Oklahoma City Publishes “Essential Prayers for Children”

This spring, knights, dames, candidates, and volunteers of the Oklahoma City Region delivered copies of “Essential Prayers for Children” to every third-grade student in Catholic schools across the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and the Diocese of Tulsa.

The book is a new publication by the Oklahoma City Region that contains 44 Catholic prayers that every child should know, accompanied by age-appropriate illustrations in the style of iconography, preparing them to encounter sacred art later in life.

For Oklahoma City Hospitaller Peter de Keratry, this project was the culmination of a dream that began as a part of the Australian Association a decade ago. It wasn't until 2021 that he connected with then-candidate Jason Zimdars, KM, a designer and illustrator in Oklahoma City, that the project began in earnest, ultimately being published in late 2023. As Mr. de Keratry wrote in the introduction:

“Parents, we know we need to teach our children to speak, to read, to ride a bike, or drive a car. As we strive to help our children become saints, we also need to teach children how to pray. We hope this book, Essential Prayers for Children, is a tool for you to use to pray with your children. May God bless your family."

The book was a truly collaborative effort, with Mr. de Keratry providing the original manuscript, careful editing from the Carmelite Sisters of Oklahoma City, Imprimatur by Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, nihil obstat by the Very Reverend Richard Stansberry, chaplain of the Oklahoma City Region, illustration and layout by Jason Zimdars, and printing by the folks at TAN Publishing. Funding was provided by members and friends of the region.

Members of the region travelled to every Catholic elementary school across the state of Oklahoma to visit third-grade classrooms. The students learned about the Order, the importance of prayer, and then prayed from the book as a class. Each student was given a copy of the book to take home and share with their family.

The book has been very well received, with Mr. Zimdars noting, "We've already received several inquiries from principals who are eager to get copies of Essential Prayers for Children into the hands of incoming third-graders this fall. A fall distribution will mean that teachers have this resource available to use in the classroom for the entire school year."

Mr. de Keratry added, "As members of the Order of Malta we are tasked with defending the faith (Tuitio Fidei), and there may be no better way to ensure the survival of the Catholic faith than teaching it to the next generation. We're excited to provide this tool to help teachers and parents teach their kids to pray in Oklahoma and beyond."

Several hospitaller regions of the Federal Association have already received shipments of the book to distribute in their areas. For more information and to purchase copies for your region, please contact Peter de Keratry, hospitaller of the Oklahoma City Region, follow Order of Malta – Oklahoma City on Facebook, or e-mail smomokc@gmail.com