[Faith & Prayer]

These are Catholic groups that I am either a member of and have found helpful for strengthening my relationship with Christ, or I know people who are members and have also found the group/association helpful for their relationship with Christ. Some are international and do not require you to live or meet in a specific place, others do. Visit their websites for more info and requirements. 

• Angelic Warfare Confraternity - from their website: "The Angelic Warfare Confraternity is a supernatural fellowship of men and women bound to one another in love and dedicated to pursuing and promoting chastity together under the powerful patronage of St. Thomas Aquinas and the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Confraternity is an official apostolate of the Dominican Order."

• Auxilium Christianorum - Their aims are to 1. "To provide prayer for priests associated with Auxilium Christianorum so that their apostolate in driving out demons is efficacious," and 2. "To provide prayers for the members – priests, laity, family and friends – so that they are not adversely affected by the demonic." Visit their website for more info. Prayers are available in English, Latin, Spanish, Portuguese, and other languages.  Purchase the booklet here.

• Pious Union of St. Joseph - from their website: "A ministry of the Servants of Charity, the Pious Union of St Joseph enrolls Priests, Religious, and Laypersons in a Confraternity of Prayer for the benefit of the suffering and dying." Visit the webpage to learn more and to join. 

• The Secular Order of the Discalced Carmelites - this is a group of lay people (single, married, etc.) and diocesan priests. The link is for the San Antonio community, but there are communities all around the world. From their website: "Discalced Carmelite Seculars are practicing members of the Catholic Church who, under the protection of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and inspired by St. Teresa of Jesus and St. John of the Cross, make the commitment to the Discalced Carmelite Order to seek the face of God for the sake of the Church and the world."

• General Carmelite/Discalced Carmelite

  • Evangelio Orado - an app in Spanish from the Discalced Carmelites in Spain. Contains a daily reflection that can be read or listened to.

  • A Daily Examen  from the Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles. 

  • The Secular Order of the Discalced Carmelites - this is a group of lay people (single, married, etc.) and diocesan priests. The link is for the San Antonio community, but there are communities all around the world. From their website: "Discalced Carmelite Seculars are practicing members of the Catholic Church who, under the protection of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and inspired by St. Teresa of Jesus and St. John of the Cross, make the commitment to the Discalced Carmelite Order to seek the face of God for the sake of the Church and the world."

  • 10 Ways to bring Carmelite spirituality into your daily life

  • Recommended Carmelite books for purchase,

• Our Lady of Mt. Carmel

  • Liturgy of the Hours - psalms and readings for the Solemnity/Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel

  • Our Lady of Mt. Carmel and the Cross (reflection)

  • 5 Things to Know About Our Lady of Mt. Carmel and the Brown Scapular (article)

  • Litany of Intercession of Our Lady of Mount Carmel - Printable PDF | Video

  • Prayer to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel During the Coronavirus Pandemic - PDF | Video

• Sts. Louis & Zélie Martin (parents of St. Thérèse)

  • LouisAndZelieMartin.org - the most extensive respository of information, photos, and resources on the parents of the Little Flower. 

  • The Extraordinary Parents of St. Thérèse of Lisieux: Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin by Hélène Mongin (book)

  • The Civilization of Love in Sts. Louis and Zelie Martin (from Word on Fire Blog)

  • Praying to Sts. Louis and Zélie Brought Grace Into My Marriage (article)

  • St. Louis Martin Novena: For depression, anxiety and mental disorders (download a printable PDF with the novena in one document)

  • Sts. Louis & Zélie Novena

  • Office of Readings for Memorial of Sts. Louis & Zélie Martin

• St. Elijah

  • St. Elijah, Spiritual Father of the Carmelites - a super short brief on the Old Testament prophet. 

• Carmelite Rosary

  • All videos

  • Sorrowful Mysteries - Video

  • Joyful Mysteries - Video

  • Glorious Mysteries - Video

• Free faith formation correspondence course provided by the Knight of Columbus Catholic Information Service. Helpful for review for lifelong Catholics or for new Catholics who want to learn more! 

