Dear children, as I write to you I am thinking of when many years ago I was a child like you. I too used to experience the peaceful feelings of Christmas, and when the star of Bethlehem shone, I would hurry to the crib together with the other boys and girls to relive what happened 2,000 years ago in Palestine ...

How important children are in the eyes of Jesus! We could even say that the Gospel is full of the truth about children. The whole of the Gospel could actually be read as the "Gospel of children."

Dear friends, there is no doubt that an unforgettable meeting with Jesus is first holy Communion, a day to be remembered as one of life's most beautiful. The Eucharist instituted by Christ at the Last Supper, on the night before His passion, is a sacrament of the new covenant, rather, the greatest of sacraments. In this sacrament, the Lord becomes food for the soul under the appearances of bread and wine. Children receive this sacrament solemnly a first time--in first holy Communion--and are encouraged to receive it afterward as often as possible in order to remain in close friendship with Jesus ...

Every boy and every girl belonging to a Catholic family knows all about this custom: first holy Communion is a great family celebration. On that day, together with the one who is making his or her first holy Communion, the parents, brothers, sisters, relatives, godparents, and sometimes also the instructors and teachers, generally receive the Eucharist.

The day of first holy Communion is also a great day of celebration in the parish. I remember as though it were yesterday when, together with the other boys and girls of my own age, I received the Eucharist for the first time in the parish church of my town. This event is usually commemorated in a family photo, so that it will not be forgotten. Photos like these generally remain with a person all through his or her life. As time goes by, people take out these pictures and experience once more the emotions of these moments; they return to the purity and joy experienced in that meeting with Jesus, the one who out of love became the redeemer of man.

For how many children in the history of the Church has the Eucharist been a source of spiritual strength, sometimes even heroic strength! How can we fail to be reminded, for example, of holy boys and girls who lived in the first centuries and are still known and venerated throughout the Church? St. Agnes, who lived in Rome; St. Agatha, who was martyred in Sicily; St. Tarcisius, a boy who was rightly called the "martyr of the Eucharist" because he preferred to die rather than give up Jesus, whom he was carrying under the appearance of bread.

And so down through the centuries, up to our own times, there are many boys and girls among those declared by the Church to be saints or blessed. Just as Jesus in the Gospel shows special trust in children, so His mother Mary, in the course of history, has not failed to show her motherly care for the little ones. Think of St. Bernadette of Lourdes, the children of La Salette and, in our own century Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta of Fatima.

Blessed Francisco Marto                  Blessed Jacinta Marto

Earlier I was speaking to you about the "Gospel of children": has this not found in our own time a particular expression in the spirituality of St Theresa of the Child Jesus? It is absolutely true: Jesus and His mother often choose children and give them important tasks for the life of the Church and of humanity. I have named only a few who are known everywhere, but how many others there are who are less widely known! The Redeemer of humanity seems to share with them His concern for others: for parents, for other boys and girls. He eagerly awaits their prayers. What enormous power the prayer of children has! This becomes a model for grown-ups themselves: praying with simple and complete trust means praying as children pray.

And here I come to an important point in this letter: at the end of this Year of the Family, dear young friends, it is to your prayers that I want to entrust the problems of your own families and of all the families in the world. And not only this: I also have other intentions to ask you to pray for. The Pope counts very much on your prayers. We must pray together and pray hard, that humanity, made up of billions of human beings, may become more and more the family of God and able to live in peace ...

At the end of this letter, dear boys and girls, let me recall the words of a psalm which have always moved me: "Laudate pueri Dominum!" Praise, O children of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord! Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and forevermore! From the rising of the sun to its setting may the name of the Lord be praised! (Ps 113:1-3). As I meditate on the words of this psalm, the faces of all the world's children pass before my eyes: from the East to the West, from the North to the South. It is you, young friends, without distinction of language, race or nationality, that I say: Praise the name of the Lord!

And since people must praise God first of all with their own lives, do not forget what the 12-year-old Jesus said to His mother and to Joseph in the Temple of Jerusalem: "Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house? (Lk 2:49). People praise God by following the voice of their own calling. God calls every person, and His voice makes itself heard even in the hearts of children: He calls people to live in marriage or to be priests; He calls them to the consecrated life or perhaps to work on the missions... Who can say? Pray, dear boys and girls, that you will find out what your calling is, and that you will then follow it generously.

