. It was my first time ever stepping foot into the seminary and I fell in love with its spaces, especially its main chapel. However, when we had Eucharistic Adoration in the form of a silent Holy Hour, and honestly, I founded it a little difficult. I had my Handbook of Prayers, Student Edition which I tucked inside there a copy of a reflection leaflet for use in Adoration. I didn’t even reach the end of the leaflet until I fell asleep… “shame on me” you would say – but yeah, Eucharistic Adoration in total silence is sometimes difficult.

Now a university student, I take frequent visits to the Blessed Sacrament whenever I pass by St. Thomas Aquinas Church at the Newman Centre, sometimes while moving in between classes. Those visits aren’t long – just 2-3 minutes of kneeling or sitting in the pews just to be in the presence of Our Lord. I wish I could spend more time in the peace and quiet, just being in front of the tabernacle, and it is honestly not as easy as said.

At the beginning of the Covid-19 “shutdown” in the province, I was blessed to receive a copy of Fr. Josh Groban’s Pocket Guide to Adoration, published by Ascension. Upon opening it, I just fell in love with it and upon sharing it on our Instagram page, it became one of the most liked posts and I have been asked countless times when the review for it was going to released.

Physical Qualities

I want to speak first about the physical qualities of the book. Now, I know the content of the book is the main thing, but I also care about the physical beauty of books because the beauty elevates the contents of the book. This Pocket Guide to Adoration does that. Holding the book, you are greeted with a dark brown Alpha Cowhide (synthetic leather material), that looks very handsome and has a nice texture. The design on the front is gold stamped… simple but beautiful. The book is complete with a gold satin ribbon bookmark.

With dimensions of approximately 4.5″ x 6.75″ x 0.5″, it is what I would classify as fair size for a prayer book. It will not fit inside most pants pockets, but certainly be very convenient to slip in a purse or pilgrim backpack. So is it really a “pocket” sized book? I would not say so, but slim size to fit inside a school backpack. A truly pocket sized prayer book, I would say, is Fulton Sheen’s Wartime Prayer Book which measures at 3″ x 4.5″ x 0.5″. However, I am quite content with the size of the Pocket Guide to Adoration.

The pages themselves are of a readable font, with black and gold fonts and images – very elegant and easy on the eyes to read.

Contents

The second part of the review will be about the content. What is inside this Pocket Guide? In only 144 pages, Fr. Johnson gives a wide variety of resources for prayerful and active Adoration. The book is divided into five chapters:

1. An invitation to Adoration
2. Adoration with the Sacred Scriptures
3. Adoration with the Rosary
4. Adoration with the Catechism
5. Adoration with the Lives of the Saints

An Appendix is included at the end with Litanies and Devotionals. I will go through the sections giving my thoughts on each.

Chapter 1: An Invitation to Adoration – Want to do Eucharistic Adoration but don’t know where to start? Fr. Johnson’s first section provides inspiration and maybe a nudge for you to want to go and adore the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. Throughout the first chapter, the user is given a brief overview of what resources are included throughout the guide.

Chapter 2: Adoration with the Sacred Scriptures – Now I have seen Scripture used many times in communal Eucharistic Adoration, but Fr. Johnson guides one to pray the Sacred Scriptures using lectio divina or divine reading, with the steps: read, meditate, pray, contemplate, and resolve. Fr. Johnson gives four Gospel passages of The Lord’s Prayer, Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene, Martha and Mary, and the Feeding of the Five Thousand in which he goes through all five lectio divina steps he laid out at the beginning of the chapter. However, one should not stop there – one can repeat these steps with a small copy of the Gospels or the Bible accompanying this guide.

Chapter 3: Adoration of the Rosary – Now, this is somewhat new to me. I have heard the Rosary recited in the context of Adoration before, but not with the beautiful reflections provided by Fr. Johnson. What I find fascinating is that Fr. Johnson uses lectio divina to guide one in meditating on certain mysteries of the rosary – something new I learned in this guide but Fr. says that, “practicing lectio divina with the Rosary will help deepen your experience in Adoration.” The guide does not go through every mystery of the Rosary with lectio divina, but again, once you get a hang of the format, you can of course apply it to the mysteries not listed in the guide.

Chapter 4: Adoration with the Catechism – This is something I am not familiar with and a good learning curve. For a long time, I thought the Catechism was more of a “textbook” of the Catholic faith but never thought of it as a tool for prayer before. Again, using lectio divina steps, Fr. Johnson guides one through reading a sample of Catechism passages. The reflections for each step of the passages are very beautiful and certainly a format I will use with other Catechism passages during prayer time.

Chapter 5: Adoration with the Lives of the Saints – I know that you can use the Lives of the Saints for prayer, and it is an encouraged practice (check out Lives of the Saints Two-Volume Boxed Set if you would like to start incorporating the Lives of the Saints in daily life). However, I have never thought about using them in the context of Eucharistic Adoration. Once again, Fr. Johnson leads one through this act in the Lectio Divina format and providing some beautiful examples.

Appendix – the appendix contains everything you need for what I usually call the “commons” of Adoration and Benediction… the basic prayers and hymns used, including O Saving Victim, Down in Adoration Falling, The Divine Praises, Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and even the popular “I Thirst” Reflection by Fr. Joseph Langford and one of my favourite litanies, the Litany of Trust by Sr. Faustina Maria Pia of the Sisters of Life. Also included is a page of quotes from the saints about the Eucharist. I wish though, this appendix contained the common hymns not only in their English translation but their original Latin, such as the O Salutaris Hostia, and Tantum Ergo. Another hymn that I think should have been added is Holy God, We Praise Thy Name which is commonly sung at the end of Benediction.

A feature that I like is that in between each chapter, there is a recount of a Eucharistic Miracle. I like reading about Eucharistic Miracles, and having some in here serves as a reminder of the ever constant presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist.

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Click images to enlarge sample shots of pages.

Last Remarks

Once churches are open again in the Archdiocese of Toronto for private prayer and devotion in its first re-opening stage after Covid-19, I will be making a visit to a church with this guide in hand.

This guide I believe, is a must-have for any Catholic who wants to deepen their relationship with Jesus through Eucharistic Adoration. As of the time of this review, the guide has sold out twice! Grab a copy from Ascension Press here.