Prayer

These Library resources can help you to prepare prayer for groups. We have lots more, but these will get you started:

CLICK HERE to reserve Library materials.

For group prayer for children, organized by the Church liturgical year:
Prepare! Celebrate! Live!
by Mariette Martineau

For group prayer for children and youth, with "Traditional Prayers and Practices," "Prayers for the Liturgical Year," "Saints and Celebrations," and "Interactive Prayers for Daily Life":
365 Prayers for Catholic Schools and Parish Youth Groups : Interactive, Seasonal, Traditional
by Filomena Tassi and Peter Tassi

For middle grade children, organized according to God's gifts of Joy, Love, Wisdom, Trust, Friends, Healing, Light, Perseverance, Animals, Talents, and 15 others:
25 Guided Prayer Services for Middle Graders
by Pat Egan Dexter

For teen groups, with prayers about prejudice, friendship, happiness, peace, sexuality, forgiveness, failure, hope, choices, suffering, and other themes.
Teen Prayer Services : 20 Themes for Reflection
by S. Kevin Regan

For inter-generational groups, organized by "Prayer Services," "Morning Prayers," "Night Prayers," "Seasonal Prayers," "Prayers for Meetings," and "Prayers to Celebrate the Human Journey:"
Together We Pray : Prayers and Services for Gatherings and Groups
by Carmen L. Caltagirone

For inter-generational groups, for select Sundays of Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter, plus Corpus Christi, Sts. Peter & Paul, Transfiguration, Assumption, Triumph of the Cross, All Saints, Christ the King, the 24th Sunday of Ordinary Time C, and the 29th Sunday of A:
24 Intergenerational Liturgies of the Word
edited by Wanda Scheuermann

Over 1,200 prayers from over 560 authors and sources, from every continent and every Christian century. Arranged under subject headings with cross-referencing. The introduction offers advice and encouragement by leading Christian authors on prayer.
The Complete Book of Christian Prayer
from the Continuum Publishing Company

THE go-to source for preparing prayer for all ages:
Book of Blessings: Approved for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops and Confirmed by the Apostolic See
Prepared by International Commission on English in the Liturgy.

These Library resources can help individuals to pray. We have a few hundred books about prayer, but these are good beginnings:

Both a collection of prayers and a guide to the many approaches to prayer, this book can benefit the hesitant newcomer and the lifelong daily prayer who longs for greater intimacy with God:

In a series of brief reflections, Fr. Rolheiser clears common misconceptions about prayer and offers both consolation and challenge. The Library has both the print and audio versions, and a study guide that would help a group seeking a deeper prayer life.

These guides for groups or individuals do not require an expert on prayer or scripture, because everyone journeys together in scriptural discovery.

There are children's books that can help introduce prayer:

Let the Whole Earth Sing Praise
Tomie dePaola
Folk-art-style illustrations and text inspired by scriptures from the Holy Bible offer praise to everything on the land and in the sea and sky.

These videos can help children to pray the basic memorized prayers:

These 2-minute animation go phrase by phrase through the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be with illustrations. Prayed in children's voices.

These videos can BE prayer for individuals or groups:

These videos can kick-start adult prayer life:

This 2-minute intro by Fr. Jim Martin can give a starting place and confidence to someone uncertain about praying.

From Franciscan Media, a 1-minute assurance that our prayer should arise from who we are:

From the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, a down-to-earth 3 minutes on the ease and importance of prayer: