The Perfect Prayerbook?

I've spent my entire Catholic life searching for the perfect prayerbook. You know the one I mean, the one to supplement your Bible, Missal and Breviary or Little Office, the one that contains all your favourite prayers and devotions. Does it exist? I doubt it. However, if it did exist, at least mine would contain several prayers from the Jesus, Mary, Joseph Novena Manual, by Father Stedman. The one I have is "The New Revised" edition. Years ago, I had the "unrevised" edition, published prior to V II. The difference between the two? Indulgences are no longer stated in their pre-Conciliar "time format". That's it! The prayers are the same. Over the next few days, I'm going to post my favourite prayers from the Manual. If you're not familiar with them, I hope you'll print them out and use them occasionally.

If you're interested in obtaining your own copy and don't have a good Catholic bookstore handy, write to the Confraternity of the Precious Blood, 5300 Fort Hamilton Parkway, Brooklyn, NY 11219, for a price list. They also publish Traditional books of meditations, etc. including the book of Psalms ordered for reading weekly according to the schema of the Traditional Breviarum Romanum. Good stuff!

Anyway, here's my first selection:

To our Lady, Help of Christians

"for loyalty to Holy Mother Church"

Mary, Immaculate Virgin, Mother of God and our Mother, thou seest how the Catholic Faith is assailed by the devil and the world, that Faith in which we purpose by the help of God, to live and die. To thee we entrust our firm purpose of never joining assemblies of heretics. Do thou, all holy, offer to thy Divine Son our resolutions, and obtain from Him the graces necessary for us to keep them unto the end. Amen.

Mary, help of Christians, pray for us.