prayer

6 Catholic Daily Devotionals Mom Will Love

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Called By Name: 365 Daily Devotionals for Catholic Women

Edited by Kelly M. Wahlquist, Alyssa Bormes, and Allison Gingras

Called by Name

Called by Name is a 365-day devotional from WINE: Women In the New Evangelization designed to empower and equip you to draw near to Jesus and use your God-given gifts for the Church. With meditations on scripture and encouraging insights from popular Catholic authors and speakers in the WINE community, this is the perfect daily companion for women who want to connect with the heart of Jesus and live every day in the light of his truth and love.

Called by Name Devotional Bundle

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PRAY: The Story of Patrick Peyton

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The rosary has saved the world in the past. It will save the world now, by saving the family.

Father Patrick Peyton

In Theaters October 9, 2020

PRAY: THE STORY OF PATRICK PEYTON is an inspiring documentary about a poor, uneducated Irish immigrant who sets sail for America in 1928 with nothing but his faith and dreams of becoming a millionaire. Arriving in Pennsylvania and unable to find work, he accepts the position as a janitor at the cathedral, which rekindles his long lost desire to become a priest and changes the course of his life. Nearing ordination, his life takes a radical turn when he is stricken with tuberculosis. Facing certain death, he sinks into despair. A visit from his mentor, who delivers a simple message to pray, lifts the darkness. Taking his advice to heart, Patrick prays fervently to Mary, the Mother of Christ, for her intercession and he experiences a miraculous recovery. Feeling deep gratitude, he dedicates his life to telling all the world about the power of prayer and encourages families everywhere to bring prayer into their homes. Never taking “No” for an answer, he convinces Hollywood’s biggest stars to help him spread the message, “The family that prays together stays together,” through the power of mass media including radio, television, and film. Father Peyton’s fame spreads around the world and audiences in the millions flock to his public prayer rallies. This is the story of a tireless missionary, an unlikely hero, and one of history’s greatest advocates for family prayer.

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What if Your Broken Heart Helped Save a Soul?

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There’s nothing quite like unrequited love. It’s a different kind of heartbreak than that from a breakup, I think. I know of what I speak, starting with my one-sided affair with Speed Racer.

One of my one-sided loves had a strength and staying power I’d not anticipated.

In a move totally out of character, fueled by I don’t know what–desperation?– I confessed my feelings. In writing, of course, not in person. I said “out of character,” not momentary insanity.

Of course, the verbal insanity confession would have at least produced instant results. In the days when remote communication happened via either written word or the family landline telephone, response time lagged.

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An Interview with A Single Bead Author Stephanie Engelman

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A Single Bead really drives home the power of prayer in such a compelling way, one that is entertaining and organic to the story and gives us that big-picture glimpse of what many of us know intellectually about the efficacy of prayer but rarely recognize in daily life. Did you know from the start how that theme would permeate the book or did it develop as you wrote?

A Single Bead

To really answer that question, I have to share the story of how I came to write A Single Bead in the first place. Having consecrated myself to Jesus through Mary in early October of 2013, I found myself feeling renewed conviction to write a Bible study on the Rosary. By mid-October, I was researching publishers and came across Pauline Books & Media, who said they were specifically seeking Catholic young adult fiction. That single sentence set bells ringing in my head, as if the Holy Spirit were saying, Stephanie, pay attention to this! I had never even considered writing fiction, though, so I said out loud, “God, if you want me to write Catholic young adult fiction, you’re going to have to
give me the idea. Because I’ve got nothing!”

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Doing the Most With and For the Least This Christmas

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I considered whether this post didn’t belong in November, the month in which Catholics traditionally remember the poor souls in Purgatory. Is a reflection on conversion, sacrifice, and the last things too melancholy for the pre-Christmas season?

But “pre-Christmas” isn’t really a season. A marketing device maybe, but not a true season and definitely not a liturgical season. The more I thought, the more I became convinced that Advent is a perfect time to meditate on sin and conversion. Continue reading →

3 Unique Ways to Harness the Power of the Rosary

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By Guest Blogger Allison Gingras

In Matthew’s Gospel with concern to prayer, Jesus says, “Pray then like this,” then follows up with the glorious words of The Lord’s Prayer, also known as the Our Father.   Oblivious for most of my life of the origins of this prayer, I often resisted reverting to it while in prayer.  Ironically, spending my time in my conversations with Jesus asking him to teach me how to pray better, how to grow closer to Him, and how to be more faithful to His teachings.

3 Easy, Unique Ways to Harness the Power of the RosaryHad I opened the Scriptures or maybe even paid a little more attention during the readings at Mass, perhaps I would have discovered this connection much sooner.  The quote from St. Jerome, “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ!” was quite fitting of my situation. Continue reading →

Guest Posts: Vocations Chalice, Divine Mercy for Moms Book Club

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CatholicMom.com

Praying for Priests with a Vocations Chalice (November 7, 2016)

“In truth, I spent the week half afraid I would discover my youngest children playing with the chalice. And not pious ‘let’s play Mass’ playing. I’m thinking glubbing orange juice or slurping pasta as if we’d brought home a miniature version of the Stanley Cup.”

Divine Mercy for Moms Book Club: Chapter 6 (October 22, 2016)

“And isn’t that part of what endears our mothers to us? No matter the number of siblings who share the same mother, the relationship is unique – it’s special and exclusive from the first loving gaze exchanged at the mother’s breast.”