Praise the name of the Lord! The children of every continent, on the night of Bethlehem, look with faith upon the newborn child and experience the great joy of Christmas. They sing in their own languages, praising the name of the Lord. The touching melodies of Christmas spread throughout the earth. They are tender and moving words which are heard in every human language; it is like a festive song rising from all the earth, which blends with the song of the Angels, the messengers of the glory of God, above the stable in Bethlehem: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men with whom He is pleased!" (Lk 2:14). The highly favored Son of God becomes present among us as a newborn baby; gathered around Him, the children of every nation on earth feel His eyes upon them, eyes full of the heavenly Father's love, and they rejoice because God loves them.

God loves you, dear children! This is what I want to tell you at the end of the Year of the Family and on the occasion of these Christmas feast days, which in a special way are your feast days.

I hope that they will be joyful and peaceful for you; I hope that during them you will have a more intense experience of the love of your parents, of your brothers and sisters, and of the other members of your family.

This love must then spread to your whole community, even to the whole world, precisely through you, dear children. Love will then be able to reach those who are most in need of it, especially the suffering and the abandoned. What joy is greater than the joy brought by love?

What joy is greater than the joy which you, O Jesus, bring at Christmas to people's hearts, and especially to the hearts of children?

Raise your tiny hand, divine child,
and bless these young friends of yours,
bless the children of all the earth.

Blessed Francisco Marto                  Blessed Jacinta Marto

On May 13, 2000 the Pope declared Francisco and Jacinta Blessed in Fatima, Portugal. They are the youngest Blesseds in the history of the Church! St. Michael the Archangel appeared to them, and their cousin Lucia, while they were taking care of the sheep in the fields. His message to the children was simple, yet very important: Adore Jesus in the Holy Eucharist!

Prostrating himself before the Sacred Host and Chalice, which were suspended in the air, St. Michael invited the young children to bow down with him in adoration and pray these words:

"My God, I believe, I adore, I trust and I love Thee. I beg pardon for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not trust and do not love Thee. O Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the Tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifference by which He is offended, and by the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg the conversion of poor sinners."

Later, Our Lady appeared to the children several times, and she asked them to pray with her, "O Most Holy Trinity, I adore Thee! My God, My God, I love Thee in the Most Blessed Sacrament!"

Bl. Francisco and Bl. Jacinta loved Jesus in the Holy Eucharist very much. They offered many prayers and sacrifices that His Heart in the Most Blessed Sacrament would be loved. Jesus was so happy with their lives of adoration that He made them very holy.

Let us pray that Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament, Mother of Jesus and Our Mother, will help us to love her Son in the Holy Eucharist and become best friends of Jesus too.

Sweet Mother of Jesus, and my Mother too, teach me and help me to love Him and you!

When St. Tarcisius was a little boy, people were very mean to the Christians in Rome, where he lived. Many of them were put in jail, and even St. Tarcisius' parents were thrown into prison! The followers of Jesus had to hide in caves and have Mass secretly there.

One day, after Mass, the priest talked about how wonderful it would be if the people in prison could receive Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. It would be too dangerous for any of the people to bring Holy Communion to the prisoners though, he said, as they would surely be caught. But St. Tarcisius--a young altar server--spoke up and bravely offered to take our Lord to the prisoners. The priest finally agreed. Who would expect a little boy to be carrying the Holy Sacrament?

After he began his journey, some boys began to follow St. Tarcisius and taunt him. They demanded to know what he was hiding under his cloak. Young Tarcisius had promised to protect Jesus, Whom he loved very much; so he refused to show the Sacred Hosts to the boys. Angry, they hit and kicked him; the boys also attacked St. Tarcisius with sticks and stones. As they stomped on him, the boys cried out that St. Tarcisius was a Christian who was carrying the Holy Sacrament. Still, St. Tarcisius would not let them hurt Jesus, and the God of the Eucharist gave him special strength to protect Him in the Blessed Sacrament. St. Tarcisius is called "The Martyr of The Eucharist" because he died to protect Jesus, truly present in the Sacred Host.

