Litany for Catholic parents : to obtain God's blessings and the graces of the sacrament of matrimony ; together with certain lessons which parents should teach their children


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IC*'rerend Janies E. Sherman, S.T t).





Litany for Catholic Parents

to obtain God’s blessing

and the graces of

The Sacrament of Matrimony

together with

Certain Lessons Which Parents

Should Teach Their Children

BY

Reverend James E. Sherman, S.T.D.

THE PAULIST PRESS
401 West 59th Street
New York 19, N. Y.



©tgeidied



Nihil Obstat:

Stanley J. Bertke, S.T.D.,

Censor Librorum.

Imprimatur

:

Karl J. Alter, D.D., LL.D.,

Archbishop of Cincinnati.

February 9, 1951 ,

Feast of St. Cyril of Alexandria.

The Litany which is hereby approved

as without error is for private use only.

Cf. the Code of Canon Law, 1259, § 2

:

“The local Ordinary cannot approve new

litanies to be recited publicly.”

By public recitation is meant not only

as a part of a liturgical service, but

even without the intervention of a

priest, if it is done in a church or pub-

lic oratory (Sacred Congregation of

Rites, Nos. 3555, 3820, 3916).





FOREWORD

The Christianization of the home has been
the constant object of the solicitude of the

Holy Father and the Bishops of the Church.

It is hoped that this little booklet will help

parents to pray together and to implore Christ

the Head of the Christian home to assist them
with those graces of which they stand so much
in need.

The added instruction, which deals with

certain lessons parents should impart to their

children, may be helpful to Cana clubs and
other study groups which seek to learn more
of the duties of Christian parents, and the way
in which these duties may be fulfilled.

Priests who are directors of such clubs will
find much matter which requires further ex-
patiation and comment. Concrete examples

must still be added in many instances.
It may be helpful to leave to the initiative

of the parents themselves who attend, or who
are members of such study groups, the oppor-
tunity to suggest concrete ways and means of
imparting truths and lessons to children. In
this way the parents themselves will be taught
to think out solutions of many of their own
problems.

Through Our Lord Jesus Christ,
James E. Sherman.

Cincinnati
,
Ohio .





LITANY

For Those Who Have Received the Holy
Sacrament of Matrimony in Order

to Obtain God’s Blessing and

the Graces of the Same

Holy Sacrament

( For Private Use Only )

Lord, have mercy on us.

Christ, have mercy on us.

Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us.

Christ, graciously hear us.

God, the Father of Heaven: Have mercy on us.

God, the Son, Redeemer of the World: Have

mercy on us.

God, the Holy Ghost: Have mercy on us.

Holy Trinity, one God: Have mercy on us.

Holy Mary, Mother of God and Model of
Christian Motherhood: Pray for us.

— 7 —



Saint Joseph, Head of the Holy Family, and

Holy Model of Fatherhood: Pray for us.

Lord Jesus, Child of the Holy Family: We be-
seech Thee, hear us. (This response is now
continued.)

Thou Who by Thy Holy Incarnation didst
both dignify and sanctify our human na-
ture:

Thou Who didst assist at the Wedding Feast
of Cana:

Thou Who didst institute the Holy Sacrament
of Matrimony:

Thou Who wast appointed the King and Cen-
ter of all families and hearts:

That Thou bless us:

Thou Thou bless our home and all our family:

That Thou grant us the gift of strong Faith in

Thee:
'

That Thou establish us in unfailing Hope in

Thee:

That Thou inflame our hearts with true Love

of Thee:

That Thou send Thy Holy Spirit to illumine

our minds and strengthen our wills:

— 8 —



That Thou send Thy Holy Spirit to support

us in all our undertakings:

That Thou cause us to be meek and humble

of heart:

That Thou make our minds turn to things

eternal

:

That Thou lead us to receive often the Holy

Sacraments of Penance and the Holy

Eucharist:

That Thou take possession of our home, and

make of it a house of prayer and devotion:

That Thou teach us to love and honor the

Holy Sacrament of Matrimony which we

have received:

That Thou teach us to rely upon and cherish

the graces which daily we receive through

this Holy Sacrament:

That Thou teach us to pray, and Thyself pray

within us:

That Thou teach us to pray always, that we

may present our daily work to Thee as an
acceptable sacrifice:

That Thou teach us to pray for the blessing

of many children as Thy most precious
gifts:

— 9 —



That Thou teach us to prepare ourselves

worthily for the duties of our state of life

and of parenthood:

That Thou teach us to be truly devoted to

Thee, that by example as well as by word

we may teach our children and subjects:

That Thou help us to know and obey Thy
Divine Will:

That Thou help us to remain always in the

state of sanctifying grace:

That Thou help us to be detached from the

spirit of the world:

That Thou help us to love and practice the

holy spirit of poverty:

That Thou help us to be faithful to Thee in all

our obligations in our holy union:

That Thou help us to avoid most carefully all

that would defile our holy union:

That Thou help us to be faithful in all our

duties to our Holy Mother, the Church:

That Thou help us to love and obey our Holy

Father, the Pope, and all our bishops and

pastors of souls:

That Thou help us to respect and honor each

other in soul and body:

— 10 —



That Thou help us to be faithful to each other

throughout our whole life:

That Thou help us to fulfill our duties to each

other in this Holy Sacrament willingly and

with love:

That Thou help us to be chaste in mind and

body:

That Thou help us to be modest in all our

words and actions:

That Thou help us to be temperate in the use

of food and drink:

That Thou help us to be temperate and re-

strained in all that Thou hast made lawful

to us in holy wedlock:

That Thou help us to be to each other true

examples of Christian life:

That Thou help us to pray and sacrifice for

each other:

That Thou help us to bear one another’s

burdens:

That Thou help us to be patient and kind to

each other, and ready to forgive each other’s

faults

:

— 11 —



That Thou help us to practice true charity to

each other, and to love each other most

sincerely

:

That Thou help us to be benevolent to our

children and all our subjects:

That Thou help us to be kind and loving to all

our relatives and neighbors:

That Thou help us to render assistance to such

as are in need:

That Thou help us to work earnestly for the

salvation of the children entrusted to our

care:

That Thou help us to direct our children in

Thy holy Way:

That Thou help us to teach our children Thy

holy Truth:

That Thou help us to watch over and guard

our children as we ought, that they may
preserve and grow in the gift of Thy holy

Life:

That Thou help us to embrace for love of Thee

the trials and tribulations of our state of

life:

That Thou help us to accept crosses willingly

and patiently:

— 12



That Thou help us to be joyful and happy of

soul, though sorrows may afflict us:

That Thou help us to be prepared for death

when Thou shalt summon us:

That Thou help us to regard death as the be-

ginning of eternal life:

Graciously grant to us the health and strength

of body for the tasks we must perform:

Graciously grant to us the grace to grow old

together in health:

Graciously grant to our children, and to our

children’s children, the gift of Faith and

eternal salvation:

Graciously grant to our children, and to our

children’s children, the gift of priestly and

religious vocations:

Do Thou bless us with the gift of many de-
scendants :

Do Thou bless us with the gift of many years
of happy life upon the earth:

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the
world: Spare us, 0 Lord

.

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the
world: Graciously hear us, 0 Lord.

— 13 —



Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the
world: Have mercy on us.

Versicle: 0 Lord, hear our prayer.

Response: And let our cry come unto Thee.

Let Us Pray

Almighty God, Thou Who didst call us to

this holy union, which is like unto the holy

union of Thy Divine Son with His Holy

Spouse, the Church, and Who, in the Holy

Sacrament of Matrimony hast joined us to

Him and to His Most Holy Church in a most

wonderful way, grant us this day and all the

days of our lives the graces and blessings of

this same Holy Sacrament, that we may ever

grow in holiness, and beget for Thee a faith-

ful progeny. Through Jesus Christ, Our Lord.

Amen.

— 14 —



Building the Family Ladder Which
Leads to

GOD

Love, docility to in-

struction and grateful
and prayerful assist-
ance of their parents.

