Celebration offers practical suggestions for all assembly members: presiders, readers, servers, pastoral musicians, communion ministers, community leaders, ushers and peacemakers.

These latest editions of a classic leader's guide for Liturgy of the Word with children are completely revised and updated, containing many new ideas, imaginative activities and liturgy outlines.

Gather the Children offers assistance for adults who proclaim God's word to children from pre-school through grade six, with activities ranging from story-telling and singing to gesture, drama, group readings and art projects. It also introduces classic prayers, traditional devotions and customs, providing questions for reflection, biblical commentary and historical background to deepen the mature student's ù and the leader's ù understanding of the readings and the liturgy.

Based on solid scholarship, Gather the Children is also an invaluable resource for liturgy planners, presiders, RCIA teams, parents, teachers, religious educators, and anyone striving to develop a life of prayer nourished by the liturgy.

Encounter Christ in vulnerability
Christ offers us himself in the liturgy. Unfortunately, we often don't allow ourselves to fully accept this gift. We distance ourselves from the love of Christ by keeping our storms—our fears and sins, our sorrows and disappointments—hidden from God. To get past our resistance to spiritual intimacy, this book encourages us to encounter Christ in our vulnerability, exploring places that we fear or are embarrassed about.

Liturgical Contemplative Practice
In the Midst of Our Storms presents a eucharistic spirituality that integrates every part of our lives. The method author Roc O'Connor, SJ, calls Liturgical Contemplative Practice aids worshipers in becoming consciously present to the Real Presence.

Learn to be present
Through this method, believers discover how word, gesture and symbol guide them to encounter the risen Christ and to journey to where the liturgy calls them. By bringing their resistances and vulnerabilities into their relationship with God, they become present not only to Christ but to those they are here to serve.

Encounter Christ in worship and prayer
A fairly quick read at just over 100 pages, Father O'Connor's book is well worth the time and money. You'll find yourself coming back to its pages time and again for insights and reminders on how to remain open and to more fully, actively and consciously encounter Christ in worship and prayer.

The forgotten and untold story of the Folk Mass

Keep the Fire Burning is the forgotten and untold story of the Folk Mass. The influence of this movement is still felt today in the Catholic liturgical industry and in contemporary Christian music.

Examines the Folk Mass in Church history

This fascinating book examines the place of the Folk Mass in Church history. Was it a well-intentioned but failed attempt at updating worship? Or was it a genuine movement of the people?

Includes stories from great composers

This highly readable book is filled with stories and reflections by such Folk Mass composers as Ray Repp ("Allelu"), Jack Miffleton ("Alle, Alle"), Sister Miriam Therese Winter ("Joy Is Like the Rain"), Carey Landry ("The Spirit Is a-Movin'"), Sebastian Temple ("Prayer of St. Francis") and many others.

A colorful era in the Catholic Church

Keep the Fire Burning is both a detailed overview of the influences that led to the Folk Mass and a fond remembrance of a colorful era in the Catholic Church. A wonderful read, this book should be part of any Catholic library.

In 1998, FDLC commissioned Rev. Mark R. Francis, CSV, to write a guideline for preparing multicultural liturgies. Revisiting this topic, Father Francis and Brother Rufino Zaragoza, OFM, outline the principles inherent in truly multicultural liturgies.

Ideal for liturgists, music directors and all who those looking to unite their culturally diverse assembly, this bilingual English-Spanish guide offers a detailed presentation of the varied ways in which the liturgy communicates—through words, gesture, movement, art and environment.

ISBN 978-1-937362-04-1 [52 pp, 8.25 x 11, softcover]

This softcover book by Mark Friedman and Janet Vogt features a comprehensive guide to help teachers, catechists and music directors.

Magnificent, lucid, meticulously crafted verse
Introducing the first book of poems by Benedictine Sister Genevieve Glen. A popular hymn text writer with three collections to her credit, she also writes verse not intended for singing -- magnificent, lucid, meticulously crafted verse. Featuring 35 poems, On Threads of Hope is an impressive new resource for personal prayer, meditation and devotional reading.

