IV. They are the work of an apostolic man whose special mission it evidently was, by means of his preaching, his writing, and the Institute which he founded, to inculcate in souls the importance, necessity, and efficacy of prayer for obtaining eternal salvation. So much so that those who have gone through his works, specially the one entitled The Great Means of Salvation, have unanimously proclaimed him the Apostle and Doctor of Prayer.
V. To all these recommendations may be added that of the experience that has been made of their utility among the faithful, who for the last century have eagerly sought after these pious formulas, and taken delight in the delicious and life-giving manna therein contained.
VIII.
Our own share in the present work has been that of compiling. We have collected the most beautiful of those prayers of St. Alphonsus which are scattered through the numerous volumes of his Ascetic and Dogmatic Works, and we have arranged them in methodical order so as to make them useful to all. Many persons had expressed a hope that such a compilation would some day be issued, and we now offer it to them in a convenient form, and hope it may meet their wishes. A glance at the Table of Contents will show that we have essayed to form a complete manual. All the indulgences mentioned may be gained by all the faithful in general, unless the contrary be expressly stated, and they are all to be found in " The Raccolta," published by order of His Holiness Pope Pius IX. [1]
- ↑ When an asterisk (*) is placed before any prayer, it indicates that that particular prayer has not been taken from the writings of St. Alphonsus.