Children

Parents

Christian education
and support of their
children.

Virtuous imitation and
fulfillment of the pre-

cepts of their parents.
Children

Parents

Good example and
Christian direction
rendered to the chil-
dren.

Reverence and obedi-
ence shown to their
parents.

Children

Parents

Responsibility and au-
thority rightly held
sacred and adminis-
tered as such.



CERTAIN LESSONS WHICH PARENTS
SHOULD TEACH THEIR CHILDREN

(A Guide for Parents’ Study Clubs)

Based on the Pastoral Letter of the American

Bishops. November, 1950

I. Awareness of God

Parents should instill a religious spirit in

their children, which means that, first, they

should inculcate in them a remembrance of

the presence of God in everyplace, and of His

action in all that occurs. Let them be taught

also a remembrance of their own supernatural

destiny.

The spirit of divine recollection may be im-

planted in the child’s mind and heart by fam-

ily prayer, both in the morning and evening,

by grace said collectively before and after

meals, by the family rosary, by reverence for

a family shrine, by family visits to church

outside of Mass time, by family attendance at

— 16 —



Mass, by family or group reception of the

Sacraments of Penance and Holy Eucharist,

followed by a family Communion breakfast

after a worthy thanksgiving, by reverence for

the crucifix, and other religious objects, by

reverence in making the sign of the cross,

and by a short prayer each time the clock

marks the passing of another hour nearer

eternity, through which the child may learn

the value of time in preparing for the unend-

ing happiness of Heaven.

II. Union with God

The child must learn that he is a child of

grace through baptism, and that the super-

natural life of grace is greater than the life of

the body. Let the child learn vividly the mean-

ing of sanctifying grace, and the heavenly

reward to which it leads; let him learn to fear

mortal sin, and the punishment of hell to

which it leads him, when his soul is robbed of

sanctifying grace. Means of inculcating a

sense of grace into the child’s mind, will, and

heart, must include a deepening of the child’s

faith in the Holy Trinity, with a personal

friendship for each Divine Person.

— 17 —



III. Living for God

The child must be given a sense of spiritual

direction, which is nothing more than train-

ing in the purpose of life. He must realize

that God is not merely a name, or an abstrac-

tion, but a reality to be loved and sought, a

reality that enters into His whole life, in this

world as well as in the world to come. He

must see God as the focus of all his activity,

whether it be work of mind or body, play or

prayer. Let him learn above all to unite with

God his recreation, asking God’s aid for the

ability and success he seeks, and thanking

God for His aid, even in a game that was not

won.

Reverence
, the Result of Union with God

The recognition of God as a concrete real-

ity in his life requires the child to be reverent

of God. First, he must be taught to revere

God’s Holy Name, in whatever manner he

may be called upon to pronounce it, whether
in prayer, in recitation, or in conversation.

Let him revere the words of every prayer,

especially the words he pronounces when he

makes the sign of the cross. Let him be rev-

— 18 —



erent in church, which is God’s House. Sec-

ond, he must be reverent of the God-life with-

in himself. Therefore, he must be taught to

revere his own body and soul in which God

dwells. He must, of a consequence, practice

modesty in thought, in word, and in action;

he must be pure and chaste. He must be

reverent also of the souls of others whom he
must not scandalize.

Imitation of Christ and the Saints

In his love for Christ he must be led to seek

to imitate Him and the saints whose lives re-

flect His Divine Life. Love seeks to imitate.

Christ’s obedience, patience, thoughtfulness

of others, and willingness to sacrifice himself

should be objects of special instruction

through word and example. Bible stories may

well be read to impart these lessons. The lives

of the saints should be read to show him how

to reflect the life of Christ in himself, as the

saints have done before him.

Power of Parental Example

The good example of parents is paramount.

No instruction in virtue, or threat of punish-

— 19 —



ment, will be of any avail, if the example the

parents give fails to illustrate the lessons im-

parted, or exemplify the virtue sought.