Ever since she was very little, St. Maria couldn't wait to make her First Communion. She wanted to receive Jesus in the Holy Eucharist so that she could become more beautiful and pure like Him; she wanted Him to live in her, close to her heart. After she received Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament for the first time, she stayed in Church for a long time after Mass to talk to Him. She was the last person to leave. St. Maria prayed for her family, friends and all of the people in the world. She promised Jesus three things: that she would always keep her body and soul pure for Him; that she would often ask Our Lady of Sorrows to help sinners; and that she would pray three Hail Marys each morning and night, asking Mother Mary to help her remain pure, strong and without sin. Maria was so happy after making her First Communion. She thanked the priest for giving her Jesus and told him that she couldn't wait to receive God again.

Because Maria's family was very poor, they lived with a farmer and worked for him. After her father died, the farmer's son Alessandro kept trying to make St. Maria commit a sin against purity. Maria told her mother and they prayed that Our Lady would help Maria to remain always pure. One day, when everyone else was working, Alessandro grabbed St. Maria and tried to make her sin. Maria kept crying out for him to stop, and each time she did, he stabbed her. When Alessandro's father heard Maria's baby sister crying, he ran in and saw Maria who had been stabbed fourteen times. He called to her mother, who came running.

Although young Maria lived only a day longer people gathered around to hear her story. They heard about the strong little girl who chose to die rather than sin. St. Maria kept her Holy Communion promises, and she died beautiful and pure like Jesus in the little Host.

Even before he was a year old St. Paschal watched the Mass very closely. After consecration, when the priest lifted up Jesus in the Sacred Host, he trembled in awe.

One day, before St. Paschal was old enough to walk, no one could find him! His mother searched the house, and asked the neighbors if they had seen him. She still couldn't find him, so she went to pray at the Church. When she walked in, his mother saw St. Paschal on the steps in front of the tabernacle!

St. Paschal had a great desire to visit Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, even as a boy. When he was watching the sheep in his father's fields and couldn't go to Eucharistic Adoration, he would kneel in the direction of the Church and unite himself to Jesus, then offer prayers to His Eucharistic Heart.

While he was doing this one day, St. Paschal prayed to see Jesus. In the sky there appeared the Sacred Host and chalice, surrounded by angels in Adoration of our King. People said that angels brought Paschal the Blessed Sacrament while he was working in the sheep field.

He became a Franciscan brother so that he could go to more Masses and spend more time in Adoration of Jesus.

St. Paschal died in his bed, at the moment of the elevation in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, when the priest held up Jesus in the Holy Eucharist so that everyone could adore Him.

Even after his death, this wondrous "Patron of the Eucharist" witnessed to the Real Presence of Jesus. During his funeral Mass, St. Paschal opened his eyes and sat up during the elevation of the Sacred Host and chalice, looking up lovingly in Adoration of our Eucharistic King!

St. Therese of Lisieux, The Little Flower (1873-1897)

Feast day, October 1

When St. Therese was a little girl she and her family would spend time in Adoration of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Young Therese especially loved the Eucharistic processions when the priest would carry Jesus in the Monstrance among the people. The Little Flower would throw up showers of rose petals to try and touch our King in the little Host. St. Therese said, "What a joy it was for me to throw flowers beneath the feet of God! Before allowing them to fall to the ground, I threw them as high as I could and I was never so happy as when I saw my roses touch [Jesus in] the sacred monstrance."

Each morning St. Therese's parents, Zelie and Louis Martin, woke up early to attend Mass. Zelie Martin, St. Therese's mother, became very sick with cancer when little Therese was only four years old. Still, Mrs. Martin went to Mass each day. When she was too weak to open the doors of the Church by herself she would stand outside, and wait for someone to let her in, so that she could be close to Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament and receive Him in Holy Communion.

Louis Martin, St. Therese's father, also had a great devotion to Jesus, truly present, in the Sacred Host. He was part of the nocturnal adoration society at Church, and would often spend time with Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament at night.

St. Therese loved to go for walks with her papa each day. She writes, "Every afternoon I went for a little walk with papa. Together we would visit the Blessed Sacrament, each day visiting a new church."

