- Experiential activities for celebrating secular and sacred seasons of the year - Activities can be used in any setting: church, home, school

A comprehensive, quick reference for all Episcopalians, both lay and ordained. This thoroughly researched, highly readable resource contains more than 3,000 clearly entries about the history, structure, liturgy, and theology of the Episcopal Church—and the larger Christian church worldwide. The editors have also provided a helpful bibliography of key reference works and additional background materials. “This tool belongs on the shelf of just about anyone who cares for, works in or with, or even wonders about the Episcopal Church.”—The Episcopal New Yorker

The number of Catholic communities with no priest available to celebrate Sunday Eucharist has increased steadily over 60 years. For many, other forms of Sunday celebration are the statistical norm. This dramatic development coincides with Vatican II's insistence on liturgical catechesis: for the baptised the main source of their Christian spirit comes from active participation in the liturgy, especially the Sunday Eucharist. Celebrating the liturgy in all its symbolic fullness leads to inner participation in the mystery. A more profound appropriation of this living relationship with Christ comes about through well-celebrated rites and reflection on personal experience of the rites. Yet, liturgical catechesis is largely ignored or dismissed because it is not understood. Liturgical celebrations frequently lack the vitality capable of leading people into the depth of the sacred mysteries they celebrate. Sunday celebrations in the absence of a priest are no exception. This book presents a systematic treatment of the modern church's teaching on liturgical catechesis. It proposes ten general principles of liturgical catechesis. These principles are used to explore and criticize the "Directory for Sunday Celebrations in the Absence of a Priest" (1988), as well as the rituals prepared from the "Directory" by the USA, and Canada. Even when there can be no Sunday Mass in parishes, hospitals and nursing homes, navy ships and jails, liturgical prayer is to be a privileged place of evangelisation, catechesis, spirituality and discipleship in Christ.

In the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the encounter of the penitent with the mercy of God is one of the most transforming moments in the spiritual life of a Catholic. The ritual itself has changed throughout history, but the purpose of the sacrament has remained the same: to seek the forgiveness of the Lord and to renew one’s efforts to live as a faithful and loving disciple of Jesus Christ. This resource provides pastoral insights for celebrating individual confession, communal Reconciliation services, and non-sacramental penance services with attention given to liturgical ministries, liturgical environment, and evangelization.

Cardinal Arinze, the greatly esteemed African churchman and head of the Vatican congregation for worship and sacraments, elucidates the Church's faith in the Eucharist as the high point of her public worship and the source and summit of Christian life. In Celebrating the Holy Eucharist, Cardinal Arinze emphasizes that the priest is ordained, first and foremost, to celebrate the Sacrifice of the Mass and other liturgical rites. The priest "finds himself at the hightest moment of his vocation when 'in persona Christi' he celebrates the Eucharistic Sacrifice." The laity also finds in the Mass "the fount and apex of their entire Christian lives." The Eucharist gives "life, meaning and direction" to all of their works and actions. Cardinal Arinze shows how the Eucharistic celebration sends the lay faithful out into the world to spread the gospel, giving special mention to the role of the family in the work of evangelization. The Cardinal also discusses in this book the changes in the Mass and other liturgical rites that have taken place during the last forty years. The responsibilities of the diocesan Bishop, the celebrating priest, and the assisting assembly are examined in depth.

Like all of us I have been given a number of "gold coins" to invest by and for our Savior Jesus Christ. This manual on our faith and the current state of our Church is I pray a multiplication and proper use of the gifts loaned to me. "Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of working, but it is the same God who inspires them all in every one. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good." 1 Corinthians Chapter 12:4-8 I am compelled to write and compile this work for a variety of reasons. Foremost is the urgent need for an Orthodox, compelling, easy to read comprehensive source for all those who desire to teach and share our faith with our family and in our Church. It is an ideal Catechesis resource. Working part-time with a strong sense of dedication, it has taken about five years to complete this work. My mentor, Father John A. Hardon S.J. (Deceased: may he rest in peace.) was fond of reminding us that " we can't teach what we ourselves don't know or understand." If you wish to know a lot more about your Roman Catholic faith, you will find what you're seeking in this manual. Included are bites of the collective Wisdom of Christ, and the Church Fathers of the past and present. There are a wide variety of topics and subjects to expose issues and topics seldom taught, discussed or explained in today's often-permissive catholic church. We cover topics from prayer to Popes, Sacraments to Crucifixion, Truth to Saints, the proper role of the laity, include a Catholic resource guide and much more. We explain how our current Church culture came to be and how and where it's heading. The news is not all good. This is a book I pray my kids and grandkids will read and take to heart. Read it, you'll likely feel the same way. There are many things, despite our attempts and desires that we must leave to the Holy Spirit. That too is a gift from God. To be clear and fair, this is not a novel; it is a manual, formatted as "mini-books." that explain faithfully and clearly who we as Roman Catholics are called to be and how we are to live and share our faith. It is Traditional Orthodoxy in an abbreviated and easy to understand script. This Treasury will inform you about our Faith and the status of our Church and world today. It is filled with quotes of timeless wisdom. It is my prayerful hope that you will enjoy and share it with those you love and those you catechize. God's continued blessings, Pat

This pastoral resource assembles in one convenient volume the essential and current liturgical documents needed to prepare and learn about liturgical celebrations for Sunday. Pastoral overviews explain the theology, purpose, and authority of each of the included documents.