De-vo-tion (di-voh-shun) n. 1. Great love or loyalty, enthusiasm, or zeal. 2. Religious worship. 3. Prayers.

You know a lot about the Catholic Church, or maybe you are just learning, but there are things that confuse you—like what to do when you pray a novena, or how to "offer up" something, exactly what the Angelus is, or any of the dozens of other devotions that set Catholics apart from other Christians. But help is here! The How-To Book of Catholic Devotions is the only book that not only provides the who, what, where, when, and why of the most time-honored traditions of the Church but also the how. In this complete guide you get:

• step-by-step guidelines to all the devotional rites and rituals of the Catholic Faith

• a history of each devotion and a reflection on its importance in the prayer life of Catholics

• succinct and salient quotes from saints and prominent members of the Church

• cautions, drawn from Scripture and Tradition, for potential temptations and distractions

• the blessings and graces associated with the devotions

If you want to learn what devotions comprise a truly Catholic life—and share those practices with others—you can’t be without The How-To Book of Catholic Devotions.

Now discover how to:

• Pray the Sign of the Cross, Morning Offering, Grace Before Meals, Acts of Faith, Hope, and Love, and many more

• Pray the Angelus

• Make First Fridays and First Saturdays

• Make a novena

• "Offer up" something

• Pray the Rosary

• Read the Bible

• Practice mental prayer

• Examine your conscience

• Fast and abstain

• Pray with sacred images

• Consecrate your life to the Sacred Heart of Jesus or the Immaculate Heart of Mary

• Make a pilgrimage

• Wear a scapular

"This charming book shows you how to plunge in and do all the things devout Catholics do. Learning to pray in Catholic ways, learning to use Catholic things like scapulars and blessings and holy water, and learning to eat fish on Friday while knowing why -- all this amounts to more than one might think. Learning the practices of faith is learning faith again, and remembering why faith is so human and so sacred, and so dear to us."-- Fr. Ronald Lawler, O.F.M. Cap. Member, Pontifical Roman Theological Academy

The authors seem to have aimed this book at Catholics who have never been at all active in the Church and have never been taught its ways but for the novice this book is a treasure. Many of the central beliefs of the Church are explained here and explained in a way that anyone can understand. For example, most Catholics wouldn't really consider Holy Water confusing. The new Catholic however only knows that Dracula doesn't like the stuff and has no idea of its real significance. This book explains just what it symbolizes and is used for.

Among the things explained in this book are the Sign of the Cross, the Angelus, pilgrimages, the Sacred Heart, and the significance of Fridays. All of it explained in an easy to grasp and fun to read manner. About mid-way through the book the reader will almost hear the sound as everything begins to click. Suddenly, many things that were kind of fuzzy become clear and understandable. Things learned in this book will bring the whole world of the Catholic Church into a much clearer focus.

Many people have great knowledge of the things they write about but only a few can communicate their knowledge as well as these two authors. For someone thinking of converting or just curious this book will be a great help and I highly recommend it to anyone going through the RCIA. Even if you are just studying the Catholic Church to better understand world history, this book is a must. An easy and quick read this book explains much of the knowledge of two thousand years. What more could one ask for?

96 of 101 found the following review helpful:

a catholic primer!  Jun 01, 2000
this book is essential for the NEW catholic, the catholic brought up in the "anything goes" period of the 60's and 70's, or the catholic who would just like to expand their knowledge of the faith. Very easy format, and flows beautifully. Includes just about all of the basics. I bought it because I was bothered by distractions during prayer, but it gave me much more than I had hoped for.