May I share my favorite prayers:
Soul of Christ ( BUT I've changed all the "me" to "us". Soul of Christ, sanctify us...)
and I always end this prayer after Holy Communion with "Most Sacred Heart of Jesus may the whole world burn with love for you!"
Prayer of Pope Clement XI
Litany of Humility
The Angelus
Prayer to St Michael the Archangel
Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen's prayer, "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I love you so very much, Spare the lives of the unborn babies for whom we pray. We adopt them spiritually and pray, save them from abortion."
And ALWAYS! A prayer for Vocations!! WHERE WOULD WE BE WITHOUT OUR PRIESTS AND CONSECRATED PERSONS?!

Awesome - thank you Dorothy

I have a paper that has christian prayers. What I like best about it is that the prayers are both in English and latin. There are quite a number of prayers including psalms 2, Adoro te Devote, and Canticle of the three children, psalms 150 and the Quicumque.

While you are at, I have for many years been looking for a tape, CD or anything that has the audio prayer of the Holy Rosary in Latin, - can this be done?

Also make sure that those outside the US are able to purchase the new prayer book.

Muthoni, Nairobi, Kenya

Dear Muthoni in Christ,

Here is a link for the audio rosary in latin... http://rickmk.com/rmk/Rosary/index.html

Pax Christi

Hello,

First, the book should be thin, pocket size, multicolor print (not just black type on white paper), and have a book marker.

Second, there needs to be prayers for families, husbands, wives, children, and our Church.


Mike

Very good Mike - thanks!

While it's probable that the Rosary prayers would be included, I would like to see the virtues of each mystery listed. I do not know if these were established by the Church or if I just found them through my PDA Rosary App(www.virtualrosary.org).
For example, the virtues of the Joyful Mysteries are:
1.The Annunciation - the virtue of Humility
2.The Visitation - the virtue of Charity
3.The Nativity - the virtue of Poverty
4.The Presentation in the Temple - the virtue of Obedience
5.The Finding in the Temple - the virtue of Piety
Thank you.

Very interesting idea - thanks Yvonne

My favorite prayer book is entitled, "My Prayer Book" by Father Lasance. It has really changed my prayer life. I take it with me to aid in my devotion to Holy Mass in the Ordinary Form. It is full of material for meditations. My favorite prayer is "A Universal Prayer for all things Necessary to Salvation" I like the Father Lasance prayer book at the Novus Ordo because it helps me to include many of the devotions before and after Mass in the Traditional Rite.

It would be very nice to have a prayer book that flowed with the monmths and seasons so that we can easily incorporate different Catholic prayers traditions into our families.

For example, in the Spring you could have the Stations of the Cross, Easter time prayers and in the month of May special Marian prayers. ~ This is just off the top of my head ~ But, a prayer book that flows with the liturgical year and special feast days would bem very original and a great resource.

Also, any helpful tips for celebrating and teaching traditions would be nice. This is how culture is learned.

Just my two cents worth:

I would include Novenas to Saints who have written books or autobiographies and recommendations for the Novena while reading the book.

I would include words to hymns, maybe even the music notes.

I would include Novenas to Our Blessed Mother, ie: The Seven Sorrows of Mary.

Maybe even a small blurb about the history of the prayer.

I love you God!
I love you Jesus!
I love you Mary!

In Prayers and Gratitude,
Song

This book will be a true treasure to have and one suggestion would be to arrange the prayers in order of what to prayer in the morning,mid-day and evening. I was actually thinking of typing out my "favorite" prayers organized so as to prayerfully flow through them at different times during the day.

I agree with many of the previous listing of the Act of Faith,hope & Love, Litany of Humility, Litany of Immaculate Heart of Mary with litany of Sacred Heart.
Along time ago I found an Act of Contrition before receiving Holy Communion...O my God, at the moment of receiving within myself the divine Victim of Calvary, I confess sincerely before Your infinte majesty and before the whole court of heaven, that I have offended You by thought, word and deed. By my sins I have contributed to the death of Jesus on the cross;but You have forgiven me, washing my soul in the blood of Your Son and clothing it with the wedding garment of your grace. I come, therefore, contrite and repentant, but with a heart overflowing with boundless gratitude, to the holy table which you have prepared for the prodigal child, who had abandoned You and whom in Your goodness you would nourish with heavenly bread. Pope Puis X???not sure author.

