Prayer Resources
NBCW offers you links to some of the Catholic prayer resources available for all seasons.
A Family Prayer Before the Crib of Bethlehem 2022
O Divine Jesus,
The heavenly message at your birth was
'Peace on earth and good will to all.'
Bring your peace, your joy and your happiness
into our homes this Christmas.
Bless all the members of our family,
those at home and those who will be absent this Christmas.
Inflame our hearts with your love.
Keep us close to you and to each other
now and throughout the year ahead.
Amen.
Advent Liturgy and Reflection 2021
Come to a Quiet Place
A beoutiful and orignal reflection on how we can prepare ourselves during this period of Advent.
to access a powerpoint for private reflection or to share as a group click here
Synod 2021: Prayer and Reflection
To prepare for the Synodthe 2021 Communion, Participation, Mission we invite you to use this presentation created by Sister Miriam Birgitte, a Benedictine Sister from Turvey Abbey, Bedfordshire. She is also a member of the Women in the Church Committee of the National Board of Catholic Women. The presentation is set to music. Click to progress the slides at a gentle pace - the music will continue to play.
The prayer is being used to pray for the beginning of Synod 2021. It is the same prayer that was read each day during the 2nd Vatican Council.
The History of the Rosary
The Rosary
Devotion to the Rosary is one of the most notable features of Catholic spirituality. The Rosary is a collection of prayers, repeated while contemplating the Mysteries - events in the life of Christ and of Mary, his mother. A set of rosary beads is divided into tens, and each decade can relate to one of the Mysteries.
How did rosaries develop
Prayer beads are known in many religions, and the use of repetition of prayers to aid meditation was known in the Early Church. It is thought that the earliest form of the rosary was simply a string with 50 knots . Repeated three times this corresponded to the 150 psalms in the Bible. However, for lay folk the psalms were replaced with Our Fathers, and the earliest "Rosary" was known as Paternosters (the Latin for "Our Father."). Around the 9th century the knotted cord developed into a beaded cord. Over time the "angelic salutation" (the opening lines of the Hail Mary) were added. Between the 12th and 15th century, 150 psalters honouring Mary were composed, and these were divided into groups of 50 or "rosariums" (a "rosarium" being the name for a collection of prayers). In 1572, on October 7, Pope St. Pius V established the Feast of the Holy Rosary.
The structure of the five-decade rosary based on the three sets of mysteries prevailed for many years. St. Louis de Montfort composed the most common set of narratives of events in the lives of Mary and Jesus that eventually became used as meditations. These narratives were divided into five Joyful, five Sorrowful, and five Glorious meditations known as "mysteries".
In 2002, Pope John Paul II introduced another set of five meditations referred to as the "Luminous Mysteries". Although the feast of the Rosary is October, the early dedication of May as "Mary's month" meant that the Rosary was often prayed in May.
Most Catholic pray the five decades of the Rosary, but a considerable number pray the twenty decades daily.
Fratelli Tutti
In his Social Encyclical Fratelli tutti (All brothers and sisters) Pope Francis urges us to build a better, more just and peaceful world, with the contribution of all people and institutions. With an emphatic confirmation of a 'no' to war and to globalized indifference. Very readable. Find the English translation here
image: Andrea Spallanzi
Lenten Bible Study Series
Come and See - Explanations of the Gospel readings for each Sunday in Lent 2021. In-depth teaching, stimulating questions and a chance to experience Sunday Mass in a new way! Click here
CAFOD Stations of the Cross
Stations of the Cross Lent 2021
A mix of traditional prayers with images of real people living in poverty, to emphasise how relevant this is for us today.
Click here to access this resource. Stations of the Cross