What exactly is a Devotion and how do you conduct one?

[GratefulDad]

What exactly is a Devotion and how do you conduct one? Also is their a list of official Devotions?

 

[Irish_Kathy]

What exactly is a Devotion and how do you conduct one? Also is their a list of official Devotions?

For me, it’s just trying to be faithful to one particular prayer, like the Rosary or the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. Just find something you like (or a Saint you particularly like) and keep with it. Personally I like both of the above I mentioned. But I also enjoy very much just reading and praying over Sacred Scripture. One of my favorite books of the Bible, for instance, are the Psalms. I love using them as a jumping off point for prayer.

Kathy

 

[puzzleannie]

One can have a particular devotion to an attribute of Christ or Mary (such as the Divine Mercy, or the Immaculate Heart of Mary) or to a significant event in either of their lives (such as the Holy Childhood, or the Mary at the Passion, OL of Sorrows), or as either has appeared to the saints such as The Sacred Heart, or OL of Guadalupe. Such devotions often have specific prayers, novenas or chaplets arising from them, such as the rosary,chaplet, Sacred Heart novena etc.

A devotion can also be a general prayer practice that is done on some regular basis or frameword such as the Rosary or Way of the Cross.

A devotional is usually a booklet that contains prayers or reflections meant to be read daily as an aid to devotion and prayer, such as a daily reflection on the gospel and other lectionary readings. Examples are One Bread One Body, Word Among Us, and Magnificat. The last 2 also contain the readings and order of the Mass.

 

[jmcrae]

Just as an example, I have a devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which means that I do everything possible to get to Mass on the first Friday of every month, pray the Litany of the Sacred Heart on Fridays, and celebrate the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart every June, along with other stuff as it comes up.

I’m still relatively new to the Catholic faith, and also to the devotion to the Sacred Heart, so there is a lot that I do very imperfectly, right now and a lot that I don’t really know how to do, yet, but it’s coming, gradually.

 

[BarbaraTherese]

What exactly is a Devotion and how do you conduct one? Also is their a list of official Devotions?

Hi GD…here is a site with a list of various devotions:
catholic-pages.com/dir/devotions.asp

A devotion need not be something already laid out…one can make up one’s own devotion - or pious practise - if one likes. For an example, whenever I pass a Church I say “All for thee, Sacred Heart of Jesus, my Saviour all is for Thee and may You everywhere become more loved and adored in the Blessed Eucharist”. This is not an already laid out devotion, just simply a little devotion I have adopted and created for myself. Another is to put a crucifix and holy water font near my front door and sign myself with the cross with Holy Water when entering or leaving. The words used with the Sign of The Cross have awesome meaning.

There are some really beautiful Catholic Devotions that are more or less official devotions within The Church.
newadvent.org/cathen/12275b.htm
Popular Devotions

Devotion, in the language of ascetical writers, denotes a certain ardour of affection in the things of God, and even without any qualifying prefix it generally implies that this ardour is of a sensible character. On the other hand, by the term “devotions” in the plural, or “popular devotions”, we commonly understand those external practices of piety by which the devotion of the faithful finds life and expression. The efficacy of these practices in eliciting feelings of devotion is derived from four principal sources, either

1. 
   *]by the strong appeal which they make to man’s emotional instincts, or
   *]by the simplicity of form which puts them within the reach of all, or
   *]by the stimulus of association with many others in the same good work, or
   *]by their derivation from the example of pious persons who are venerated for their holiness.
   Blessings this Holy Week…Barb

 

[GratefulDad]

Hi GD…here is a site with a list of various devotions:
catholic-pages.com/dir/devotions.asp

A devotion need not be something already laid out…one can make up one’s own devotion - or pious practise - if one likes. For an example, whenever I pass a Church I say “All for thee, Sacred Heart of Jesus, my Saviour all is for Thee and may You everywhere become more loved and adored in the Blessed Eucharist”. This is not an already laid out devotion, just simply a little devotion I have adopted and created for myself. Another is to put a crucifix and holy water font near my front door and sign myself with the cross with Holy Water when entering or leaving. The words used with the Sign of The Cross have awesome meaning.

There are some really beautiful Catholic Devotions that are more or less official devotions within The Church.
newadvent.org/cathen/12275b.htm
Popular Devotions

Devotion, in the language of ascetical writers, denotes a certain ardour of affection in the things of God, and even without any qualifying prefix it generally implies that this ardour is of a sensible character. On the other hand, by the term “devotions” in the plural, or “popular devotions”, we commonly understand those external practices of piety by which the devotion of the faithful finds life and expression. The efficacy of these practices in eliciting feelings of devotion is derived from four principal sources, either

1. 
   *]by the strong appeal which they make to man’s emotional instincts, or
   *]by the simplicity of form which puts them within the reach of all, or
   *]by the stimulus of association with many others in the same good work, or
   *]by their derivation from the example of pious persons who are venerated for their holiness.
   Blessings this Holy Week…Barb

1. 
   Thanks so much Barb and everyone for your (name removed by moderator)ut, this has been a BIG help for me. Hopefully to others as well.
   GratefulDad