There was also a Prayer before the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass from Shepherds of Christ Ministries Morrow, OH.

Thanks for all your efforts.

This is a tough order to fill! :) To get all the good prayers in it, the book would likely end up large--I do enjoy having a smaller pocket/purse sized book, easy to carry along. One thought that comes to mind--is rather to have two books: one for "beginners", maybe including prayers at a child's level (as mentioned above), and one more "in depth". So many of my favorite prayer books have all the basic same prayers in the first several pages--Hail Mary, Our Father, Creed, etc. I have all those memorized and don't need them in print each time.

Besides those already mentioned, I have the following suggestions for inclusion: 1) Fr. Altier's exam of conscience, or at least his prayers before/after confession that are found along with his examen. 2) Spiritual Armor Prayer (based on Eph. 6:13-17)--found in my "Key of Heaven" prayer book. That, along with Pieta and Mother Love are among my favorite prayer books.

Wow! What a gift to ask for ideas for a prayer book! My favorite prayer and one that I use to prepare myself for meditation is Psalm 63 as it is written in the Liturgy of Hours: O God, You are my God, for you I long, for You my soul is thirsting. My body pines for you like a dry, weary land without water. So I gaze on you in the sanctuary to see Your strength and Your glory. For Your love is better than life, my lips shall speak Your praise. So I shall bless You all my life. In Your name I will lift up my hands. My soul shall be filled as with a banquet. My mouth will praise You with joy. On my bed I remember you, on You I muse through the night. For You have been my help. My soul clings to You, Your right hand holds me fast. I also would like to have the full litany of the saints in Latin and English, but it is probably not something for a small prayer book. Thank you, again, I love all the suggestions. Karen

The old Acts of Faith,Hope, and Love. And please consider a large-print option. I've been asked for them:)

Dear Dan,
I would like to see the prayer to St. Joseph to obtain a special favor,A prayer to * Our Mother of Perpetual Help for the Conversion of a Sinner,
Novena Prayer to Our Lady of Good Remedy.Also the morning offering, the Divine Praises, meditations for the Stations of the Cross, meditations for the Rosary.Also the Litany of Humility.
Thanks
Kim

This proposed prayer book sounds very much like what I use the 1962 Roman Missal (Baronius Press) for. It has a section titled "Most Neccessary Prayers", in both Latin and English. It has excellent chapters called "Devotions for Confession", with prayers for before making an examination of Conscience, includes an examination based on the 10 Commandments, and prayers for before and after confession. Its "Devotions for Communion" has many prayers for preparing to receive the Most Blessed Sacrament, as well as prayers of Thanksgiving for after communion from many great saints. It is the most complete companion for Catholic prayer I have found. The only two prayers it doesn't have that I like to pray are the "Litany of Humilty" (included in Fr. Bartunek's book) and St. Thomas Aquinas' prayer for purity.

Prayers one can say with a family member who is dying. Prayers one can say when in vigil. Prayers for elderly prayer warriors, and for those who are where there are no longer any more possibilities, but only the work of forgiveness:

Tend to our bitterness of spirit, O Lord
Save us from hurts too long unforgiven
and sufferings too deeply cherished.

Save us from cynicism too quickly felt
and revenge too often sought.
Save us from loyalty too easily spurned
and hope too soon abandoned.

Save us with your ability to transform .
Where we gasp for air,
Breathe your fresh Spirit.

When we see only one or two options,
each unpalatable
Burst our tired categories
with your endlessly inventive possibilities

Where we have did,
infuse your unfailing irrepressible life.

Pull us, push us Lord
into new worlds of your making.

Amen

I agree with you on having more before mass prayers in my prayer book. I'd also like to see a book I could share with my children. For instance, there is a prayer for me and with it, an accompanying prayer that my young child can remember and say at the same time.

Thank you Jennifer!

