During these challenging times when families and individuals are unable to attend Mass or visit our churches in person, many subscription-based tools and resources have been made available online. Below are some free tools and resources for family prayer at home, including downloads and printables, apps and online resources, and tools for families with kids.
Thy Kingdom Come is a prayer booklet developed by the Archdiocese of Seattle, which features an excellent collection of prayers rooted in our Catholic faith tradition. It includes many of the most well-known and loved devotions of our faith as well as some lesser-known treasures, such as the Prayer for Complete Trust in God (St. Francis de Sales) and A Seed of Love (St. Teresa of Ávila). Click this link to access a free pdf of the book to find prayers to strengthen your family's faith.
FORMED is a compilation of videos, podcasts and other resources for faith and spirituality. It features a staggering array of choices that range from catechism to personal prayer, aimed at many different age levels and interests. This resource is currently available for free to parishioners in the Seattle Archdiocese through this link.
Magnificat offers excellent daily prayer resources for adults and children, and many of their tools are currently available free of charge. Their resources include downloadable text for the weekly Liturgy of the Word, suggested prayers for the sick, Magnificat online, and their children's missalette, MagnifiKid!
The Word Among Us is a wonderful tool for daily Mass readings and meditation. Their entire website us currently accessible free of charge, which contain the daily scripture readings, reflections, and various articles on prayer and spirituality.
Laudate is a free app that offers daily Mass readings, Saint of the Day, Liturgy of Hours, interactive rosary, and more. It is compatible with iOS and Android devices, and is available in many different languages, including English and Español.
iBreviary is a free app that includes the daily Missal, Liturgy of the Hours, Catholic prayers and devotions, and more. It is compatible with iOS and Android devices, and is available in several languages, including English and Español.
The Seattle Archdiocese Faith Formation Online Resources page is a compilation of videos, articles, website links, and many other tools that help families and catechists with their faith formation needs. Topics are searchable alphabetically and feature a wide variety of subjects, from Church History to Catholic Social Teaching and beyond. Spanish resources are also available.
Bringing Camp Home was developed by CYO Camps as a wonderful resource for families who are looking for creative activities for the whole family. It contains a wonderful assortment of ideas, such as scavenger hunts, guitar tutorials, gardening how-to's, and more. Activities are sorted by topic and length.
Teaching Catholic Kids is a family faith resource created by Our Sunday Visitor. Their website offers a variety of tools for parents with children, including Saints for Kids, Mass resources, liturgical living, and more. They are currently offering their monthly subscription-based activity guide, Take Out, free of charge. They are also offering a nifty little Prayer Flowchart download, which teaches children to reflect on how they are feeling and offers prayers that match.
MagnifiKid was created by Magnificat as a special tool for families with children ages 6-12. This monthly booklet includes weekly Sunday Mass readings, suggested prayers and activities, games, comics, and more. The print booklet is available by paid subsciption, but the digital booklet is currently being offered free of charge through the Magnificat Free Resources page.
Loyola Press is offering a huge assortment of tools for the Catholic family, ranging from children's prayers, monthly activity guides, faith formation tools for teens, family activities, and so much more.
My Catholic Kids offers a Children's Missalette videos, which is a great tool to help children understand the Mass. Videos are updated weekly and are currently available free of charge.
Holy Mary, we come before you as spiritual children in great need, seeking your intercession, and askng that your mantle of love surround us to console, protect, and lead us to your son Jesus.
We entrust all of God's family, especially the Church of Western Washington, into your immaculate hands. With your son Jesus' gentle power you can undo every knot in our church, and in the lives of believers who entrust themselves to your care.
Today, I especially entrust to you [mention request here], and I ask that—through your intercession, an that of St. James, our guardian angels, and the faithful in our archdiocese—we may be free from every spiritual and temporal ill and be safely led to encounter your son's merciful sacred heart.
Our Lady of Seattle, Undoer of Knots, pray for us!
My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.
I love You above all things, and I desire to receive You into my soul.
Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart.
I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You.
Never permit me to be separated from You.
Amen.
Click this link to learn more about Spiritual Communion