- A devotion is a customary popular prayer, often linked to other holy actions, objects or places. Popular devotions during Advent and Christmas include the Advent wreath and nativity crib. Devotions during Lent include the Stations of the Cross. There are also devotions to the Blessed Virgin Mary throughout the liturgical year. Devotions to the Holy Eucharist include Eucharistic adoration and Benediction.

1. Catholic
Devotions

2. Catholic Devotions (I)
The Wilton Dyptich

3. Catholic Devotions (I)
A devotion is a
customary popular
prayer, often linked
to other holy actions,
objects or places.
KEY DEFINITION

5. King Richard II
dedicating England to the care of the
Mother of God.
This picture shows English Catholic piety
at a time when England was renowned for
its devotion to Our Lady and was called
the ‘Dowry of Mary’.
John the Baptist
Edward the
Confessor
Edmund
of East
Anglia
Mary
accepts the dedication. Jesus her son
reaches out for the symbolic flagpole.
The Orb
above the St George
cross has a miniature
image of England.

6. Advent and Christmas devotions
The Adoration of the Magi by Fra Angelico

7. Advent and Christmas devotions
Advent is the four-week
period of preparation for the
coming of Jesus Christ,
celebrated at Christmas.
The most popular devotion
during Advent in churches and
homes is the advent wreath,
with the progressive lighting of
its four candles, Sunday after
Sunday, until Christmas.

8. Advent and Christmas devotions
At Christmas it is customary
to erect a crib, a devotion
started by St Francis of Assisi.
A crib is made up of figures of
the baby Jesus, Mary, Joseph
and others grouped according
to the scene at Bethlehem
where Jesus Christ was born.
The Nativity by Petrus Christus

9. Lent and Easter devotions
The Crucifixion by Giotto di Bondone

10. Lent and Easter devotions
The Resurrection by Piero della Francesca
Lent is the period of forty
days in which we prepare,
by prayer, fasting and
penance, for the
celebration of the death
and Resurrection of Jesus
Christ at Easter.

11. Lent and Easter devotions
The most popular devotion
during Lent is the Stations of
the Cross (the Via Crucis). In
this devotion we walk and pray
at fourteen stations that retrace
the Passion of Jesus Christ
from his condemnation to his
entombment.
These stations can be found in
nearly every church, and
sometimes outdoors and at
shrines such as Lourdes.Scenes from the Passion of Christ by Hans Memling

12. Ordinary Time devotions

13. Ordinary Time devotions
Ordinary Time covers the
rest of the year. It includes,
however, some major
solemnities and feasts.
On Corpus Christi it is
customary to carry the Blessed
Sacrament around the church
or through nearby streets in
solemn procession.

15. The Rosary
is a popular
Marian
devotion.
The
Magdalene
is practising a
Catholic
devotion,
reading and
praying
meditatively.
The Book of
Hours
was a traditional
medieval
devotion with
prayers set
throughout the
day at different
times.
The jar of oil
is the symbol of
repentance, the
costly nard used
to anoint the
feet of Christ.

16. Ordinary Time devotions
On the Assumption we
honour the Blessed Virgin
Mary by a procession and by
crowning her statue.
The months of May and
October are also times when
we particularly honour our
Blessed Mother.
Many Catholics prepare for the
major feasts by a novena, a
series of prayers over the
preceding nine days.The Coronation of the Virgin by Quarton

17. Devotions to the Holy Eucharist
The Last Supper by Sassetta

18. Devotions to the Holy Eucharist
Eucharistic adoration is the worship of
Jesus Christ, present under the appearance
of bread. It is customary to expose the
Eucharistic host in a monstrance for a set
period of time outside Mass in order that
we may see and adore him.
Most parishes set aside at least an hour a
week for Eucharistic adoration. Another
popular practice is the Forty-Hour
devotion of the Eucharist, and in some
places there is perpetual adoration.

19. Devotions to the Holy Eucharist
Benediction is the rite of blessing
with the Eucharistic host. It is given
by a priest or deacon.
It is customary to sing (for example,
the Tantum Ergo) and incense the
host during Benediction.
The Mystic Lamb by Jan van Eyck

20. Summary
Questions
to reinforce
key points
Discussion
questions
Practical
activities
Presentation Part II
Summary Activities I
Please select an activity or go immediately
to part II of the presentation

21. Summary
Activities Menu Presentation Part II
• A devotion is a customary popular prayer,
often linked to other holy actions, objects
or places.
• Popular devotions during Advent and
Christmas include those of the Advent
wreath and the crib. Devotions during Lent
include the Stations of the Cross. There are
also some popular devotions to the Blessed
Virgin Mary during the liturgical year.
• Devotions to the Holy Eucharist include
Eucharistic adoration, special expressions
of which are the Forty-Hour devotion and
perpetual adoration.

