Frequently Asked Questions

Is this site affiliated with any denomination?

While designed for traditional Lutheran worship, the resources draw from the broader catholic tradition and can benefit various Christian traditions. The site exists to bridge the treasures of the church catholic with Lutheran worship, offering digital tools that make ancient prayers and devotions accessible to traditional Lutheran believers.

What are the two prayer modes?

Our dual-mode approach presents these prayers in two forms to respect different theological convictions. Remembrance mode emphasizes thanksgiving and commemoration without direct invocation, keeping Christ as the sole mediator, using the biblical form of the Hail Mary, and maintaining confessional Lutheran integrity and comfort. Full Intercessory mode incorporates the traditional invocation of saints and Mary, the complete form of the Hail Mary with "pray for us," and other intercessory prayers that reflect the church's wider liturgical heritage. While the intercessory mode preserves historic devotional practice, it does not always align with Lutheran confessional teaching. For that reason, it is offered only as an optional resource, not as something binding on conscience. The remembrance mode, by contrast, seeks to remain fully consonant with Lutheran doctrine, providing a way to pray in continuity with the church's tradition while upholding the centrality of Christ as sole mediator.

Who created this website?

This website was created by a layman who is a member of a traditional Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) parish. With a strong love for the church's liturgy, history, and catholic heritage, the site reflects his conviction that Lutheran spirituality is most faithful when it draws deeply from the confessions and from the historic treasury of Christian prayer and devotion.

How does the site's creator view church structure and practice?

• On church order and oversight: Sees the historic episcopacy as the preferable and more faithful church structure of oversight compared to the current LCMS district model, which is often ineffective at correcting problems.
• On worship and practice: Believes that confessional Lutheran churches should use only the traditional Mass/Divine Service, with weekly communion; practice closed communion with proper guarding of the rail; retain private confession and absolution; follow the historic one-year lectionary; employ traditional hymnals; and observe the commemoration of saints—while rejecting contemporary worship as incompatible with true confessional Lutheran identity.
• On pastoral and congregational leadership: Confesses that only men may serve as pastors, elders, deacons, or council leadership with no role for deaconesses or women in positions of authority over men. Advocates that congregational voting should be carried out by male heads of households, and that public liturgical roles (lectors, acolytes, etc) should be reserved for males.

What inspired the creation of this site?

This project was born out of a desire to make available the traditional forms of historic Lutheran prayer—including the daily office and devotions of the early Lutherans—together with the broader heritage of Western and Eastern Christian traditions, in order to deepen connection with 'the faith once delivered to the saints' (Jude 3).

How does this site relate to the wider Christian tradition?

It highlights the rich continuity that traditional Lutheranism shares with the broader Western Church. Lutheran worship can be enriched not only by its inherited treasures from the catholic heritage of the West but also by the devotional patterns of the church catholic, all while maintaining confessional integrity.

Does everything here align with Lutheran doctrine?

Not all prayers, devotions, or materials presented here fully conform to the Lutheran Confessions. In particular, the intercessory mode is not intended to bind consciences or to imply full compatibility with historic Lutheran doctrine. These resources are offered for those who, with discernment, prayer, and pastoral guidance, may wish to draw from historic Lutheran forms in conversation with the wider traditions of the church.

What is the ultimate goal of this project?

The goal is always to encourage discernment, keep Christ at the center, and use the breadth of Christian tradition as a means of deepening devotion—while respecting the boundaries of Lutheran confession. Anyone with concerns is encouraged to bring these matters to prayer and to discuss them with their pastor before using intercessory mode.

Can I suggest new features?

Absolutely! We welcome feature requests and suggestions for improving the prayer resources. New features are actively being planned and developed based on user feedback.

Did the historic Lutheran Church confess the perpetual virginity of Mary (Semper Virgo)?

Historic Lutheranism affirmed Mary as 'Semper Virgo' (always Virgin), in continuity with the early Church catholic tradition. The Book of Concord speaks of Mary as 'pure Virgin' and explicitly confesses that she remained a virgin after the birth of Christ. Luther, Chemnitz, Gerhard, and other early Lutheran theologians confessed Semper Virgo as a Christological doctrine.