The Psalms: A Prayer Book

Also the Canticles of the Roman Breviary

Authorized by Pope Pius XII. 

For generations Christians have chanted the Psalms in perfect praise and prayer to Christ Himself. The Catholic Church declared the Psalms divinely inspired, as they are a collection of ancient hymns, and every Psalm is a poem composed in praise of God or in prayer to Him. This pastoral solicitude will prove helpful to assist you in drawing light and grace, and to inspire you with examples of holiness that shine forth so radiantly in the psalms. The exquisite clarity, the poetic beauty, and the wealth of doctrine these hymns possess are a treasury of devotion and a divine message to all mankind. With the constant aid of grace, such experience will in time prove to be its own reward. No pains, no energy was spared in making it possible for the faithful to perceive the meaning of the scriptures as intended by the Holy Spirit.

Of special interest to the layman and clergy alike is a very extensive “Topical Index” comprising 14 pages in English and an “Alphabetical Index” in Latin. The Index in English is especially of practical value because it contains hundreds of topics for which one may wish to pray, with reference to the appropriate Psalm. Also included is a 12 page “Glossary of Names, Places and Terms.” While the Psalms themselves are in both Latin and English, side by side, each is followed by both a Commentary and Reflection in English.

416 pages of prayers, Imprimatur 1945.