three kinds: oil of the sick, used in the sacrament of
Extreme Unction; oil of the Catechumens, used in blessing baptismal
water and in the sacrament of Baptism; and Holy Chrism, used in the
preparation of baptismal water in the ceremonies of Baptism,
Confirmation, and at the consecration of a bishop, of churches, altars,
bells and chalices. The olive oil used should remind us of Our Saviour's
_passion_ in the Garden of Olives.

_Agnus Deis_ (blessed by the Pope), _scapulars_, and _medals_ are small
articles worn by Catholics to remind them of Our Lord (the Lamb of God),
of the Blessed Virgin, and of the saints. They are emblems of the
Christian, as the starry banner is the emblem of the American; and as
the flag of our country shows that we are under the protection of the
Government of the United States, so the Agnus Dei, scapulars, and medals
show that we are under the protection of Jesus Christ, His Blessed
Mother, and His saints.

_Prayer_ is the elevation of our mind and heart to God to ask Him for
all blessings, temporal and spiritual. Prayer is necessary to salvation.
We are taught in St. Luke (xviii.) to pray always and faint not. We
should pray with attention and devotion, with confidence and humility.
We are told in the Lord's Prayer to pray for others as well as for
ourselves, and God's choicest blessings will be granted us through Jesus
Christ Our Lord. The best of all prayers is the one God taught us--the
Lord's Prayer. Other prayers common in the Church are Litanies,
Rosaries, the Angelus, Stations, and the Funeral Service for the dead.
The Litanies most in use in the Church are the Litany of All Saints, of
the Blessed Virgin, of the Holy Name of Jesus. In these Litanies we ask
God to have mercy on us and the saints to pray for us; but we ask
everything through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Few practices of the Church
are more widespread than the _Rosary_ of the Blessed Virgin. It consists
of the best of all prayers--the Apostles' Creed, the Our Father, three
Hail Marys, and the Glory be to the Father; then the Our Father and ten
Hail Marys repeated five times. This constitutes the beads, or one-third
part of the Rosary. During the recitation of these prayers the mind
should be occupied meditating on the principal mysteries of the life of
Our Lord. These mysteries are divided into the five joyful mysteries:
the Annunciation by the angel Gabriel, the Visitation of the Blessed
Virgin to St. Elizabeth, the Birth of