IV. Responsibility

Responsibility to God

As a consequence of the sense of spiritual

direction which the child has acquired the

child must acknowledge that he has a four-

fold responsibility. His first duty is to God.

He must acknowledge the divine dominion

that God exercises over all things and the

corresponding responsibility that he has to

His Heavenly Maker.

He must be taught to show his recognition

of God by his assistance at Mass on Sundays

and weekdays, by daily prayer, and by the

observance of God’s Commandments. He

must adore and praise God. He must also be

taught very early to be grateful to God—to
understand the purpose of gratitude to God,

that it involves his acknowledgment of the

precious gifts of nature and grace which God

has conferred upon him. If the child is taught

— 20 —



to be grateful to his parents he will easily

learn the meaning of gratitude to God. He

must also be taught to tell God of his true

sorrow for his faults. He must never be al-

lowed to be self-sufficient, but must be taught

to ask God for aid. Still, he must not be led

to think that prayer of petition is enough for

the fulfillment of his debt to God. Let the

child learn the real meaning of the Mass, and

how it does four things for him, being a su-

preme act of praise and adoration, of thanks-

giving, of propitiation for sin or search for

forgiveness, as well as petition of favors.

Responsibility in the Use of God’s Gifts

Because the child is the recipient of God’s

gifts his second duty is to grow in a sense of

responsibility in regard to these gifts. He

must have a reverence for them because they

came from God. The talents which he has re-

ceived he must properly employ; the powers

of sex which come to maturity as the child

grows to manhood or womanhood must be

respected as a distinct, new, and grave re-

sponsibility, and not a toy to be abused; he

must strengthen his body through proper care

— 21 —



and recreation; the money which he receives

he must use for proper purposes, especially

divine worship and the works of religion; the

clothing, books, toys, etc., that he owns have

also come from God and must be acknowl-

edged and used as if they were still God’s,

which indeed they really are. He must treat

animals kindly, which because they have sen-

sitive life would suffer pain at his hands were

he to abuse them.

Responsibility to His Fellow Men

The third responsibility of the child is to

his fellow man, both in his person, and in his

possessions. The child, realizing that he is a

child of God, must be taught that other chil-

dren are also children of God. He must be

taught to respect the person of other chil-

dren, by not being cruel, or playing the bully,

or leading them into sin. He must be re-

minded that God knows and loves the soul of

every little child, and that God sees any in-

justice that is done to them. He must learn

that others also share in the distribution of

God’s gifts, and that he must never be envious

of the success of others, but rather rejoice in

— 22 —



another’s good fortune and blessings. He

should learn to be merciful and benevolent to

others, especially when they are in need, even

as God is to him. Let the child learn a sense
of Christian brotherhood from the lesson he

has already learned, namely, that God has
given His gifts to all the children of the

world, and not to himself alone. He must
realize that God loves all children, even as
He loves him.

Respect for Another s Property

The child must evaluate and cherish with

responsible care not only God’s gifts to him-

self, but also those bestowed upon others.

The toys, the clothing, the books of other

children must be respected even as his own.

He must be taught that the possessions of oth-

ers also belong to God as do his own. He must

respect other children’s rights in games, as he

desires them to respect his own. He must be

as happy to lose fairly, as to win fairly. He

must be willing to give the victor his praise,

as he would humbly accept it from others. He

must learn to sacrifice for others, never failing

to put himself out when charity urges. Justice

and charity to others must be his constant goal,

— 23 —



even from a natural standpoint, lest he become

unsociable, and unable to cope with the prob-

lems of society.

Responsibility to Society

In the fourth place the child must learn his

responsibility to society. He must take an ac-

tive part in social programs, whether they en-

tail the promotion of parochial or religious

causes, or a cause that is civic or national in

character. He must be trained in leadership,

yes, but this can only be through his willing-

ness to co-operate with others. Unless he can

follow a leader and work with others first, he

will never be fitted for leadership in any field.

In his social responsibility truthfulness is

basic and must therefore be emphasized.

