Learn Latin Prayers with Your Family

Oremus: A Treasury of Latin Prayers is a new prayer book from Ave Maria Press which features Latin prayers with their English translations. It is a lovely way to add some Latin to your homeschool or family prayer time.

Latin is the universal language of the Church. Whether you attend the Novus Ordo or the Traditional Latin Mass, incorporating some Latin prayers into your life provides a beautiful introduction to this traditional form of prayer.

Translator Christopher Bailey shares, “The prayers in this book are prayers that Catholics have loved for generations and, in many cases, for centuries. They were composed in Latin, and in the original Latin they have a beauty that no translation can quite capture . . . To pray them in Latin is to experience them the way the original composers intended.”

Oremus features English prayers on the left-hand side of the page with their Latin counterparts on the left. In some cases, the English translations may be slightly different from the versions of prayers that you are used to as the translator attempted to do as direct a translation as possible while still having the English make sense. Bailey also included a helpful pronunciation guide for Ecclesiastical Latin.

Some of the prayers featured include the Sign of the Cross, morning offering, meal blessings, the Magnificat, prayers for adoration, prayers used in St. Louis de Montfort’s Consecration to Mary, Stations of the Cross, Divine Mercy Chaplet, Marian prayers, Litany of the Saints, and a collection of favorite psalms.

This is a beautiful collection of prayers which can add a new dimension to one’s prayer experience. As Bailey states, “while Latin was the vernacular for ancient believers, for us it can be language that is set apart for prayer.” If you are interested in introducing your children to Latin prayers or in learning them yourself, Oremus is a perfect way to begin.

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Author: Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur

Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur, editor of "Today's Catholic Homeschooling", is the mother of two biological sons and one adopted daughter. She is in her fifteenth year of homeschooling. She has a B.A. in History and Fine Art and a Master's Degree in Applied Theology. She is the author of "The Crash Course Guide to Catholic Homeschooling" and "The Fruits of the Mysteries of the Rosary". She blogs at spiritualwomanthoughts.blogspot.com