The Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network (Apostleship of Prayer) addresses the challenges facing humanity and assists the mission of the Church. Each month Pope Francis has a short video of the month's intention. There is also a written monthly reflection, as well as a "Click to Pray" app. Click logo above or this link to http://popesprayerusa.net/.

Amen is the free Catholic app that brings you beautiful prayers, faithful meditations and nourishing Scripture to draw your mind, body and soul to rest in God. Listen to the daily Mass readings each day -- only takes a couple minutes. Sponsored by the Augustine Institute.

For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, 
it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy.
(St. Thérèse of Lisieux)

Prayer is the raising of one’s mind and heart to God,
or the requesting of good things from God.
(St. John Damascene)

Humility is the foundation of prayer. Only when we humbly acknowledge that
“we do not know how to pray as we ought” [Rom 8:26],
are we ready to receive freely the gift of prayer.
“Man is a beggar before God.”  [St. Augustine.]
(Catechism of the Catholic Church (“CCC”) section 2559)

God calls man first. Man may forget his Creator or hide far from His face; he may run after idols or accuse the deity of having abandoned him; yet the living and true God tirelessly calls each person to that mysterious encounter known as prayer. In prayer, the faithful God’s initiative of love always comes first; our own first step is always a response. (CCC 2567.)

Hence the Church earnestly begs of its children that, “first of all, supplications, prayers, petitions, acts of thanksgiving be made for all men…. For this is good and agreeable in the sight of God our Savior, who wills that all men be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim 2:1–4). (Vatican II: Dignitatis humanae, Dec. 7, 1965, section 14.)

Liturgical Prayer

The greatest liturgical prayer is Holy Mass: the Liturgy of the Word and especially the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

The Church also prays together the Psalms (as did Israel) in the Liturgy of the Hours (also known as the Divine Office). Priests, deacons, and religious pray the Liturgy of the Hours, and today very many lay persons also regularly pray at least some portion of the Liturgy of the Hours daily. The Liturgy of the Hours can be obtained in book form (called a Breviary) (on volume edition for Morning and Evening prayer; four volume edition including the Office of Readings (Vigils) and its longer readings). The Hours can also be found in several apps which can be downloaded to a cell phone or tablet, or can be read/prayed over the internet such as with the iBreviary application (see box to the left; or here for Spanish).

In this “public prayer of the Church,” the faithful exercise the royal priesthood of the baptized. Celebrated in “the form approved” by the Church, the Liturgy of the Hours “is truly the voice of the Bride herself addressed to her Bridegroom. It is the very prayer which Christ Himself together with His Body addresses to the Father.” (CCC 1174.)

Rosary

The Rosary is "A prayer in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which repeats the privileged Marian prayer Ave Maria, or Hail, Mary, in “decades” of ten prayers, each preceded by the Pater Noster (“Our Father”) and concluded by the Gloria Patri (Glory Be to the Father), accompanied by meditation on the mysteries of Christ’s life. The rosary was developed by medieval piety in the latin church as a popular substitute for the liturgical prayer of the Hours.” (Glossary of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd Ed.) It remains a favored prayer of Catholic today.

Several of the faithful pray the Rosary together in the Church after each of the weekday Masses at Our Lady of Lourdes.

A Spanish Rosary is prayed at SJM on Fridays at 5:00 PM.

El Grupo de Oración 

A Spanish Prayer Group at OLL on Fridays from 7:15-9:00 PM in the Church.

Prayer Circle

Our Lady of Lourdes Parish has a Prayer Circle where our Pastor and several of the faithful intercede for specific needs of parishioners, their families, and friends. If you have a prayer intention you would like us to pray for, please contact Dibby Green.