At school, little Therese spent much of her free time in the afternoon with her Eucharistic Jesus. She knew that the God of Love was really there in the little white Host--Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity--and only He could fulfill the desires of her heart. Little Therese said that Jesus in the Holy Eucharist was her best friend!

When she was preparing for her first Holy Communion, St. Therese's sister Sr. Agnes (Pauline), who was a nun, sent her a beautiful book of prayers and pictures. Sr. Agnes was St. Therese's Godmother, and she made this book for her little sister to help her prepare a beautiful garden of flowers for Jesus in her soul. She wrote of the Holy Eucharist that Therese was to receive, "And who is this little Jesus? The very same Child whom the Blessed Virgin held in her arms, wrapped in swaddling clothes, laid in the manger, cuddled on her lap!"

Each day Therese would offer tiny prayers and sacrifices to the Christ Child, whom she would receive in the Sacred Host. She worked hard in tilling the soil of her love for God so that, when she received Jesus, His seeds (graces) would quickly take root and grow into a garden of love for Him. For as her big sister said, "Jesus will give Himself to you as a tiny Child because you are still so small; He will be the Babe whom Our Lady cuddled and warmed on her heart on Christmas night. He will smile at you, His little hands will be full of roses for you, and the Angels will pull off their thorns."

After St. Therese received her first Holy Communion, she wrote "It was a kiss of love, I felt myself loved, and I replied, 'I love You and I give myself to You forever.'" In her small notebook, St. Therese wrote down all of the days that she received Jesus in Holy Communion.

The Little Flower had a great love for Jesus in the Little Host and received Him in Holy Communion as often as possible. Some say that it was, in part, because of her devotion to the Holy Eucharist that Pope Pius X was inspired to lower the age at which children are allowed to receive Holy Communion.

St. Therese's showered Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament with roses, and you can shower Him with roses too, by following her little way of love. Offer your littlest actions for love of Jesus in the Sacred Host, and He will make you a great Saint, too. Our tiniest acts offered for love of Jesus are so important, St. Therese said, that they help missionaries in far away lands to build Churches where Jesus in the Holy Eucharist can be loved. Even picking up a pin for love of God, she said, can help save a soul!

After her pilgrimage to Rome, St. Therese donated her gold bracelet to the Basilica of Le Sacred Coeur in Montmartre, France. It was melted down and used to help make a Monstrance for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, so that He could be lifted up high in perpetual love and adoration there. They started having Adoration 24 hours a day, so that people could come and visit Jesus day and night. He remains raised up in glory, in the same Monstrance, to this day.

Visit Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament and receive Him in Holy Communion. Adore Him in the Holy Eucharist, and tell your friends about His Love. Offer little prayers and acts of love so that Jesus may be adored perpetually in the Holy Eucharist throughout the world. Then you will be a true missionary like St. Therese, and join in her mission "to make God loved".

Once when St. Stanislaus was running away from his brother who was mean to him, he went into an empty Church. As he said his prayers before Jesus in the Most Holy Eucharist, he thought about how much he would love to receive Holy Communion. But, because there was no priest in the Church, he thought it was impossible to receive Jesus. But, God heard his heartfelt prayer and an Angel came to give him Holy Communion!

Because his brother was so mean to him, St. Stanislaus became very sick. But, as he was in the home of a Lutheran, St. Stanislaus was unable to call a priest. He asked his patroness St. Barbara to make it possible for him to receive Jesus in Sacred Host. She came, with two angels, who gave him Holy Communion.

Our Lady cured St. Stanislaus of his illness, and he entered the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits), where he died after ten months. Mary, our Mother, put in St. Stanislaus' heart a great devotion to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. He went to two Masses each morning. The Eucharist was the center of his life.

St. Gemma Galgani has been called the "Gem of the Eucharist". She wanted to receive Jesus in Holy Communion so much that she became sick out of her great longing and love for Him. The parish priest finally came to her home, and after asking her questions about the Holy Eucharist, said that she could receiving Jesus in Holy Communion early.

When St. Gemma was young, little girls would often go and stay with the Sisters for several days to prepare for their first Holy Communion. She was so excited that she would wake up at night and think about how she would soon receive the Body and Blood of Jesus. God would live in her!