Arranged according to the seasons of the liturgical year
Arranged according to the seasons of the liturgical year, the book includes sections for Christmas, Holy Week, Corpus Christi and Mary, closing with Poems for All Seasons. Readers curious about her many scriptural allusions will turn often to the biblical references and notes, a two-page section in the back.

Most poems have a regular rhyme scheme, meter and form
Though most poems have a regular rhyme scheme, meter and form, similar to her hymn texts, some move more spontaneously, with no rhyme and slightly irregular rhythms and forms. The collection includes one prose poem.

The shortest work has concentrated power in its compact form
"Hungry," inspired by 2 Corinthians 5:4, confirms the flesh's infinite appetite: "A sober moment, stark, disturbs the haze: / no feast has filled the hungry tiger yet,/nor ever will." The shortest work, "Light of the World," has concentrated power in its compact form: "Light shall ignite/the tindered earth with flesh-born/Spark."

Vivid, tactile, colorful images from nature
Like her hymns, these poems include vivid, tactile, colorful images from nature. As one reviewer said of The Listening Heart, her third hymn collection, Sister Genevieve describes features of the natural world with a geologist's precision.

Extensive section of poems for Holy Week
The extensive section of poems for Holy Week includes "Pietà," "The Vigil of the Eleven" and "The Vigil of the Myrrh-Bearing Women," three longer works that make effective Passiontide meditations. An homage to Our Lady of Sorrows, "Pietà" bids us recall and receive Mary's motherly intercession: "And so, remembering, she tends/the wounded flesh of all the human race."

Breathtaking title poem: "Walking on Water"
Her title poem, "Walking on Water," inspired by Matthew 14:28-31, closes with this breathtaking stanza: "My fingers ache for rough-hewn wood,/my ears for creak of anchor rope/but, see, I walk as if I could/cross wildest seas on threads of hope."

Words from a life saturated with Scripture
As she explains in the short introduction, these poems emerged from a life saturated with Scripture. A cloistered Benedictine nun, Sister Genevieve maintains a daily rhythm, with her community, of lectio divina and Liturgy of the Hours.

"The inward treasure house where the words of God are stored"
"These poems sprang," she explains, "often unbidden, from the inward treasure house where the words of God are stored, there to do their silent work unseen and weave themselves into unexpected patterns until they make their presence known in other words like these."

Some of the finest mystical poetry in the Church today
Much more than "other words," On Threads of Hope embodies some of the finest mystical poetry being written in the Church today. Reflecting a deep intimacy with God and Scripture, these hope-filled poems make inspiring reading any time of year.

An authoritative guide on multicultural ministries
Father Juan Sosa understands the challenges of ministering in a multicultural parish. A priest and composer in the Archdiocese of Miami, he's served immigrant communities in South Florida for many years. Inspired by first-hand experiences, his new book is an authoritative and encouraging guide for fellow priests, musicians and other pastoral ministers.

Addresses the role of liturgy, spirituality and popular piety
One Voice, Many Rhythms addresses the role of liturgy, spirituality and popular piety in culturally diverse Catholic assemblies. Drawn from his extensive work with parishes around the country, the reflections cover the future of liturgical texts in Spanish, the unifying power of music and the sacraments, and more.

"Accept one another as a 'communion of believers'"
"I am delighted to see this dialogue among the many cultures that shape the multicultural reality of this nation," he states in the conclusion. "The exploration of a true, authentic inculturation, however, cannot take place unless the local communities accept one another as a 'communion of believers.'" That communion is Father Sosa's ultimate goal.

Closes with a charming anecdote
The book closes with a charming anecdote. About ten years ago, he was assigned as a chaplain on a Caribbean cruise. After visiting a priest friend in Venezuela, at a port of call, he returned to the dock only to see the ship on the horizon, sailing away.

"Stranded, undocumented, at the mercy of others"
For two days, he was "stranded, undocumented, at the mercy of others, dependent upon [the] Church." The incident expanded his awareness of -- and compassion for -- those who face similar challenges on a daily basis in our country. From that moment on," he could not ignore anyone who knocks at the door.

Scholarly yet accessible, One Voice, Many Rhythms makes enlightening reading for all who serve and worship in multilingual parishes in the U.S.

