The Power of Prayer by Kevin and Mary O’Neill

Prayer is one of the simplest and yet most complex aspects of our faith. While prayer is at its simplest a conversation with God, there are many different ways we can pray and often many ways we struggle with prayer. Because prayer is mostly an internal activity, it can be hard to model this for our children. In their latest Building Blocks of Faith book, Kevin and Mary O’Neill dive into all this and more, using Lego to teach children everything they need to know about prayer.

I received this book courtesy of the publisher; all opinions expressed remain my own. This post contains affiliate links; as an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. 

The Power of Prayer overview

The Power of Prayer is structured as a conversation between Cynthia (a new Catholic) and Fulton (who answers her questions). On the first page, Cynthia talks about going to Mass, reading her Bible and the Catechism, and wanting to “grow deeper in prayer.” She asks, “What exactly is prayer?” Fulton answers, “Prayer is to humbly turn to our loving Creator to receive grace so we can know, love and serve him.”

Through the rest of the book, Fulton continues to unpack this idea of turning towards God, receiving grace, and knowing, loving and serving God. The story is interspersed with “pop quizzes” that give kids a chance to think about what they’ve read so far. (If you’re reading this with your child, this is a great time for discussion and more questions!) There are also some beautiful, full-page illustrations of particular saints as Lego figurines, including Mary, Mother Teresa, and St. Faustina.

The Power of Prayer is divided into five sections:

1. Prayers and Devotions Explained (e.g., grace, indulgences, sacramentals, intercessory prayer)
2. Traditional Daily Prayers (e.g., morning offerings, the Angelus, the Rosary, Act of Contrition)
3. Liturgical Prayers (including Mass, adoration, and the Liturgy of the Hours)
4. Calendar Themes and Seasonal Prayers (the liturgical season of the Church)
5. Additional Powerful Rosaries, Litanies, Prayers and Devotions

My thoughts on this book

I joined the Catholic Church as a young adult, with a deep desire to learn all the prayers and do all the things. My kids? Not so much. They’ve grown up in the Church and while my older kids are finding their own way of living their faith, my younger kids still find Mass tedious and many faith concepts confusing. I love the way Kevin and Mary O’Neill use Lego block to help draw children into a conversation about prayer and all its facets.

The text of this book is actually fairly heavy. There were times, when I was reading it aloud to my 8-year-old, that I wondered if he was really listening or understanding. Then we’d hit a pop quiz and he’d answer the question quickly, and want to read the next chapter. Sometimes he commented on various Lego scenes and sometimes the quiz or other parts of the book spurred deeper conversations.

The Power of Prayer has been a fantastic addition to his First Communion preparation this year. The section on the Mass dove deep into the prayers that we say each Sunday in church, helping him to better understand how to prepare to receive Jesus.

My girls (ages 13 and 10) were less interested in the book. Jade said it was boring and Pearl preferred to read it with me than on her own. Given the fun photos illustrating the text, I wish that the text itself were a bit more accessible for kids. The Lego illustrations will definitely draw children in, but the text seems written more for an adult audience than for kids.

The Power of Prayer is available from Sophia, Amazon, or your favourite Catholic bookstore. If your kids like this book, they’ll also enjoy The Holy Mass On Earth as it is in Heaven.

To enter to win a copy of The Power of Prayer for your family, hop over to my Instagram!