World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Venerable Patrick Peyton | family prayer | rosary novena
The annual Family Rosary Novena for Family Unity and Peace Celebrating Venerable Patrick Peyton’s Anniversary of Birth, January 9–17, is a wonderful opportunity to seek Father Peyton and Our Blessed Mother’s intercession. Families face many challenges; just navigating everyday life requires daily prayer. The Rosary, especially prayed as a family, is a powerful devotion, and we honestly cannot think of a better way to begin a new year and build a habit of daily prayer, than with this Rosary Novena. Are you new to praying the Rosary? Our free downloadable Rosary Novena booklet includes all instructions and prayers to help you not feel intimidated or discouraged. Remember, there is no wrong way to pray. Maybe you can start with one or two prayers of the Rosary, then add a decade each day. It will get easier each time until it quickly becomes a peaceful and positive part of the day that you and your family look forward to. Read on for today's reflection and prayers.
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Marriage | New Year's Resolutions | family prayer | sacrament of marriage
2025: The Year of the Marriage? We are just beginning 2025, so many people are still thinking about resolutions they might make for this new year. Have you made one yet? If not, consider choosing a resolution that will strengthen your most important relationship this side of heaven: your marriage. Our marriages are covenants: sacred contracts that bond the two spouses into a family. The Catholic Church provides a comprehensive and truly beautiful list of vows to seal the marital covenant. The more I study these vows, the more grateful I am to the Church for them! Here they are, in simplest terms: I have vowed to love my husband freely, fully, faithfully, and fruitfully; for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, until death parts us.
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Father Patrick Peyton | family prayer | peace | rosary novena
Let’s all make a New Year resolution worth keeping! Praying for and with our family! The annual Family Rosary Novena for Family Unity and Peace celebrating Venerable Patrick Peyton’s Birth begins on January 9 and continues each day through January 17. What a wonderful way for you and your family to begin the New Year: by inviting Venerable Patrick Peyton and Our Blessed Mother to join you in prayer for your needs and concerns. The Catholic Church refers to this as “intercessory prayer,” simply turning to our heavenly friends to pray with you and for you. Download Novena Booklet (English) Download Novena Booklet (Spanish) We invite you to pray with us each day, either here on our blog or via our daily 11:30 am ET Rosary live stream on YouTube. Read on to learn more!
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Today, we stand at a great threshold—a doorway between the past and the future. As we close 2024, a year filled with joys and pains, triumphs and failures, we also prepare to step into 2025, carrying with us both our hopes and uncertainties. This moment invites us to reflect, give thanks, and renew our commitment to live in the light of Christ, who is the eternal Word.
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New Year's Resolutions | catholic family life | family prayer | pray the rosary
Something that has become more and more apparent as my kids one-by-one enter adulthood is that while my vocation as Mom never ends, it does change! I remember those days of mothering with littles running around the house. They needed me for the physical things; food, drink, shelter, safety, comfort, and clothing, and they were learning so much from basic skills and interests, and subjects at school, and picking up prayers, Bible stories and beliefs of our Catholic Faith. As they got older, entering the teenage years, they still relied on us heavily (whether they cared to admit it or not). As they entered young adulthood, they'd talk to us about matters of the heart, of conscience, and questions in the Faith. While we might want to provide all the answers, we just don't have them! We can counsel or suggest to a certain point, but our best approach is to remind them to pray: to seek the Lord for His answers and to sincerely pursue His will. But like everything, we need to set the groundwork early on.
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Blessed Mother | Celebrating Marian feasts | Christmas Season | family prayer
Each year, on January 1, in addition to welcoming another year, the Catholic Church celebrates the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God. If unfamiliar with the phrase, ‘Mother of God,’ it would seem to imply some supernatural or divine being. It seems a little daunting to imagine ‘Mother of God.’ Perhaps the title brings to mind some supremely far away, celestial, or an unreachable person. However, in truth, the ‘Mother of God’ refers to Mary, the young girl from Nazareth, who, by her Fiat, brought to the world the Incarnation of God, Jesus... The title “Mother of God” is a Western derivation from the Greek “Theotokos,” which means “God-bearer.” This important title, which proclaims Mary’s divine motherhood, was proclaimed at the Council of Ephesus in 431. The foundation is based on the understanding that Mary is the mother of Jesus, whom we believe to be God. She would then be the Mother of God.
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