In this brief manual on how to be better readers and hearers of God's word, the late Father Eugene Walsh delves into our various roles in the liturgy. In the foreword, he states simply, "This book is for all who read the word of God and all who proclaim the gospel in Sunday celebrations."

He reviews what Vatican II says about restoring God's word, talks about the power of the word we proclaim and explains the basics of how to proclaim it. He concludes by talking about what happens when Christians gather to celebrate the word, saying "Their whole life takes on the qualities of that word of God. They tell God's love story by how they worship, how they work, how they play, how they live." May it be so.

One of God's greatest gifts to us, his creation, was the gift of song. In words and music, our ancestors in faith -- Moses, David, Deborah, Paul, St. Gregory -- have taught us how to revel in God's infinite love, proclaim his glory, give thanks for his abounding generosity, and plead for mercy and forgiveness. Sing to the Lord: Music in Divine Worship recalls this vast, rich musical tradition as it provides basic guidelines for understanding the role and ministry of music in the liturgy.

Standing on the foundational work of the Council fathers, Sing to the Lord echoes the call to full, active, and conscious participation in the liturgy through its sung elements. It addresses the practical concerns of pastoral leaders -- appropriate ministers, cultural diversity, instrumentation, formation, acoustics, and copyrights. It also outlines considerations for preparing and judging music for worship with an in-depth review of the musical structure of Liturgy.

Use Sing to the Lord to:

• Evaluate your parish's current musical repertoire
• Better understand your role in sung worship
• Prepare particular sacramental liturgies
• Train parish music ministers

Lead your assembly in song
Featuring texts that reflect the new English translation of the Roman Missal, Third Edition, this beautifully bound book—published by the monks of the Abbaye Saint-Perre de Solesmes in France—presents English and Latin on facing pages for all of the chants of the Order of Mass. Plus, lead your assembly in song with complete dialogues and acclamations in which the people are called to participate.

Chant the Sprinkling Rite, the Lord's Prayer and more
Offering both solemn and simple tones in the Gregorian chant style, Singing the Mass also contains a shorter Kyriale with nine complete settings in Greek/Latin, chants in English and Latin for the Sprinkling Rite, as well as alternate settings of the Lord's Prayer—including well-known settings in the U.S. (Snow), U.K. (Rimsky-Korsakov) and Australia.

ISBN 978-2-85274-360-1 [279 pp, 5 1/2" x 8 3/8", hardcover]

The Rev. Dr. Paul Bradshaw is Professor of Liturgy and Director of Undergraduate Studies (in London) at the University of Notre Dame. Renowned as one of today's foremost liturgical scholars, he has had an enormous impact on the direction of current liturgical studies. In his honor, 17 scholars from around the world contributed essays to be gathered into this tribute volume.

Drawing from diverse traditions, the writings address a variety of themes, among them Christian initiation, Communion, Eucharist, liturgical theology, the liturgical year and ordination. Many of the authors are Dr. Bradshaw's former students, including the editors of this work. Contributors include John F. Baldovin, SJ; Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman; Sharon McMillan, SNDdeN; Ruth Meyers; Bryan D. Spinks; The Rt. Rev'd. Kenneth Stevenson; Robert F. Taft, SJ; Thomas J. Talley; Geoffrey Wainwright; and eight others.

The scholarship represented here makes an excellent foundation for a readings course focusing on the early history of the liturgy. It can likewise serve as a manual for understanding how liturgical studies are conducted today, at the beginning of the 21st century. In either case, they reflect Dr. Bradshaw's influence on the field of liturgical studies — and the great respect he has earned among liturgists around the world.

Studia Liturgica Diversa is the eighth book in the Studies in Church Music and Liturgy series from Pastoral Press.

ISBN 1-56929-047-4 [255 pp, 6 x 9, softcover]

Song suggestions, prayers, Scripture references and liturgical guidelines for preparing prayer services, liturgies and other celebrations with children.

This book first appeared as a resource for the 1981-1982 national study of the Mass, coordinated by the FDLC at the request of the Bishops' Committee on the Liturgy.

Newly revised in light of the publication of the Third Edition of the Roman Missal, this workbook guides the reader or study group through each part of the Mass in great detail by outlining the historical development, quoting in full the relevant official documents, providing theological reflection and presenting discussion questions. Written in clear non-technical language.

