History of prayer cards
The images on cards are inspired by striking paintings of Jesus Christ. These cards first appeared in the early part of the 15th century. At that time, woodcut prints were a custom way for people of the time to remember Jesus Christ, His Blessed Mother Mary or a patron saint. Many people revered Jesus Christ, His Blessed Mother Mary and the saints as they do today. Therefore, having these woodcut prints -- the forerunner of cards -- were very popular.
The next iteration of these cards were black ink portraits that were etched on parchment. People adorned these woodcut prints with a lace around the edge of the card. Many people believe that the Valentine's Day cards of today were inspired by these decorative cards.
When the lithograph was invented in 1796, these cards were mass-produced starting in Switzerland. The Benzinger brothers started the first holy card printing business. When, chromalithography was invented, these cards were printed in color. In the 19th century, many companies sprouted up that started printing these cards en masse. Many of the decorative touches that were found on these cards were inspired by the art from that century.
Many of these cards feature images of Jesus Christ, His Blessed Mother Mary, and saints. Additionally, these cards feature accessories that these revered religious figures used. For example, the holy card of Saint Veronica features the holy napkin that she used to wipe the Holy Face of Jesus Christ as He was traveling on to Calvary. These accessories tell the story of the same as the holy napkin does of Saint Veronica. The holy card of St. John the Baptist features him as he the baptizes Lord Jesus Christ in the Jordan. These images tell the story of the revered religious figure on the holy card.
Common uses of cards
Today's cards have many different uses. Many people hand them out at special occasions such as the sacraments of baptism and communion, and weddings. Moreover, cards are distributed during funerals. These cards that are distributed during special events usually have a prayer that corresponds to the event on the back of the card. For example, many wedding cards have the Cana wedding prayer on the back of the card. This prayer is often recited by newlywed couples to help them start their new marriage off on the right foot.
The history of these cards reveal their practical beginning in the life of the Catholic Church. So significant are these cards that a coffee table book has been written about them. Today's cards are not carved out of wood, of course. Rather, they are laminated and are small enough to fit in the wallet. These cards help the faithful keep in close touch with the tenants of the Catholic Church. We have covered most of the important information in this article, for further information, check out this website.