• FORMED.org - an excellent resource for growing in your faith; includes movies, audio talks, eBooks, programs, children's programs, and more (has content in Spanish as well). Available through individual subscriptions, but many parishes also have subscriptions which allows parishioners to get a free account. To find out if your parish has a subscription, when clicking "SIGN UP" choose the third option ("I belong to a parish or organization") and search for your parish's name. 

• 5 different ways to say an act of contrition

• An Examination of Conscience for Students - was technically written for students, but very fitting for most young adults (or people in general!). Based on the seven deadly sins. 

From the National Eucharistic Revival website: 

Our world is hurting. We all need healing, yet many of us are separated from the very source of our strength. Jesus Christ invites us to return to the source and summit of our faith in the celebration of the Eucharist. The National Eucharistic Revival is a movement to restore understanding and devotion to this great mystery here in the United States by helping us renew our worship of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.

RECOMMENDED BOOK: 

Saint Mary Magdalene: Prophetess of Eucharistic Love (2017)

by Fr. Sean Davidson

Purchase here.

• 7 Tips for listening to a Catholic sermon without falling asleep

• 4 Steps to Evangelizing with the Beauty of Mass

• Recommended books on marriage and family life for purchase. 

• 5 Saintly marriage tips from Blessed Charles of Austria and his bride, Zita

• Praying to Sts. Louis and Zélie Brought Grace Into My Marriage

• LouisAndZelieMartin.org - the most extensive respository of information, photos, and resources on the first couple canonized together by the Catholic Church. 

• Novena to Sts. Louis & Zélie (YouTube)

Dating

• Why Catholics don’t know how to date

Parenting

• The ultimate guide to filling your child’s Mass bag

• 6 Things Children Learn When You Skip Mass On Sundays - an article on the importance of taking your children to Mass. Includes a short video on tips for how to deal with some challenges that are common to parents when they take their children to Mass. 

Miscarriage

• In Memory of the Babies We Have Lost - an article written for National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day with some helpful resources and reflections. 

• Humble Mission Beads - a ministry that seeks to support families who have suffered from miscarriages. 

• Pray More Novenas - a novena reminder website! 

• St. Padre Pio's Novena to the Sacred Heart

• St. Louis Martin Novena: For depression, anxiety and mental disorders (download a printable PDF with the novena in one document)

• Sts. Louis & Zélie Novena 

• Consecrate Yourself to Our Lady of Silence with this Prayer

• Rosarium Virginis Mariae (On the Most Holy Rosary) - Apostolic Letter of Pope John Paul II on the rosary. 

• Recommended books on the Virgin Mary for purchase. 

• Litany of Humility

• Recommended books on prayer for purchase. 

• THE CALL with the Discalced Carmelite Nuns of San Antonio

• Cloistered Life - has more info on learning about this vocation, as well as a directory of a number of cloistered convents and monasteries (of both men and women). 

• Recommended books on religious life for purchase. 

• Some of my favorite religious orders for you to check out! Check out their websites for vocation information or to support them in their ministries. 

  • Discalced Carmelite Friars

  • Discalced Carmelite Nuns (cloistered)

  • Carmelite Sisters of the Divine Heart of Jesus (not cloistered)

  • Sisters in Jesus the Lord - a missionary group that ministers in Eastern Russia.

• Rosary for Healing & Protection, from the USCCB Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection

• A printout to create a pocket guide to praying the Rosary. 

• A one-page guide to praying the Rosary.

• "The Filipino tradition that replaces the “Glory Be” with this prayer during Holy Week"

• Rosary of the Month - this is a monthly subscription where you receive different rosaries each month. You can subscribe and see past rosaries on their website. 

• Rosarium Virginis Mariae (On the Most Holy Rosary) - Apostolic Letter of Pope John Paul II on the rosary. 

• Recommended books on the rosary for purchase. 

• Bible in a Year with Fr. Mike Schmitz

• Recommended books related to Scripture

• Index of Scripture passages used in the Catholic lectionary

• Somascan Fathers in the United States

• Book of Devotion - The "Book of Devotion" is a collection of prayers, celebrations and various liturgies in use among the Somascan Fathers. Edited in USA for the English language religious members.