The liturgy of the Catholic Church is the action by which Jesus Christ unites the members of the Church in glorifying God. It makes people holy through words, music, action and signs. The Eucharist is intended to be the most powerful means of union with our God, with the saints in heaven and with each other, and is to be a foretaste of the praise of God given in joy by the saints in heaven. As we move through the whole of the year, the Church is united with the mysteries of Christ's earthly life so as to come closer to her Lord and Saviour. Monsignor Peter Elliott provides scholarship and many years' experience and love of the liturgy. His previous work Ceremonies of the Modern Roman Rite has helped many people to celebrate our liturgy with attention and devotion. This present work is a guide to the most important moments of the Church year from Advent and Christmas to Holy Week, Corpus Christi and to the Solemnity of Christ the King. His book has been a long-awaited guide to those who wish to celebrate the events of the Church year with dignity, devotion, and deep faith. "Monsignor Elliot is one of the most insightful and reliable liturgists writing today. The rubrics of the Roman Rite are not self-explaining, but with Elliot's work safely in reach, a generation of liturgists raised without a rich training in tradition can confidently approach the Ritual and be more respectful of the faithful's fundamental right to sound worship." -Dr. Edward Peters Institute for Pastoral Theology, Ave Maria University

In this definitive work, Thomas Talley draws on al the resources of historical scholarship to examine and unravel the complications brought to liturgical time by the blending of local traditions. Liturgical time, like al ecclesiastical structures, has interacted with other traditions since the early centuries. Yet Doctor Talley found that the gospel tradition and its liturgical employment shaped the period that comprises the liturgical year. His findings illustrate for the reader that every festival the Church celebrates - very Sunday - is centered primarily and finally in the Eucharist, which from the beginning and always proclaims the Lord's death until he comes.

At last, a complete ceremonial manual for the celebration of the Eucharist and the Liturgy of the Hours. Faithful to the renewal of worship authorized by the Second Vatican Council, Ceremonies combines precise guidance to these rites with a pastoral and spiritual approach. A high ideal of noble Catholic worship is consistently maintained, respecting the "continuity of our tradition". Ceremonies sets out the liturgical duties of bishops, priests and deacons, acolytes and servers, lectors and eucharistic ministers etc., hence it is invaluable for clergy and seminarians and all who teach or study the liturgy. Ceremonies includes a wide range of guidance on such useful themes as: vessels and vestments, how to carry out ceremonial actions, the deacon, ministering the Eucharist to the sick, children's liturgy, Eucharistic adoration, Eucharistic processions, celebrating vespers in a parish, eucharistic ministries and the laity, the location of the tabernacle, etc. However, Ceremonies is primarily a book to be used; a practical manual for clergy, MC's, sacristans, liturgical committees and all planning worship in parishes. "Ceremonies is a timely work. It corrects mistaken interpretations with precise guidance and reasoned arguments. It also provides rapid access to official sources." -Msgr. Peter Elliott

Ceremonies Explained for Servers may well be called the "mother of all servers' manuals". This is the most detailed guide available for servers and those who train and supervise them at the altar. In accessible language, Ceremonies covers the roles of servers in a wide range of Catholic liturgical celebrations. These are described in full, such as: the Mass in both the Ordinary and Extraordinary forms, the seven sacraments, the ceremonies of Holy Week, the Liturgy of the Hours, funeral rites, the liturgies that are celebrated by a bishop and major blessings. Ceremonies also provides accurate explanations for each of these rites, with Catholic teaching on the liturgy and sacraments and a history of the ministry of servers. The skills, techniques and discipline involved in serving are explained, such as: how a procession should move, how to assist with incense, team-work and responding in emergencies and unforeseen situations. A spirituality of this ministry runs through the manual, with an underlying theme of service and vocation. In an encouraging personal way, Ceremonies sets out high spiritual ideals that can inspire and guide those who enhance Catholic worship through their ministry.

From USCCB Publishing, this revision of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) seeks to promote more conscious, active, and full participation of the faithful in the mystery of the Eucharist. While the Missale Romanum contains the rite and prayers for Mass, the GIRM provides specific detail about each element of the Order of Mass as well as other information related to the Mass.

A tour through the dates, colors, and other traditions of the Church year. This third volume in the popular Morehouse series explains why we do what we do and when, and it does so in a user-friendly, thoroughly interesting way.