There are some of us who insist that a particular missal or prayer book is the best, yet others insist a different one is the best. So where do we go to find out? Which one should we choose?
A priest told me once that, as a rule, when it comes to choosing between the Fr. Lasance "The New Roman Missal" and the "Saint Andrew Daily Missal," people will favour the missal they grew up with simply because they're familiar with it and therefore they like it. This is what I have observed, which speaks to the fact that both of these are very good, so either is going to be a good option. Having said that, there are minor differences, and I will flesh out that a bit in this review to help those who haven't grown up with either of these in making their decision. I will also provide a brief overview of some of the supplementary Catholic prayer book options we have in our True Restoration store, so those who want one or more of these will be aided in their decision-making process, too.
Daily Missals
Let's start with The New Roman Missal compiled by Fr. Lasance:
This is a slightly larger/bulkier daily missal than the Saint Andrew Daily Missal. There are some minor errors in this, as is common in these old missals but nothing of real concern, just things like the occasional incorrect Post Communion Prayer is given on certain feasts, for example, and of course we find the inevitable typos here and there (which seems a ubiquitous aspect of daily missals).
Below is a sample page of the brief biographies of the Saints in the Sanctoral Cycle found in The New Roman Missal, and visual thickness comparisons of these two daily missals.
The explanations of the Sundays of the year, and brief biographical sketches of the saints throughout the year, are to be found in their respective sections towards the end of the missal, completely separate from the Propers for these feasts. There's also a small section of "Descriptions of Symbolic Representations" as well as the customary collection of common Catholic prayers, including those specifically for before and after receiving Holy Communion; and some other interesting Catholic information to do with the Mass and Sacred Liturgy is included. Overall, this is an excellent choice for a daily missal and I highly recommend it! The slightly flexible/soft cover and gilt-edged pages are a bonus, insofar as aesthetics and tactile experience.
The Saint Andrew Daily Missal: Rather than repeat what April Coburn has already done for us, I will simply refer you to her comprehensive Book Review here.
The main benefit of this missal is that the short biography for most saint's feastdays, as well as a substantial explanation for the Sundays of the year can be found in the same place where their corresponding Propers are included (this is very convenient in the practical order when assisting at Mass!). This is a slightly more compact book than the Roman Missal - which makes it a better choice for travel and portability (refer to size comparison photos above and below). This relatively compact nature without any loss of content is possibly because the format involves a lack of repeating portions of the Propers; rather, a referral to what page a given prayer can be found, is inserted on the feastday instead of it being repeated in full every time it occurs in the liturgy.
The main errata worth noting is that in the explanation preceding the Proper of St. Teresa of Avila, it states that St Teresa is a Doctor of the Church. I don't know why this substantial error is in this reprint of this missal; I contacted the publisher to request this be corrected but unfortunately no reply was forthcoming. So the actual 1940s version says: "Popes Gregory XV and Urban VII considered her writings to be of equal value of those of a Doctor of the Church."
Whereas, this reprint of this, erroneously, says: "... that her works earned for her from Popes Gregory XV and Urban VII the august title of Doctor of the Church, which has been given to no other woman." This is a post-Vatican II novelty and thus should be disregarded. I have heard there is an additional similar error somewhere in this missal but I am yet to find it. Despite these minor errors, this is an excellent missal and I highly recommend it! It is very easy to use overall and has an abundance of information regarding the Liturgical Year and the Liturgy in general.
Below are some sample pages of The Saint Andrew Daily Missal as well as another visual thickness comparison with The New Roman Missal.
Our household has several copies of both of these missals and some of us have used both at different periods of time, others have only used The Saint Andrew Daily Missal and have never chosen to venture into the Fr. Lasance The New Roman Missal.
Durable cloth, handmade missal covers with extra ribbons, to fit either of the above daily missals, will soon once again be available in our TR store - and are currently available on backorder.
Prayer Books
There are so many great prayer books, so where do we start? I decided to break down the options into age brackets and purposes, as follows:
For Children and Teens
Grade School/Pre-Teens recommendations: "Jesus Make Me Worthy," "My God and My All: A Prayer Book for Children," "Jesus Live in Me" - These are all good but for use during Mass, I recommend "Jesus Make Me Worthy" for around First Holy Communion through to pre-teens mostly because of the durable, higher-quality printing and cover for a similar cost. Whereas, other two paperback prayer books are ideal for everyday use in the home with the Fr. Lasance option being significantly more exhaustive.
Teens and Young Adults: Fr Lasance's "The Catholic Girl's Guide" and "The Young Man's Guide" - Before describing these, I will rhetorically ask, "Where would we be now without Fr. Lasance?" Thanks to his prolific work last century, we now enjoy liberal access to a variety of truly excellent prayer books, including "The New Roman Missal," filled with wonderful collections of Catholic prayers! Hence, we should remain grateful to this priest who dedicated a lot of his time to compiling so many of these for we laity to benefit from.
