Prayer life resources

Interested in prayer but not quite sure where to begin? Here are some resources we've discovered. We are both techie people so we love applications that cater to Catholicism, and fortunately there are some great apps out there for us. If you have a suggestion let us know! If you'd like to see a more comprehensive listing of Catholic apps, check out the Catholic Apptitude website.

Check out this article at Catholic Exchange for ten ways to improve your prayer life.

Come Pray the Rosary

Allows Catholics worldwide to join together in praying the Rosary or to pray the Rosary individually. You can either watch the Rosary being prayed at a church or view video of the Holy Land while you pray along. There are also English and Spanish subtitles. If you chose to pray individually you can select which mysteries you'd like to meditate on. You can also submit your prayer intentions viewable by others joining you in group prayer. There is even a counter that lets you know how many others are praying using this site.

Visit their website at Come Pray the Rosary.org.

Divine Office (Liturgy of the Hours)

The Divine Office App is an opportunity for you to participate in the recitation of the Liturgy of the Hours, an ancient and meditative collection of psalms, hymns and scripture that represent the public prayer of the Christian community.

If you are unable to pray in community, but love the contentment of praying with others, an added feature of The Divine Office App lets you view location where other Christians around the World are simultaneously praying with you.

Visit their website at Divine Office.org. Below is a screen shot of the app. If you press the play button above the readings, you can pray along with a recording.

iBreviary

The iBreviary is your portable breviary. You can use it to pray with the full texts of the Liturgy of the Hours in just five languages. Simply launch the application and all the texts of the day will appear before you.

The iBreviary offers you the complete daily missal to follow the Mass or, if you're a priest, even to celebrate it. It is similar to the missalettes and worship aids found in your church.

The Missal of the iBreviary contains the Ordinary of the Mass, the Eucharistic Prayers, Masses for the the Saints, daily Mass readings, Prefaces, Prayers of the Faithful, Solemn Blessings, rites for various celebrations and other liturgical texts.

Are you in a quiet place, finding yourself wanting to pray a rosary or a devotion like the Way of the Cross? The iBreviary offers all the major Catholic prayers and more!

The iBreviary also offers the complete texts of the rites for the celebration of all the sacraments: the Anointing of the Sick, Viaticum, Marriage (including the readings), the funeral rites, Communion of the Sick, and many other rites useful for meditation, prayer and pastoral ministry.

Visit their website at iBreviary.org.

The Little Oratory: A Beginner's Guide to Praying in the Home

Keeping a faithful prayer life with your family isn't easy. From herding distracted children to managing the seemingly endless litany of prayers and devotions, our spiritual life all too often feels frantic and burdensome.

This isn't the way it should be. Our prayer life, our family life, and our work life should--and can!--be in harmony. When they are, our family is a powerhouse of grace, and Our Lord transforms our home into a little Eden--a little bit of heaven on earth.

With simplicity and holy wisdom, authors David Clayton and Leila Marie Lawler show you how to bring peace to your home by integrating your family into the calm, truly joyful way of Mother Church. Her feasts and seasons, prayers and devotions are gifts that draw us closer to God and unfold before us His marvelous plan of salvation.

You can purchase this book at many places. Here's a link to the Catholic.com store: click here

Magnificat

Available in print and electronic form Magnificat is a lavishly printed, easy-to-read pocket-sized worship aid, of more than 400 pages. It can be used to follow the daily Mass and can also be read at home for personal or family prayer.

It features:

• Beautiful prayers for both morning and evening, drawn from the treasures of the Liturgy of the Hours.
• The official texts of the daily Mass/
• Meditations written by the renowned Fathers of the Church, and a great variety of spiritual writings.
• Essays on the lives of the saints of today and the past.
• In each Magnificat, you will also find an article giving valuable spiritual insight, into a masterpiece of sacred art.

Make a home shrine

The home is the domestic church in Catholic life. Setting aside a quiet area in your house can really help create a reverent atmosphere for prayer at home. You don't need much to do this. A table, crucifix, candles, a statue of the Virgin Mary or other saint, a bible, some holy water and a rosary.

Check out this great article at Catholic Mom on how to make a home shrine, or home altar as they are sometimes called. You might also want to check out Pinterest which has pictures of many more here.

The Prayer App

By the people who brough you the Divine Office app, The Prayer App is the ultimate reference to Catholic prayers for your iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. The Prayer app features over 2,000 Catholic Prayers in English, Latin, Italian, German, French, Spanish and Portuguese through an easy-to-use, immediate user interface.

All 24 official common prayers as listed in the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (including the Angelus, the Regina Caeli and the Memorare); Holy Rosary Mysteries with scriptures for meditation, Litanies, Chaplets, Blessings and Novenas; Pray mode with numbering for Rosary-based prayers (Holy Rosary and the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy); Daily Prayers, Prayers to Saints and Angels (Saint Joseph and Saint Michael the Archangel); Search, Favorites and Share prayers via eMail or Facebook.

Visit their website at Divine-Office.com.

Stations of the Cross

You don't have to wait for Lent to pray the Stations of the Cross! Check out this site which will take you step by step through this great meditation on Christ's passion.