Six Ways to Pray from Six Great Saints

by Gloria Hutchinson

A vibrant prayer life is essential to every Christian, but how can we keep our prayers meaningful and our spirituality growing? Gloria Hutchinson takes you on a tour of the prayer styles of some of our greatest saints—Francis and Clare of Assisi, John of the Cross, Teresa of Avila, Thérèse of Lisieux, and Ignatius of Loyola. These different prayer styles from the Catholic tradition offer you new ways to energize your prayer life and show you how to pray every day and in every circumstance.

Genres: Catholic, Prayer

171 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 1982

Reviews

[Jana · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's not you, it's me. I wanted to like you...what an intriguing title you had. But sometimes, it happens. And I have to admit that you were not "the one."

[Siv · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this on vacation at the cathedral in Santa Fe, NM, and read it slowly over several weeks. I'm Protestant, not Catholic, but always ready to learn from others' wisdom. I appreciated the author's emphasis not just on learning about prayer but on also practicing prayer in different styles. This book will continue to be a prayer resource for some time.

[Glenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes my experience of learning of a book and acquiring a copy influence my reading and understanding the text. I was rereading Richard J. Foster’s “Prayer” (published 1992) when I noticed a footnote citing Gloria Hutchinson’s “Six Ways to Pray…”. I acquired a copy from abebooks.com and read it over the past four weeks. My copy of “Six Ways to Pray…” is copyrighted 2015 and does not acknowledge the original publication date which I believe is 1982. The notes include a citation to the Richard J. Foster book. Most of the Notes and Bibliography in this edition of “Six Ways to Pray …” are dated later than 1982. I would be interested to learn of the evolution of this book and its author.

About the content of the book, I liked the beginner-friendly, but not condescending style. The material was fresh for me because I am not familiar with Catholic religious orders and the lives of even the most famous saints. I liked the questions to the reader which are phrased to encourage (e.g., “How can I prepare …”) and not intimidate.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everyone always tells you that you need to pray, but they never tell you how to pray! This book helped me understand that there are many different ways to pray: from meditating on the rosary or liturgy of the hours, to sitting on a boat, fishing and appreciating the beauty around me.