St. Gemma knew that First Communion is like a wedding where Jesus becomes one with us, and we become one with Him. This is why when little girls receive Jesus for the first time they dress in white, with veils, like Brides in a wedding. Little boys dress in suits too, like Bridegrooms. For it is at First Communion that we begin to share in the eternal marriage feast of the Lord!

Before St. Gerard was five years old, he went into the Church after playing outside one day. As he was praying before the statue of Our Lady, the Christ Child in her arms got down to play with St. Gerard! Because St. Gerard was hungry, the Child Jesus gave him a loaf of bread. When he got home St. Gerard's mother asked him where he got the bread. He told her that a little boy gave it to him. This happened for several days. Finally, St. Gerard's sister followed him to see where he was getting the bread from. When she peeked into the Church, she saw St. Gerard playing with the Christ Child! Then, He gave St. Gerard a loaf of bread.

During Mass St. Gerard often saw the Child Jesus, really present in the Holy Eucharist, too. St. Gerard could see Jesus after Consecration until Holy Communion was over.

When he was seven years old, St. Gerard wanted to receive Holy Communion very much. It used to be that people didn't receive Jesus until they were 14 years old! But, St. Gerard thought that since Jesus loved him and he loved Jesus it would be okay to receive Him. The priest realized that St. Gerard wasn't old enough to receive Jesus, so he didn't give the child Holy Communion.

For the rest of the day, St. Gerard cried because he didn't get to receive Jesus. When St. Gerard went to bed that night he couldn't sleep. Then there was a big bright light in his room and St. Michael the Archangel appeared to give him Holy Communion!

Once some pirates came to attack St. Rose's village. They hated Catholics and planned to wipe out all of the villages with Churches. St. Rose ran into the chapel and stood before the Blessed Sacrament, ready to shed her blood and give her life to protect Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. Soon, the people came and stood with her. Suddenly, the captain of the pirate ship became very ill. The pirates had to change directions and go away.

Once at Christmas time St. Francis and his Brothers invited all of the children and their families to a special Mass. They brought animals and made a little crib for the Baby Jesus, just like on the first Christmas night when Jesus was born. The little kids dressed up like shepherds and the big kids dressed up like wise men. One girl dressed up like Our Lady, and one boy dressed up like St. Joseph. After the consecration--when the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Jesus--the priest raised the Sacred Host and the Baby Jesus suddenly appeared! All of the children and their parents saw that the Eucharist is really Jesus, and they gathered close to the Newborn King to offer Him their love and adoration just like the angels and shepherds did on that first Christmas night in Bethlehem.

Whenever they passed a Catholic Church, St. Francis led his brothers in lying face down before the Living Presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist and proclaiming "We adore Thee most holy Lord Jesus Christ, here in all Thy Churches, which are in the whole world, because by Thy holy cross, Thou hast redeemed the world."

St. Francis also wrote about the Real Presence of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament in his letters. He said, "in this world I cannot see the Most High Son of God with my own eyes, except for His Most Holy Body and Blood." And, "What wonderful majesty! What stupendous condescension! O sublime humility! That the Lord of the whole universe, God and the Son of God, should humble Himself like this and hide under the form of a little bread, for our salvation."

An army of Saracens who didn't like God came to Assisi one day. They planned to destroy the city and enter St. Damian convent, where St. Clare and her Sisters lived! St. Clare took Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, Who was exposed in a beautiful gold Monstrance, and carried Him outside of the convent to the city walls. When the mean men saw St. Clare raising up Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, they ran away in fear.

Jesus in the Sacred Host was St. Clare's strength throughout her life, in sickness and suffering.

There was a man named Bononillo who did not believe that the Eucharist is Jesus. He made fun of people who believed that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, the bread and wine are changed into the Body and Blood of Christ at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

One day, St. Anthony challenged the man, saying, "If the mule you often ride were to adore the true Body of Christ under the appearance of bread, would you believe in the truth of the Lord's Sacrament?" Bononillo said "Yes". So, they made a bet. In a few days they would place both the Blessed Sacrament and a pile of hay in front of the mule, to see what he would do.

Bononillo told everyone about the event. Because he wanted to make sure to prove that he was right and St. Anthony was wrong, he didn't give the donkey any food for two days before the test.

Of course, he thought, the mule will be so hungry that he will not even look at the Eucharist, but run straight to his food.