[152 pp, 8 1/2 x 11, softcover]

Bring the beauty of chant to your parish
The Parish Book of Chant, Second Edition was compiled with the parish experience in mind, combining the Mass, the people's music, tutorials and translations into a single volume. It contains a complete Order of Mass for both the Ordinary form of the Roman Rite and the Extraordinary form, serving as an ideal resource for parishes that use both forms or wish to emphasize the relationship between them. Each form is provided in side-by-side Latin and English.

Enjoy the basic chant repertoire
Encompassing all the basic chant repertoire, The Parish Book of Chant is a marvelous resource, essential for every scholar. This second edition provides expanded Kyriale, Sequences, litanies and Communion Propers as well as full chant hymn verses, ribbons, tutorials, and the fully updated Ordo to the Ordinary and Extraordinary forms of the Mass. All the music is set on four-line staffs with newly typeset neumes, easily accessible for musicians, and the Ordos include the sung responses of the people and celebrant.

Find chants for every occasion
The Parish Book of Chant, Second Edition includes 71 Latin chants, with English translations, that have inspired composers for ten centuries, and have been in the minds and hearts of Catholics for generations. Find music for occasional use in Mass during various seasons of the year, including Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter and Pentecost, as well as Marian hymns and chants for funerals and other occasions.

Learn the basics of singing chant
Equally suitable for beginners and more advanced singers alike, the book includes a 7-page tutorial on singing chant. Topics addressed include signs, melodies, style, rhythms and modes. Additional features include the order of service for Benediction, Gospel canticles, litanies and Alleluias for both forms and more!

Inspire personal prayer and faith groups
The Path toward Resurrection is ideal for personal prayer, small faith discussion groups and everywhere in between. This powerful resource carries the Stations of the Cross beyond the season of Lent, helping us walk in the footsteps of our Savior and faithfully bear our own crosses each day.

Turn a Lenten devotion into a year-round celebration
As a child, Mary Jo recalls, the Stations of the Cross always seemed to be a Lenten devotion that was soon forgotten until the following Lent. Through poignant points of reflection, her new book strives to make the Stations a source of inspiration for the entire Church Year.

Meditate with art from Brother Martin Erspamer, OSB
Each meditation is paired with a new piece of art from acclaimed liturgical artist Benedictine Brother Martin Erspamer. His fresh, reverent and prayerful illustrations combine organically with the author's reflections to provide an inspiring spiritual experience. Brother Martin's work has graced a number of OCP resources, highlighted in The Work of Our Hands.

Reflect on the power of the Stations of the Cross
Author of a major series of Catholic religious education textbooks and The Catholic Catechist's Companion, Mary Jo Tully is an expert and sought-after speaker in the area of catechetics. Reflect on Jesus' heartbreaking, yet uplifting journey with The Path toward Resurrection.

ISBN 978-1-56929-084-2 [62 pp, 8 x 8, softcover]

This handsome coffee-table book gathers 44 full-color plates covering a lifetime of liturgical art by Benedictine Br. Martin Erspamer. Presenting "art as an experience of the transcendent," it's a feast for the eyes -- and the soul.

"Look with your soul at the beauty it offers"
Benedictine Archabbot Justin DuVall makes that explicit in this invitation: "To all who will take up this volume: Look with your soul at the beauty it offers. It gives color and shape and texture to the hope 'that in all things God may be glorified.'"

A well-known liturgical artist
Now a member of St. Meinrad Archabbey in southern Indiana, Br. Martin (formerly Steve Erspamer, SM) is a well-known liturgical artist. From 2005 to 2007, his art graced the covers of 18 missals published by OCP, including Breaking Bread and Today's Missal. Thousands of parishes across the U.S. use his distinctive, black-and-white clip art in their Sunday bulletins.

Includes paintings, glass art, ceramics and furniture
The book includes sections for art (paintings), glass, ceramics, and furniture (altars, ambos, reliquaries and processional crosses). Section introductions address the advantages of each medium. His pictorial art includes drawings and paintings as well as woodcuts, linocuts and hand-cut amberlith film.

