In order to help us grow in our faith, the Church encourages many different types of devotions and dedications. Our Mother Church also encourages us to use these devotions to delve deeper into our faith. One way She does this is by encouraging weekly and monthly devotions dedicated to a particular saint or article of faith.
I first learned of many of these devotions when I was discerning a religious vocation with the Little Sisters of the Poor. They had (and I assume still do) special prayers and practices for each day of the week or month of the year. After leaving that religious congregation, I discovered that it was universally practiced in the Catholic Church and not just their order.
Here are the weekly devotions:
Sunday: The Holy Trinity
Monday: The Souls in Purgatory
Tuesday: Our Guardian Angels
Wednesday: Saint Joseph
Thursday: The Eucharist
Friday: The Passion of Jesus (Divine Mercy) and/or The Sacred Heart of Jesus
Saturday: The Immaculate Heart of Mary
And the Monthly Devotions:
January: The Holy Childhood of Jesus
February: The Holy Family
March: Saint Joseph
April: The Blessed Sacrament
May: Our Lady
June: Sacred Heart of Jesus
July: The Precious Blood of Jesus
August: The Immaculate Heart of Mary (the Assumption of Mary)
September: The Seven Sorrows of Mary
October: The Holy Angels and the Holy Rosary
November: The Poor Souls in Purgatory
December: The Immaculate Conception
Over the coming weeks and months, I will do my best to expound a little on the history and particulars of each devotion. In the meantime, in case you missed it, here’s a little primer on Why Honoring the Lord’s Day is Important and Ten Ways to Honor the Lord’s Day.
One more thing: for those of you who may want to know (or can’t ever remember) what days each of the Rosary Mysteries are prayed here they are:
Sunday: The Glorious Mysteries
Monday: The Joyful Mysteries
Tuesday: The Sorrowful Mysteries
Wednesday: The Glorious Mysteries
Thursday: The Luminous or Joyful Mysteries
Friday: The Sorrowful Mysteries
Saturday: The Joyful Mysteries (or Glorious Mysteries after 3pm)
A suggestion: This isn’t traditional, but over the years I have developed a habit of focusing on one Mystery over the seasons. For example: During Advent and Christmas I prayed the Joyful Mysteries every day. During Lent I pray the Sorrowful Mysteries everyday. During the Easter season I pray the Glorious Mysteries every day. And during Ordinary time I rotate the Mysteries as listed above.
Doing this has helped me enter deeper into the season and mystery that is being celebrated. You may want to give it a try to see if it helps you. 🙂
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Tweetable: Weekly & Monthly Devotions
