This encyclopedia has more than 4200 entries, 280 contributors, leading experts on all aspects of Catholicism. Tables of the liturgical calendar, eccumenical councils and all the Popes. Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.

"Covers the key people, movements, institutions, practices, and doctrines of Roman Catholicism from its earliest origins."--Résumé de l'éditeur.

others.In addition to the hundreds of new signed articles on a wide variety of topics, this new edition also features biographies of contemporary religious figures; thousands of photographs, maps and illustrations; and updated bibliographical citations. The 15th volume is a cumulative index to the entire encyclopedia.

New converts and cradle Catholics alike are often perplexed by the myriad of devotions, traditions, practices, and beliefs that the Catholic Church has accumulated over the past twenty centuries. Why pray to St. Anthony to find something lost? Why keep a St. Christopher medal in your car? Or why bury a statue of St. Joseph — upside down! — in your yard when selling your house? In Helen Hoffner’s lovingly-illustrated, encyclopedic Catholic Treasures and Traditions, you’ll find succinct – and sometimes amusing – answers to these and hundreds of other questions. This delightful book explains the origin and nature of most of the common traditions of the Catholic Faith, as well as the source and meaning of many of the quaint and obscure ones. From Forty Hours to First Fridays and from Holy Hours to Holy Days, you’ll find in these pages an informative, delightful compendium of the Catholic way of life, including information about: Novenas * Penance * Prayers for the Dead * First Fridays * Votive Candles * Religious Medals * St. Francis Statues * Bathtub Madonnas * Holy Cards * Crucifixes * House Blessings * Prayer Corners * Advent Calendars * Jesse Trees * Marian Apparitions * Vestments * Icons * Divine Mercy * The Sacred Heart * The Liturgical Year * Holy Days * Religious Orders * The Holy See * The Roman Curia * The Divine Office * Holy Oils * Genuflecting * Relics * Stations of the Cross * The Sacraments * The Angelus * Litanies * Patron Saints and much more to acquaint you with the many wonderful treasures and traditions of the Catholic Faith!

Contains over three thousand alphabetically arranged entries that provide information about Catholicism, covering beliefs and teachings, history, sacramental and prayer life, and practical aspects of the faith.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Our Sunday Visitor's Encyclopedia of Catholic Devotions and Practices is fascinating reading, spiritual nourishment, and historical data in a one-of-a-kind reference tool. Not only are universal devotions and worldwide practices examined and explained, but so are ethnic and regional customs and traditions. (Hispanic, Filipino, Vietnamese, Russian, Irish, Italian, and more!) This is the source that tells you: the origin of practice or devotion; how it developed over centuries; and how it's observed today.