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How to pray & practice
Step-by-step guides to the Rosary, the Divine Mercy Chaplet, Confession, and the spiritual life — steps first, then each prayer in a dropdown.
Vocation
Discerning a call to consecrated life: what it is, the signs of a call, prayer and the sacraments, talking to a vocation director, visiting communities, the 'come and see', and the stages of formation from application to final vows.
Confession
A traditional examination of conscience before confession, built on the Ten Commandments and the precepts of the Church, with a prayer to begin and the Act of Contrition to end.
Confession
A simple examination for first confession and for young children, built on love of God, love of family and friends, and honesty with oneself, ending with the Act of Contrition.
Confession
The commandments applied to spouses and parents: prayer at home, fidelity and chastity in marriage, openness to life, raising children in the faith, honesty and charity in the household.
Confession
The Ten Commandments applied to study, work, friendship, dating and life on one's own, in the shape of the examination the United States bishops publish for young adults.
Confession
The eight Beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount as a mirror for the heart: not only what I have done wrong, but where I have fallen short of the happiness Christ promises.
Adoration
What to do, how to behave and what to pray when you first visit a church or chapel for adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, whether exposed in a monstrance or reserved in the tabernacle.
Sacraments
In danger of death any person, even someone not baptized, may baptize: when it applies, the water to use, the words to say, the intention required, and what to do afterward so the parish records the Baptism and supplies the remaining rites.
Sacraments
The Church's requirements for a sponsor, how to prepare yourself, exactly what you do in the rite (the hand on the shoulder), and how to keep the role alive afterward through prayer, contact and the witness of your own life.
Sacraments
What you promise in the rite, how to prepare yourself with Confession and Mass, your part in the ceremony, and how to keep the role alive afterward: praying for your godchild, marking the baptismal anniversary and feast days, and being there in the teenage years.
OCIA
The role, requirements and duties of a sponsor or godparent for a catechumen or candidate: who may serve, what the role involves, attending sessions and rites, praying for your candidate, the Rite of Election and scrutinies, the Easter Vigil, and staying present afterward.
OCIA
Practical first steps for an adult drawn to the Catholic Church: praying and asking, contacting a parish, what the first meeting is like, attending Mass, joining inquiry, the seasons of formation, choosing a sponsor and a saint's name, and the Easter Vigil.
Devotion
The Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel: what it is, how to ask a priest for enrolment, what the rite says, how to wear and replace it, and the Marian life it commits you to.
Devotion
A simple daily rule of prayer that fits an ordinary life: the Morning Offering on waking, the Angelus at noon, a moment of Scripture, the evening examen and night prayer.
Devotion
Household blessings from the Book of Blessings, the right use of holy water at home, the Epiphany chalk blessing, blessing religious articles, and keeping a prayer corner.
Sacraments
Why candidates take a saint's name, how to search for a patron (by patronage, by your own name, by your own story), how to read the saint's life, the Church's requirements for a sponsor, how to ask, and what to tell the parish.
Sacraments
What a godparent is for, the Church's requirements in canon law (age, Confirmation, a practicing Catholic life), how many you may have, the place of a non-Catholic Christian witness, the sponsor certificate, and what to look for beyond the requirements.
Lent
How to choose concrete, realistic Lenten practices from your actual life: one prayer, one fast, one work of mercy, written down, shared with one person, reviewed each Sunday, and carried through Holy Week.
Consecration
Consecration to the Immaculate Heart in the form the Fatima message asks for: the request itself, preparation with confession, the act, the five First Saturdays, the daily Rosary and renewal on Marian feasts.
Consecration
Personal consecration to the Sacred Heart: what the devotion is, how to prepare, choosing the day, the Litany and the act, and living it through the First Fridays and the Morning Offering.
Discernment
Discerning marriage as a vocation, not only a relationship: praying alone and together, knowing the person and the faith, talking about children, faith and money, seeking counsel, chastity in courtship, and deciding to begin preparation.
Vocation
The permanent diaconate for married and single men: what a deacon does, the requirements of age and a wife's consent, inquiry with the diocese, aspirancy, formation, the ministries of lector and acolyte, and ordination and assignment.
Vocation
Diocesan and religious priesthood: what a priest is, the signs of a call, daily prayer and Mass, contacting the vocation office, discernment groups and retreats, application, the stages of seminary formation, and ordination.
Vocation
The forms of consecrated and committed life lived in the world: secular institutes, consecrated virginity, the eremitical life, societies of apostolic life, and the third orders; signs and motives, how to learn about each, contacting the diocese or institute, formation, and commitment.
Discernment
A practical Catholic discernment for a big decision: prayer for openness, the facts, the options, counsel, the rules of Saint Ignatius on consolation and desolation, a provisional decision, confirmation in peace, and acting in trust.
Consecration
The family enthronement of the Sacred Heart: choosing and placing the image, inviting a priest or preparing as a family, the blessing, the reading and act of consecration, and keeping the image honoured afterwards.
Consecration
Entrustment to Saint Joseph in the spirit of Redemptoris Custos and Patris Corde: who he is for the Church, preparing over several days, confession, the Litany, the act of entrustment, and keeping Wednesdays and his feasts.
Lent
The Church's law of fasting and abstinence as it binds Catholics in the United States: which days, who is bound, what a fast day allows, what abstinence means, who is excused, and how to keep it as prayer rather than a diet.
Discernment
What spiritual direction is and is not, how to find a director through your pastor or a religious community, what the first meeting is like, how often to meet, what to bring, and when it is right to change.
Lent
The Church's precepts to receive Holy Communion at least once a year, in the Easter season, and to confess grave sins at least once a year: what they require, when the window falls, and how to prepare and go beyond the minimum.