Daily Examination of Conscience

The child must be disciplined in the prac-

tice of daily examination of conscience, which

should be more concerned with good than with

evil. He must learn to lead a positive life of

virtue, not a merely negative life of avoidance

of sin. Each thought, each word, each deed,

— 24 —



must pass his scrutiny. He must not neglect

to search out his sins of omission. Should he

have been more kind, more charitable, more

reverent, more prayerful, more studious, etc.?

In what ways can he acquire virtue and make

spiritual progress?

Weekly Confession and Holy Communion

The weekly confession must become an ob-

ject of real delight to him. The practice of

all the family going to confession weekly,

though not always together, will be a power-

ful influence in the training of the child in

the spiritual routine of regular “soul-cleans-

ing” during his life. The happiness of a fam-

ily that receives Holy Communion together

on Sunday morning and unites in a breakfast-

feast thereafter, will constantly remain with

him during life as a happy memory of his

childhood. It will help him to steer his course

in the same direction. Sunday will not be

Sunday without the Holy Table and the happy

breakfast of love in his family, whether he be

a child, or later a parent in a newly-founded

family.

• —25 —



Friendship for His Guardian Angel

Among the most important lessons to be
taught is friendship for his Guardian Angel,

who helps him to fulfill his duties to God and

self and fellow man. A strong love for his
Guardian Angel should be implanted in his

heart. Let him think of his Guardian Angel

as more of a friend and helper than a mere

watchman.

V. Sense of Mission: Acceptance of

God’s Will

The most sublime part of the education of

the child consists in teaching him perfect

submission to God’s Will and Divine Provi-

dence. Although this subject is here treated

last, it is by no means the last lesson to be

taught, but one of the first. The child has a

work to fulfill which is appointed for him by

the Father in heaven. This mission he must

seek to carry out. It does not always involve

an extraordinary task. Too frequently this

delusion will give the child a messianic com-

plex, which leads it to become a dreamer.

Let the child learn to recognize God’s Will in

— 26 — ‘



the direction that is given it by every lawful

superior.

Obedience Fundamental in the Child’s

Training

Obedience to the commands of its parents

and all lawful superiors should be a prime

object to be attained in the training of a

child. It should not be slavish, or material

obedience only. Let the child learn to obey

with its will as well as with its body. This can

be gained only when the child realizes the

purpose and value of obedience. It is not

necessary that the child be told the reasons

for each command; it should, however, be

taught the reasons for obedience as such. Let

the child learn that obedience to the com-

mands of its parents, teachers and superiors

is the fulfillment of its divine mission, that

God speaks to it through the voice of

authority.

Acceptance of Crosses

The child will find it difficult to accept

crosses. It must learn, however, that these

are also a part of God’s largesse. In His

— 27 —



bounty He distributes crosses that we may be

chastened. If the child learns to accept the

daily trials and crosses without complaint, it

will learn also to submit in the greater trials

of life, when death or tragedy may demand

it to say again, “Thy Will be done.”

The Holy Spirit

No amount of guidance of the child will be

complete without the child’s being led to

search earnestly also for the guidance of the

Holy Spirit. The parents should teach the

child a prayer to the Holy Spirit which the

child should say daily, and when it finds itself

especially in need of light or counsel. The

following prayer will be of great assistance to

the child:

“Holy Spirit of God, take me as Thy

disciple; guide me, illuminate me; sanc-

tify me; bind my hands that they may
do no evil; cover my eyes that they may
see it no more; sanctify my heart so that
evil may not dwell within me. Be Thou

my God, be Thou my Guide! Whither-
soever Thou leadest me I will go; what-

soever Thou forbiddest me I will re-

— 28 —



nounce
;

whatsoever Thou commandest

me, in Thy strength I will do. Lead me,

then, unto the fullness of the truth.

Amen.”

Vocation in Life

When the matter of a vocation in life comes

up for decision the child will not be ill at ease

if it has learned to seek Divine Counsel.

Greater than vocational guidance will be the

Light of the Holy Spirit which the child will

invoke, and which will fill his soul. He will

have set his footsteps in the paths of righteous-

ness and virtue.

-29 —



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C^llj^D 51