Two New Prayer Resources for Eucharistic Adoration

Amelia Bentrup reviews Eucharistic Adoration Prayer Book and Essential Eucharistic Adoration Prayers, both written and compiled by Marie Paul Curley, FSP.

Almost two years ago I started the practice of making a weekly holy hour. I was asked to be a part of our parish’s Seven Sisters Apostolate, in which each member takes one day a week to offer a holy hour for their parish priest. I was hesitant, but felt drawn toward it. Could I really spend an entire hour in front of the Blessed Sacrament doing nothing but praying, and not only that, but praying for our priest? Just sitting there and praying? For a whole hour? What would I do?  

My first attempts were hard. My mind would wander and I relied a lot on spiritual reading and devotions to guide me in my prayers. Eventually, I settled on sort of a routine which included specific prayers: the Rosary, the Divine Mercy Chaplet, litanies. It all started to feel very comfortable and routine, and I greatly looked forward to my weekly holy hour. While I was offering my prayers for our priest, it bolstered my own spiritual life and gave me strength and grace.  

However, I am the type of person who can easily get stuck in a rut and routine, doing the same thing over and over again. I love routine. I love the safety of it. But sometimes I get stuck in it. And I did with my weekly holy hour, praying the same prayers each week. So when the opportunity to review Eucharistic Adoration Prayer Book and Essential Eucharistic Adoration Prayers, both written and compiled by Sister Marie Paul Curley, FSP and published by Pauline Books & Media arose, I jumped at the chance.  

Eucharistic Adoration Prayer Book is divided into four parts. The first part is instructional and talks about the role of Eucharistic Adoration in our lives and how we can practice it. It contains many quotes from the saints and bible passages that discuss the Eucharist and what a wonderful gift to God it is from us. Despite its instructional nature, it is beautifully written and I found it to be inspiring and it deepened my love for the Eucharist even more.   

The second part is entitled “The Source and Summit of our Christian Life.” It discusses the Mass and preparing for communion and includes specific prayers before and after Mass and before and after Communion. I have found that carrying the book around in my purse and staying after Mass for a few minutes and praying through some of the prayers in this section has greatly deepened my spiritual life. This section has instruction interwoven with specific prayers, and I really like this format as even the instructional part is devotional.  

The third part is “Holy Hour Guides.” This section would be invaluable to anyone beginning the practice of making a holy hour, or even seasoned veterans. It contains ten different holy hour guides, each with a different theme. Each holy hour guide consists of devotions, prayers, scripture readings and reflections. The guide is extremely easy to follow and well-laid out and the prayers and meditations are reverent and beautiful.   

The last part is “Treasury of Prayers.” This section begins with biblical prayers, which consists of psalms, canticles and other prayers from the Bible.  The remaining sections of this “Treasury of Prayers” are divided up into the various forms of prayer.  There are prayers of adoration, prayers of praise and thanksgiving, prayers of repentance and reparation and prayers of intercession and petition. This provides a lovely format to include all the forms of  prayer.   
 
This section also includes prayers of Adoration with Mary, which includes reflections on the rosary and other Marian prayers. It also includes Eucharistic hymns, which would be wonderful if you were praying as a group or leading a holy hour of Eucharistic Adoration.  

Sister Marie Paul Curley, FSP, has also compiled many of these prayers into a smaller book, Essential Eucharistic Adoration Prayers. This smaller book contains the treasury of prayers only, and even by itself is an invaluable resource for Eucharistic Adoration. In fact, my youngest daughters and I will frequently drop in at Adoration for about 10 minutes or so after one of our weekly activities that meets right down the street from a Catholic church that offers Adoration during that time. My 7-year-old daughter asked if she could use this small book during our short times of Eucharistic Adoration.  

I feel that both books are beautiful and real treasures for those wishing to deepen their spiritual life through Eucharistic Adoration. The Eucharistic Adoration Prayer Book is a beautiful hardcover book and like many prayer books, contains a ribbon bookmark, which I find very useful. The prayers and devotions are beautiful and inspiring and the book is a great size to fit in a purse or bag to bring to Adoration and to Mass.   

Essential Eucharistic Adoration Prayers is a pocket-sized book, and while the prayers are meant to be used during Adoration or Mass, many of the prayers are simply beautiful and could be incorporated into one’s daily prayer life. Both books have benefited my spiritual life, and I highly recommend them both to anyone looking to learn more about the Eucharist and grow closer to Jesus through the Eucharist. 

Ask for these books at your local Catholic bookseller, or order online from Amazon.com or the publisher, Pauline Books and Media.

Copyright 2024 Amelia Bentrup
Images: Canva