Art in the Benedictine tradition and the history of liturgical art
But The Work of Our Hands is more than an overview of Br. Martin's life and art. The extensive introduction, foreword, preface, section introductions and plate captions offer a fascinating commentary on art in the Benedictine tradition and the history and purpose of liturgical art.

Illuminating captions by the artist himself
The captions, written by Br. Martin himself, explain the inspiration behind and symbols within each work. Many of his figures were directly inspired by medieval and Gothic figures he witnessed first hand in European churches.

Luxuriously case-bound -- makes a great gift
Luxuriously case-bound and protected by a beautifully designed dust jacket, this book makes an excellent gift for artists, art students, as well as anyone with an interest in liturgical art and Benedictine spirituality.

Fittingly, the title speaks of "our hands" not "my hands." Br. Martin is part of a monastic community that works and prays together, that holds everything in common; he also stands on a tradition of liturgical art with two millennia of momentum behind it.

This is not the oeuvre of an isolated individual, but the effort of an extremely gifted artist working in communion with the Church -- and the Holy Spirit. Browsing this beautiful retrospective, you can't help but echo "the hymn of God's praises [that] rises from the works" featured in it.

Modeled after the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola, Dan's book challenges us to engage the gospel stories with both heart and mind through a simple, step-by-step process:

1. Preparation for prayer
2. Brief reflection
3. Questions designed to fully immerse the reader into the Scripture
4. Closing prayer
5. Sacred song suggestions for each exercise

Clear and concise, the book is designed for both those to whom the subject is new and those who require material for advanced studies. It begins with an explanation of the liturgies that plainchant was created to serve and moves on to describe all the chief genres of chant, differing types of liturgical book and plainchant notation.

After an exposition of early medieval writing on plainchant, a historical survey follows the constantly changing nature of the repertory from the earliest times to the restoration of medieval chant a century ago. This is an indispensable introduction to this increasingly popular music.

Includes 206 music examples, 18 plates with commentaries and transcriptions, and six maps. David Hiley is a professor at the Institut für Musikwissenschaft at the University of Regensburg in Germany.

ISBN 0-19-816572-2 [661 pp, 7 1/2 x 9 5/8, softcover]

"The changes in the translation of the new Roman Missal will occur. That is a given. But what is not given is how we will prepare priests, deacons and people for those changes. The preparation is critical for how the changes will be received"
—Most Reverend Arthur J. Serratelli; Bishop of Paterson, New Jersey; Chair of the USCCB Committee on Divine Worship

Develop catechesis to prepare your parish
Commissioned by the Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions (FDLC), this insightful collection of essays gives parish leaders—both clergy and lay ecclesial ministers—a grasp on what the changes are, why the changes are being made and how to prepare their community. Featuring contributions from respected liturgical experts, With One Voice is conveniently divided into four chapters—each dedicated to a specific theme.

Foster liturgical renewal
Most Reverend Gerald F. Kicanas suggests strategies for easing through this transition and working toward a richer celebration of the Liturgy. Providing a canonical perspective, Reverend John J.M. Foster discusses the roles and responsibilities of those most directly involved in the implementation of the Roman Missal. Very Reverend Mark Francis delves into the foundation of liturgical renewal: "active participation." Finally, Reverend Paul Turner breaks down the process of translating liturgical texts into vernacular languages.

Lead the faithful to a deeper relationship with God
Although some of the words and phrases we speak during liturgy are changing, the structure of the Mass remains the same. Engaging and accessible, With One Voice is a practical tool for successfully leading the faithful toward a fuller understanding of the new translation... and the opportunity it presents to deepen our personal and communal relationship with God.

ISBN 978-1-60137-119-5 [118 pp, 6 x 9, softcover]

Seek a deeper life of prayer
Inspired by his daily human experiences—the people he meets, the wonders of nature he encounters and the questions life presents to him—Bob Fabing, SJ offers a beautiful book of poetry to help Catholics seek a deeper life of prayer and reflect on the gifts received each day from God the Giver.

Rejoice in God's presence
The very nature of poetry is to create a shared emotional experience between the reader and author. Accessible and straightforward, each of the 76 poems found in With Roses for All invites us to heighten our sensitivity to the moments in which God reveals himself to us.

ISBN 978-0-9848581-0-1 [115 pp, 5 3/4" x 7 3/4", hardcover]