Start with the Antiochian Pocket Prayer Book. It’s small, inexpensive, and contains everything you need for daily prayer as an Orthodox Christian.
This little book (you’ll hear people call it “the little red prayer book” or sometimes “the little black one” depending on the cover) includes morning and evening prayers, prayers before and after communion, a guide for confession, and the text of the Divine Liturgy. Ancient Faith Publishing prints the current edition, and it fits in your pocket or purse. If you’re just starting out or you’ve been Orthodox for years, this is the book you’ll actually use.
What’s Actually In It
The Pocket Prayer Book gives you the Trisagion prayers, the Lord’s Prayer, prayers to the Trinity, and a sequence of morning prayers to start your day. Evening prayers too. There’s a section preparing you for communion, prayers of St. John Chrysostom, St. Basil, and others that help you approach the chalice with reverence and repentance. The confession guide walks you through an examination of conscience, which is helpful when you’re sitting in the narthex trying to remember what you need to tell your priest.
You’ll also find the Jesus Prayer in there: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” It’s the prayer you can say anywhere. Driving down I-10 to work. Waiting for the coffee to brew. Standing in line at Brookshire Brothers.
Prayer Book vs. Prayer Rule
Here’s something that confuses people at first. A prayer book is just the book itself, the collection of prayers. Your prayer rule is what you actually commit to praying each day. Think of the prayer book as a cookbook and your prayer rule as the meal plan.
When you become a catechumen or when you’re received into the Church, your priest will probably help you establish a prayer rule. Maybe it’s morning prayers from the book, the Jesus Prayer throughout the day, and evening prayers before bed. Maybe it’s simpler than that if you’re just beginning. Maybe it’s more if you’ve been Orthodox a while. The rule is personal and it’s meant to be sustainable, not crushing.
Don’t try to pray everything in the book every day. That’s not the point.
Starting Simple
If you’re inquiring or you’re a catechumen, you don’t need a library of prayer books yet. Get the Pocket Prayer Book and start with the morning prayers. Just those. Read them slowly. Some of the language will feel formal or old-fashioned, but you’ll grow into it. The prayers have been prayed by millions of Orthodox Christians for centuries, and there’s something steadying about that when you’re new and everything feels unfamiliar.
After a week or two, add the evening prayers. Then maybe start praying the prayers before communion on Saturday night before you receive on Sunday. Build slowly. Prayer is a discipline, but it’s a healing one, not a legal requirement you’re trying to meet to keep God happy.
Other Books Worth Knowing About
The Antiochian Archdiocese also publishes The Orthodox Companion and various service books, but those are more for clergy or for people who want the full text of services beyond the Liturgy. You don’t need them right away.
Some people love The Orthodox Study Bible for its prayers and helps, and it’s worth having anyway for the study notes. But for daily prayer, stick with something portable.
If you visit other Orthodox parishes, you might see different prayer books. The content is mostly the same, we’re all praying the same tradition, but the translations and arrangements vary a bit. That’s fine. The Antiochian edition works well for us here at St. Michael because it’s what most people in our archdiocese use, and it’s in clear, modern English.
A Word About Struggle
You’re going to miss days. You’ll forget. You’ll be too tired. You’ll get interrupted by a kid or a phone call or a shift change at the plant. That’s normal. Don’t quit because you can’t be perfect. Just pick up the prayer book the next day and start again.
The goal isn’t flawless performance. It’s showing up, standing before God, and letting the prayers shape you over time. Some mornings the prayers will feel rich and alive. Other mornings you’ll be saying the words on autopilot while your brain thinks about everything else. Both kinds of mornings count. You’re building a relationship, and relationships take time.
If you don’t have a prayer book yet, pick one up from the bookstore table at church or order one online from Ancient Faith. Then open it tomorrow morning and start. You’ll be praying alongside Orthodox Christians in Beaumont, in Beirut, in Moscow, in Alaska, all of us stumbling through the same ancient words, asking the same Lord for mercy.
