BY JESSICA GORDON
A KEEPSAKE BOOK
A spiritual bouquet is an arrangement of spiritual roses, namely a gift of prayers, sacrifices, and alms pledged in writing and offered to God for an individual. Typically, spiritual bouquets consist of prayers where the recipient receives not just the assurance of people’s charitable spiritual intercession, but also receives the gift of graces from God to carry on their spiritual mission on earth. During the spiritual milestones of the Catholic life, such as first holy Communion, we desire and pray for the abundance of God’s grace to visit, strengthen, and invigorate the soul who receives the sacrament.
This “Will You Pray for Me?” Spiritual Bouquet Keepsake Book is a beautiful way to remind family and friends to pray for the child’s soul. After the books have been created, the communicants can simply ask family and friends to write in their keepsake book, indicating the number and types of prayers they wish to offer, along with any additional messages they’d like to include. This craft can be easily modified for those being confirmed, as well!
MATERIALS NEEDED
✱ 6” x 8” blank book (these can be ordered from Rainbow Resource or Amazon)
✱ First holy Communion image
■ Find an appropriate image or coloring page to fit for the front of the book.
■ Add the words “Will you pray for me?” to the top of the page and “On the Occasion of My First Holy Communion” to the bottom.
■ Printable first Communion images (as seen above ) are available here: CATmag.us/2eCctdfl
✱ Glue Stick
✱ 9” x 12” self-adhesive laminating sheets
WITH THE CLASS
✱ Have students color the image (if applicable) and glue to the front cover of their 
book.
✱ Trim laminating sheet to 1/4” to 1/2” past each side of the book, cutting the two outside corners at an angle so that it can be wrapped around the edges to secure. (I was able to cut the 9” x 12” sheets in half, using one sheet for two books.)
✱ On the first inside page, have each student write their full name and the date of their first holy Communion. Under their name have them copy a quote or prayer. The following prayer is a beautiful option:
Corpus Dómini nostri Jesu Christi custódiat ánimam tuam in vitam æternam. Amen.
May the Body of Our Lord Jesus Christ preserve your soul unto life everlasting. Amen.
The end of the book can close with the following:
May God bless you for your prayers and sacrifices on behalf of [name of recipient].
LET US PRAY
Dear St. Thérèse, thou were always good and obedient and always did the will of God. Now you are a great saint in heaven with God. Your loving and tender heart rejoices to send down roses upon earth. O, give me the sweet flower of a great love for Jesus! Pray for me that I may have all the graces I need.
—LITTLE FLOWER, JESUS MAKE ME WORTHY
Jessica Gordon blogs at ShowerOfRoses.blogspot.com and CatholicCuisine.blogspot.com.
This article was originally published in Catechist magazine, January 2017.
Images courtesy of the author.
