Recently, a friend sent us his only copy of The Armor of God, a sixty-year-old, pocket-sized prayer book, its scuffed leather cover worn from hard use in rough circumstances.
Written for soldiers by Msgr. Fulton Sheen in the darkest moments of World War II, this small prayer book has been proven in combat and hallowed by the suffering, prayers, and sacrifices of thousands of Catholic fighting men and women on ships, submarines, and aircraft, in fortresses and foxholes, and even in hellish prisoner of war camps across Europe and the Pacific.
Peacetime led those soldiers and sailors to put aside this powerful wartime prayer book as they entered a world rendered more secure because of their sacrifices.
New enemies have shattered the security those good soldiers won sixty years ago. Terrorism now takes as its battlefield our homes, our schools, and our workplaces, threatening even those of us who are not in the military.
Duct tape may protect us from chemical and biological weapons, but it surely won't protect us from the corrosive, soul-destroying impact of fear, anger, uncertainty, and despair, which daily life on this battlefield is causing already.
Now is the time to draft The Armor of God back into God's service.
We have published it as Fulton Sheen's Wartime Prayer Book, in a pocket-sized leatherette edition similar to the original that you can carry with you in your car or on the subway, and that soldiers can carry in their uniforms as they face the enemy.
Gratitude from Chaplains in the Field
“I gave my last Wartime Prayer Book to an airman on the way to Iraq this week. I try to keep a couple with me even when traveling, as I frequently encounter Armed Forces members in airports who have a need to talk to a priest. Having these to put in their hands has been a blessing.”
Fr. A.
“Your sending those Bishop Sheen books in Fallujah was a Godsend. Support from our fellow Catholics on the home front speaks volumes to us here! Since being here, I've had 3 Sailors and Marines approach me wanting to become Catholics.
Fr. John
“The Wartime Prayer Books reached me in time. I took with a bag of them to New Orleans and shared them with troops from the Maryland Guard and the Arkansas Guard. These latter will be going from New Orleans to Iraq. These men and women were extremely grateful, and, when I ran across various troops a day or two later, all had the Prayer Book with them. Archbishop Sheen clearly is continuing his work. God bless you all for helping him to do so.”
Fr. Charles
Read an excerpt.