As for these girls' and boys' guides: These are both excellent and I highly recommend them! I particularly like how Fr. Lasance drives home in "The Catholic Girl's Guide" the true horror of mixed marriages, thus effectively scaring off teen girls from even considering dating non-Catholic men. Kudos to Fr. Lasance for pre-empting and doing his part in trying to avoid such a scourge. In addition to wise counsels and explanations, these contain many useful Catholic prayers and devotions. I think anyone with teen children should invest in these books and encourage their regular use.
Mothers
"Mother Love: A Manual for Christian Mothers" is the only option our TR store currently sells specifically for mothers. This is not because I don't also really like "The Christian Mother: The Education of Her Children and Her Prayer" and the companion manual: "The Christian Father: What He Should be and What He Should Do" but because I think this is equally as good a manual insofar as content, but has much more, and I much prefer the binding, particularly the high-quality leatherette cover, gilt-edged pages, ribbon bookmarks and compact size. Such a beautiful book!
Below is a sample page of "Mother Love"
I don't think any mother who has a Daily Missal and one of the other supplementary prayers books (which are reviewed below) particularly needs an additional prayer book specifically for motherhood. However, especially for young mothers just starting off or those in the thick of their childbearing experience, if you're looking for something to complement your daily missal as well as to use at home, then "Mother Love" is a great resource for your current stage in life.
What a lovely gift for a first-time mother-to-be!
Often overlooked, we must give due attention to, "The Christian Father: What He Should be and What He Should Do." Similar to "Mother Love" this is a great option for fathers who would benefit from guidance, advice and prayers specific to their vocation as a Catholic father. It even has advice and prayers for men for before becoming fathers, or even having married (i.e. for the engagement stage), as well as much more for afterwards. Therefore, this makes a thoughtful engagement present alongside "Mother Love" - or if you missed that boat, these would be meaningful wedding gifts!
Adults in General
"Blessed be God" - This is the title that has been mentioned quite a few times on the Bp. Sanborn livestreams with Stephen Heiner as an example of a useful and recommended prayer book to use when assisting at Mass. Out of the various options that fulfill Bp. Sanborn's recommendation, this is probably the most light-on collection of prayers. I think it seems most suited to either teens, or adults who only attend Mass very occasionally and won't use a very wide range of prayers from which to choose to pray before and after Confession and Communion, but are content with just a few very good options and aren't concerned about variety. And being a compact size, it's a good choice for frequent travellers or those who like to travel light when going to and from Mass.
"A Manual of Prayers for the Use of the Catholic Laity" - This is my favourite prayer book to utilise when assisting at Mass, and it's a superior example of the sort of prayer book that Bp. Sanborn recommends that the laity use during Mass. It comes in a beautiful and durable Deluxe Leatherette cover and boasts 796 pages of Catholic prayers and devotions! It has an extensive collection of excellent prayers to select from for before and after Confession and Communion, as well as appropriate devotions relevant to all the parts of Holy Mass. I really like the Prayer for the Priest for after Confession, too. I really love this book! It never gets old.
Fr Lasance "My Prayer Book" - This has the same benefits as the manual recommended above but it's not a leatherette cover, so being paperback it won't handle as much wear and tear in the long run if used very frequently, such as by daily Mass attendees. What lies in its favour in comparison is its very compact size, so it's great for travel. There has been a compact, leatherette version available in the past, but this recently has been out of print, unfortunately. If it ever comes back into print, we will restock it in the True Restoration store. Of course, the higher-quality binding comes at a higher price.
Best Budget Option: For now, this paperback version of "My Prayer Book" compiled by Fr. Lasance wins out as the best budget option for a supplementary prayer book to use when assisting at Mass, and for general home use, because the content is very extensive, yet the price and size are small.
Best Option Overall: However, for those who want to invest in something a lot more durable and can afford it, and if you want the crème de la crème, second-to-none and all-in-one collection of prayers, I heartily recommend "A Manual of Prayers for the Use of the Catholic Laity." And for households that have more than one person in need of such a prayer book - and can afford to invest in the latter deluxe option - why not get one of each of these two options, so you can switch around from time to time between both? I'm sure you will fall in love with at least one of them (if not both).
Specialty Devotions
It's worth listing the other prayer books that we currently offer in our store because these have their place for many of us, so please consider some of these depending on your personal interests.
- "The Raccolta" - The official collection of Indulgenced Prayers - In my opinion, every Catholic home should have a copy of the Raccolta. What a great engagement or wedding gift! This is available in both hardback and paperback to cater to different budgets, needs and preferences.
- "Flowers from the Garden of the Precious Blood"
- "Mary Help of Christians: And the Fourteen Saints Invoked as the Holy Helpers" - Huge collection of wonderful devotions!
- "The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary"
- "The Thirty Days' Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary" - Short, sweet, compact, portable!
- "St. Anthony Prayer Leaflet" - Budget option for children and adults alike to foster devotion to this beloved saint.
Handmade missal covers will be available very soon through our online store for both The New Roman Missal and The Saint Andrew Daily Missal.
