Invocations: Super-short prayers for when life gets crazy

You’ve got a baby in one arm, groceries in the other, your toddler somehow got your phone, which is ringing—quick, what do you do? When you need to pray but don’t really have time to sit down and compose yourself, an invocation might be just the ticket. Invocations (or “pious invocations”) are very short prayers—usually a phrase or sentence—that can be said once (as a quick, spontaneous prayer during stressful or busy times) or repeated over and over as a way of meditating on the presence of God.

13 tips for praying the Rosary with kids

Catholic dad Jerry Windley-Daoust says that a lot of Catholic parents would love to say the rosary with their kids if the experience wasn’t quite so fraught. At our house, we barely make it out of the preliminaries before the littles are swinging their beads around like lassos which inevitably become airborne missiles and if you have ever been whacked in the face by a rosary mid-Hail Mary, you know it kind of ruins the mood. Our older kids are better, but I personally remember doing some groaning and eye-rolling as a teen when it came time for the rosary. Fortunately, we’ve come up with a couple insights that help us to pray the rosary as a family in a more sane and meaningful way. Find 12 ways to help kids with the Rosary online.