Dear Dan, I am excited about the idea of this Prayer Book. The above suggested additions are excellent. But to make the Prayer Book really wonderful the Divine Mercy Chaplet and the Divine Mercy and Reparation Litanies are a MUST. The Special Petition Prayers from Saint Faustina's Diary on particular circumstances would make the Prayer Book a truly vesel for fulfilling the Lord's desire that the Eucharistic Divine Mercy Devotion be spread to all corners of the earth.

Dear Mary - very good - I agree with the Divine Mercy prayers...

Dan, because this short "Prayer of St Gertrude the Great" is not well known I feel I should send it to you:

"Eternal Father,
I offer thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the masses said throughout the world today,
for all the holy souls in Purgatory,
for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen"

Finding this prayer has meant so much to me and to others with whom I have shared it.
God Bless you in your endeavor. elsie eaton

Excellent - thanks Elsie!

In addition to the Rosary, My (5) favorite daily prayers:

The St Gertrude Prayer

Prayer to The Holy Spirit

Prayer to The Sacred Heart of Jesus

The St Michael the Archangel Prayer

My Guardian Angel Prayer

I like every thing everyone has said so far.
In addition, it would be nice for families to have special traditional blessing prayers. For example a blessing for their Advent Wreath, a Blessing for their Christmas Tree, a blessing for their new home, etc. It would also be good to include a section of novenas. Many people don't even know what a novena is today. I feel many have lost the traditions of family Catholic life. Anything you could add to teach this important aspect of living our faith in our homes would be wonderful!!

Very good Becky - thanks!

Lots of the above,

The prayer to St Michael,
Cardinal Newman's reflection that is in the beginning of "The Better Part" which ends with the words ..."still you know what you are about."
Know the one I mean? These two, along with the "Litany of Humility" mentioned above have been a tremendous source of Gods transforming Grace in my own life over the last few months.
Many prayes!

Yes - very good. Thank you Amanda

The Trisagion Prayers

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

O heavenly King, O Comforter, the Spirit of truth, who art in all places and fillest all things; Treasury of good things and Giver of life: Come and dwell in us and cleanse us from every stain, and save our souls, O gracious Lord.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal: have mercy on us. (Thrice)

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

All-holy Trinity, have mercy on us. Lord, cleanse us from our sins. Master, pardon our iniquities. Holy God, visit and heal our infirmities for thy Name's sake.

Lord, have mercy. (Thrice)

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Through the prayers of our holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us. Amen.

--
I think the above wonderful introduction to all Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic (Uniate with Rome churches) Prayers should be included.

a monk

http://sites.google.com/site/trinityprioryinter...

Here are the two that I have pasted into the inside cover of my Christian Prayer book:

Take, Lord Receive
Litany of Humility

Also, it would be sweet to have a prayer book that includes a in depth examination of conscience.

Good suggestions Anna - thanks!

Yes, the Litany of Humility for sure. I would suggest the version that Fr. John has in "The Better Part" together with the collect.

Dear Father,

I would pick the following prayers to be included:
- Anima Christi
- Psalm 23
- St. Patrick's Breastplate
- Lead, Kindly Light

Dear Barbara - very good suggestions - thank you.

Dan,

I bet we have the same prayer book and so I can understand what you are saying. I would like to see, in addition to prayers before Communion, the Litanies of the Sacred Heart and the Holy Name (the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary is already in there, no?), and consecration to the Sacred Heart. Also, especially since I have lost some loved ones, it would be great to have the older form of prayer for the dead (Psalm 129/130 plus the concluding collect) to go along with the prayer for the dead from the Mass that is already in there, right?

It sounds like a great project, so keep it up. I am sure I will order several copies when they are ready.

All the best,
Woody

Thanks Woody - good to hear from you - Advent blessings to you and yours.

The same, of course, to you and yours, Dan.

I have a little paperback prayer book a friend gave me (it's got a blue cover and is called La Pieta, I think) with lots of beautiful prayers in it, especially the Prayer for Priests, and a chaplet in honor of the wounds of Christ. I'd love to see those prayers in a pretty, hardcover version of your prayer book!

Thanks Jennifer!