On the day of the test Bononillo led the donkey toward where St. Anthony was standing with the Blessed Sacrament, in front of a great crowd. When they were a few steps away from the Holy Eucharist, Bononillo placed a bag of hay under the mule's nose, but the mule turned his head. The mule walked over to St. Anthony, and when he was close, bent his front legs as if to kneel in Adoration! Even Bononillo saw that the Sacred Host is really Jesus--Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity--and believed in Him.

St. Anthony loved Jesus in the Holy Eucharist very much, so he told everyone he met about His Real Presence in the Blessed Sacrament.

From the time she was a young girl, Bl. Kateri would wake up early in the morning and run through the woods, even in the deep snows of winter. She made the journey quickly, because she was going to see her best friend Jesus in the Sacred Host, where He waited for her in the chapel. When she reached the doors of His house, she would wait outside in the cold until the priest came to open them. Bl. Kateri did not want to miss spending one moment with her best friend Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, and so she visited Him whenever she could throughout the day. She prayed, "I offer my soul to Christ the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament."

When St. Peter Julian was a little boy he would often go to the nearby Church and visit Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. One day when he was four years old, he was praying alone in the Church, kneeling on a little stool behind the Real Presence of Jesus in the tabernacle. His sister rushed in the Church, and after looking around for a few moments, found him "hiding" back there. "What are you doing?" she asked. "Saying my prayers," he replied, "I am nearer to Jesus and I am listening to Him!"

St. Peter Julian wanted children to receive Holy Communion earlier too. He said that "A Catholic youth who has never made his First Communion may be regarded as lost to the Church." He also said, "Jesus has prepared not just one Host, but One for every day of our life. The Hosts for us are ready. Let us not forfeit even One of them."

Angels

"I am sending an Angel
Ahead of you today
To guard you and keep you
Along life's way."
(Exodus 23:2)

"An angel of Paradise is always beside me,
an angel who protects and prays for me."
(Pope John XXIII)

"For Angel's bread is made
True bread for us today."
("Panis Angelicus"/"Bread of Angels", St. Thomas Aquinas)

"Holy Angels, our friends,
our guides, our defenders,
our helpers, our intercessors,
pray for us."
(Mother Teresa)

"Angels are created spirits,
without bodies,
having understanding
and free will."
(Baltimore Catechism)

"Lullaby and goodnight,
Thy mother's delight,
Fair angels above
Will guard thee in love;
They will keep thee from harm,
Thou shalt wake in my arms;
They will keep thee from harm,
Thou shalt wake in my arms."
(Johannes Brahms', "Lullaby")

"And Jacob dreamed of a ladder
set up on the earth
which reached Heaven,
with angels of God
ascending and descending on it."
(Genesis 28:12)

"We must form one family
with the Holy Angels."
(Pope Pius XII)

"When you pray, the angels minister to God
and watch over you
gather round about you
and join with you in prayer."
(Origen, early Christian teacher)

"Sleep my child,
And peace attend thee
All through the night;
Guardian angels
God will send thee
All through the night."
(Sir Harold Boulton)

Prayers

Our Father

Our Father Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Hail Mary

Hail Mary, full of grace! the Lord is with Thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Glory Be

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Fatima Prayer

O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell and lead all souls to heaven, especially those who are most in need of Thy mercy.

O Sacrament Most Holy

O Sacrament most holy, O Sacrament Divine, all praise and all thanksgiving be every moment Thine!

Saint Michael the Archangel

Saint Michael, the archangel, defend us in battle; be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust into Hell Satan and the other evil spirits who prowl about the world for the ruin of souls. Amen.

Angel of God

Angel of God, my Guardian dear, to whom God's love commits me here. Ever this day be at my side to light and guide, to rule and guard. Amen.

NEW FOR CHILDREN!!!

Stories of the Eucharist
Coloring Book

Wonderful for fun & learning!

Perfect gift for younger and older children

Text is great to teach children

See the Catalog section of our website for information on how to order.
An audio tape of the Coloring Book is also available.

Also NEW is our booklet Adoration for Children, which contains suggestions on how to teach children about the Real Presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist and involve them in adoration. The booklet includes practical tips, stories and prayers.