22. Questions to reinforce key points
A customary popular prayer
Often linked to other holy actions
Often linked to holy objects
Often linked to holy places
What are the key points in the definition of a devotion?
Activities Menu Presentation Part II
1
2
3
4
Click on a box to reveal one
of the answers

23. Discussion questions
Activities Menu Presentation Part II
• Discuss why there is such
a great diversity of
devotions in Catholic life.
• Discuss some personal
experience of devotions
of the liturgical year
and/or devotions to the
Holy Eucharist.
Select one or more of the
following:

24. Practical activities
Activities Menu Presentation Part II
• Look through a liturgical
calendar for the current year.
Make a note of the different
periods of the year and the
most important solemnities
and feasts, especially the
holy days of obligation.
• Read through the Rite of
Benediction, noting what
happens at each stage.
Select one or more of the
following:

25. Catholic Devotions (II)
Our Lady of China, Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Wilton Dyptich

26. Devotions to the Blessed Virgin Mary

27. Devotions to the Blessed Virgin Mary
Our Lady of Guadalupe

28. The sun and moon
These symbols are a clear
reference to Rev 12:1:
“And a great portent appeared
in heaven, a woman clothed with
the sun, with the moon under
her feet, and on her head a
crown of twelve stars.”
The black band
indicates that Our Lady
is pregnant with the
child Jesus.
Devotions to the Blessed Virgin Mary
This image was imprinted
on the cactus fibre cloak of
Juan Diego in 1531
following a series of
apparitions of Our Lady.
Our Lady of Guadalupe
The red dress
is that of an Aztec
princess, showing that
Mary is the heavenly
queen of all peoples.
The blue mantle
is the Aztec colour
of divinity.

29. Devotions to the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Rosary is series of prayers which
brings to mind 20 of the most important
events in the life of Jesus and Mary.
For each of the 20 mysteries (5 joyful, 5
luminous, 5 sorrowful and 5 glorious) we
pray a ‘decade’, which is: one Our Father,
ten Hail Mary’s and one Glory Be,
following these prayers on a set of beads.
We usually pray 5 mysteries at a time.

30. Devotions to the Blessed Virgin Mary
There are many other Marian
devotions including the
Angelus, the Litany of Loreto,
wearing the Brown Scapular
and the Miraculous Medal.

31. Devotions to the saints and the dead

32. Devotions to the saints and the dead
Patron saints accompany, help and
intercede for us. We choose saints as
patrons, especially at Baptism and
Confirmation. It is good to venerate
holy pictures and statues of these
patrons. Countries, occupations and
activities also have distinctive patrons.
St George is the patron of England; St
Thomas More is a patron of politicians
and lawyers; St Catherine of Siena is a
patron of Europe.

33. Devotions to the saints and the dead
A common prayer to aid
the souls in purgatory is:
“Eternal rest grant unto them,
O Lord, and let perpetual
light shine upon them, may
they rest in peace”.
To visit graves and pray
for our deceased is a
work of mercy.
Detail from The Coronation of the Virgin by Quarton

34. Shrines and pilgrimages
Triumphal Entry by Giotto di Bondone
Christ’s entry into Jerusalem at the pilgrimage time of Passover reminds us of the
spiritual importance of pilgrimage in the Christian life.

35. Shrines and pilgrimages
A pilgrimage is a journey to a
shrine for the purpose of
prayer and special intentions,
the journey itself also
representing the Christian
passage through life to heaven.
A pilgrimage can be short or
long, and undertaken
individually or in a group.

36. Shrines and pilgrimages
In a devotional sense a ‘visit’
can be to a church to kneel
and pray before Christ in the
tabernacle. It can also mean
the lighting of a candle and a
prayer before a statue or image
of Our Lady or a saint.

37. Recommended devotions for the home

38. Recommended devotions for the home
It is strongly recommended that
every Catholic family pray the
Rosary together, pray before and
after meals and at the beginning
and end of the day.
It is fitting for every Catholic
home to have a crucifix and
some holy image of Mary or the
saints. Some houses have a little
shrine or prayer corner where a
candle can be lit and prayers said.

39. Recommended devotions for the home
A family Bible set in an
important position in the
house is also a good practice.
Many homes have a holy
water font by the door of the
house so that those passing
by may bless themselves with
the Sign of the Cross.

40. Summary
Questions
to reinforce
key points
Discussion
questions
Practical
activities
Summary Activities II
Please select an activity or go immediately
to the final summary and prayer
Concluding Prayer

41. Summary
Activities Menu Concluding Prayer
• The most important and popular Marian
devotion is the Rosary.
• Patron saints accompany, help and intercede
for us. It is good to venerate holy pictures and
statues of these patrons.
• To aid souls in purgatory we can pray, “Eternal
rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light
shine upon them, may they rest in peace”.
• Other devotions involve shrines, pilgrimages
and visits. Devotional objects such as rosaries,
a crucifix, holy pictures and a Bible are
strongly recommended for the home.

42. Questions to reinforce key points
Joyful Mysteries
Luminous Mysteries
Sorrowful Mysteries
Glorious Mysteries
What are the four sets of Rosary mysteries?
Activities Menu Concluding Prayer
1
2
3
4
Click on a box to reveal one
of the answers

43. Discussion questions
Activities Menu
• Discuss ways in which a rich
devotional life can help someone
to live out a personal and public
Christian life in the world.
• Discuss some personal experience
of one or more of: devotions to
the Blessed Virgin Mary;
devotions to the saints and the
dead; shrines and pilgrimages;
devotions in the home.
Select one or more of the following:
Concluding Prayer

44. Practical activities
Activities Menu
• Show one or more devotional
objects, such as a Rosary, and
explain how they are used.
• Visit a church and note any
objects or symbols that are
used for Catholic devotions.
Select one or more of the following:
Concluding Prayer

45. Final Prayer
Angelus
The angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.
R. And she conceived by the Holy Spirit. Hail Mary.
Behold the handmaid of the Lord.
R. Be it done unto me according to Thy word. Hail Mary.
And the Word was made Flesh.
R. And dwelt among us. Hail Mary.
Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray. Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts,
that we to whom the Incarnation of Christ Thy Son was made known by the
message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of
His Resurrection.
Through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.