The Catholic Writers Guild

The CWG Book Blast! Barb Szyszkiewicz’s The Handy Little Guide to the Liturgy of the Hours

This month, the Catholic Writers’ Guild is touring Barb Szyszkiewicz’s book, ‘The Handy Little Guide to the Liturgy of the Hours.’ It bears both an Imprimatur and a Nihil Obstat. Your easy-to-read, down-to-earth introduction to the daily prayer of the Church.

Summary:

In this brief booklet, author, wife, mom, and Secular Franciscan Barb Szyszkiewicz helps you understand and practice this beautiful devotion. You’ll learn: – The different formats, settings, and ways to pray the Liturgy of the Hours – Who can pray it (spoiler alert: everyone!) – The fruits of this form of prayer and how it connects to the Mass – The five “canonical hours,” or times of the day, when the Liturgy of the Hours is prayed A quick start guide is also included, so you can begin praying the Liturgy of the Hours whenever you’re ready!

Excerpt:

To pray the Liturgy of the Hours, you’ll need a breviary. This book (or set of books, depending on the format you choose) contains the Psalms and prayers used in the Liturgy of the Hours and instructions for praying them according to the norms for each day of the liturgical year. There is a learning curve, but you get to pray as you learn — and learn as you pray. Even if you don’t get all the details right every time while you’re learning, you are still praying. Yes, praying the Liturgy of the Hours can be complicated, but don’t worry: We’re going to walk together through the basics of this beautiful way to pray.

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Bio:

Barb Szyszkiewicz, editor at CatholicMom.com, is a wife, mom of 3 young adults, and a Secular Franciscan. Barb enjoys writing, cooking, and reading, and is a music minister at her parish. Find her blog at FranciscanMom.com and her family’s favorite recipes with nutrition information at CookAndCount.wordpress.com. She is vice president of the Catholic Writers Guild. Barb is the author of The Handy Little Guide to Prayer and The Handy Little Guide to the Liturgy of the Hours, available from Our Sunday Visitor.

Buy Link:

https://amzn.to/3KxVHsX

Tweet:

Your easy-to-read, down-to-earth introduction to the daily prayer of the Church: “The Handy Little Guide to the Liturgy of the Hours” by @franciscanmom from @OSV

Michael Fraley

Michael Fraley has been editing and posting the CWG Book Blast since 2016. He's adapted the Arthurian portion of Geoffrey of Monmouth's “Histories of the Kings of Britain” to the comic page, has worked in book illustration, graphic design, and has also served as a newspaper columnist. In 2019 the story of his conversion to Catholicism was told in Nancy Ward's book Sharing Your Catholic Faith Story. His primary area of study is in the Jewish roots of the Church, with an emphasis on the Gospel of Matthew and the Epistle of James. He holds a MA in theology from St. Joseph's College of Maine and a BFA in fine art from Indiana University. He can be reached at michael@michaelfraley.com