Books - (also see Inspirational Books)

Once again, Pope Francis has set the pundits, news outlets, and politicians buzzing, this time with an historic encyclical letter on care for the environment called Laudato Si On Care for our Common Home. As an alternative to all the noise and bloviating, the faithful and the curious alike will welcome this reliable, serene, and inspiring companion to the document.

David Cloutier's Reading, Praying, Living Pope Francis's Laudato Si is an ideal guide for parish adult faith formation, RCIA, college and high school campus ministry, and individual study. Preachers and teachers, too, will welcome Cloutier's consistently clear and engaging writing, free of academic jargon and Catholic code words. With Cloutier as a guide, readers will understand better and respond more effectively to the profound spirituality, the solid doctrinal principles, and the stirring call to action that Pope Francis offers in Laudato Si.

Subtitle: A Faith Formation Guide
Author: David Cloutier

PRODUCT DETAILS
ISBN: 9780814647547
Details: 86 pgs , 5 3/8 X 8 1/4 
Publication Date: 12/11/2015

Since the ending of Vatican II, the church has officially published no fewer than eight major documents calling for adults to be the center of the church's educational mission. And the Catholic faithful are calling on the church to quench their thirst for a deepening of their lived faith. They realize that the catechesis they received as children simply isn't enough to continue in the faith as adults in the church and world; they desire a deepened faith.

In Deepening Faith, Janet Schaeffler, OP, offers a practical guide and source of encouragement to parish and diocesan committees, catechists, and adult faith formation teams. She outlines the essential foundations, methods and strategies that can support this journey for today's adults of all ages and generations.

Subtitle: Adult Faith Formation in the Parish
Author: Janet Schaeffler, OP

PRODUCT DETAILS
ISBN: 9780814646526
Details: 104 pgs , 6 x 9 
Publication Date: 12/09/2016

Although the Catholic funeral rite has not changed in the past few decades, society has. Parishes have new questions to face that their liturgical book does not consider: eulogies by family members, the final disposition of cremated remains, and the collapse of the traditional three-stage funeral liturgy. Light in the Darkness takes a fresh look at the pastoral challenges society is posing, while giving concrete suggestions for implementing the vision of the Catholic Church's Order of Christian Funerals. The appendix includes catechetical materials for families planning a funeral and an extended commentary on all the Scripture readings for a funeral Mass.

Subtitle: Preparing Better Catholic Funerals
Author: Paul Turner

PRODUCT DETAILS
ISBN: 9780814646076
Details: 144 pgs , 6 x 9 
Publication Date: 07/03/2017

Preaching is an essential part of the life of the church. Preachers are called to proclaim the word of Godthe Good News of salvationin the church's name. Since the Second Vatican Council, the popes have emphasized a vision of good preaching that meets the needs of the church and the people of God. In this articulate and engaging guide for deacons, priests, and bishops, Deacon Peter Lovrick brings this mission into focus for the twenty-first century. He begins by outlining the church's expectations of homilists. He then presents various methods for clarifying and measuring the marks of preaching that fulfills the church's vision. Finally, he discusses practical steps preachers can take to accomplish those goals and nourish the faith of their people through homilies.

Priests, deacons, and others involved in the ministry of preaching: the people entrusted to your care want you to read this book!

Subtitle: A Practical Guide to Catholic Preaching for the New Evangelization
Author: Peter Lovrick; Foreword by Cardinal Thomas Collins

PRODUCT DETAILS
ISBN: 9780814646052
Details: 96 pgs , 6 X 9 
Publication Date: 03/04/2016

In this challenging but hopeful new book, Church, Faith, Future: What We Face, What We Can Do, Fr. Louis J. Cameli renders a carefully composed portrait of the church in North America today. Drawing on philosophy, history, cultural analysis, and sociology, he offers a sobering picture of where church and faith stand in our society and where they seem to be headed. Identifying several possible ways forward, Fr. Cameli points out the way he sees as the most promising and most faithful to Catholic tradition.

In a fascinating afterword to the book, Cardinal Blase Cupich enters into dialogue with Fr. Cameli's thinking, describing how the Archdiocese of Chicago has begun to address the issues and the directions indicated.

Subtitle: What We Face, What We Can Do
Author: Louis J. Cameli; Afterword by Cardinal Blase J. Cupich

PRODUCT DETAILS
ISBN: 9780814645659
Details: 116 pgs , 6 x 9 
Publication Date: 05/22/2017

We all want to celebrate the liturgy well, to experience good, uplifting, and meaningful worship. But what is the best route to follow? In The Rites and Wrongs of Liturgy, Thomas O'Loughlin offers a way forward that strengthens faith, builds up Christian community, and points toward a new direction based on liturgical principles that are rooted in our natures as ritual beings as well as in the gospel.

The Rites and Wrongs of Liturgy explains why good liturgy is important, how to recognize it, and how to assess liturgy in terms of a larger vision of the Christian life. O'Loughlin, a seasoned theologian and teacher, identifies ten principles that make for good liturgy. Such liturgy must be honest, open, joyful, inclusive, celebrative of community, facilitative of engagement, based in creation, attentive to the marginalized, free of clutter, and true to the pattern of the incarnation.

Since good celebrations build faith and bad liturgy weakens it, these principles promise to bring new life and meaning to every celebrating community.

Subtitle: Why Good Liturgy Matters
Author: Thomas O'Loughlin

PRODUCT DETAILS
ISBN: 9780814645635
Details: 120 pgs , 5 3/8 x 8 1/4 
Publication Date: 05/17/2018

O Cross of Christ is an original, new prayer composed by Pope Francis himself and recited by him on the occasion of Good Friday 2016. It guides all who pray it to recognize Jesus' cross in some of the most distressing circumstances of today's worldmodern-day martyrs, victims of war, unfaithful ministers, and moreas well as in the lives of people who do great goodconsecrated men and women, families, volunteers, and others.

Presented as a litany, with responses that make it ideal for group use, this little booklet is beautifully illustrated with original art by the American artist Deborah Luke. The result is a prayer resource that promises to serve as a profound source of spiritual nourishment for Christians for years to come. Recommended for personal, family, group, or parish-wide prayer.

Author: Pope Francis

PRODUCT DETAILS
ISBN: 9780814645543
Details: 32 pgs , 5 x 7 
Publication Date: 11/22/2016

We all agree that the community needs to be involved in the RCIA. So we make bulletin and Mass announcements explaining the rites and the RCIA process, hoping the parishioners will "get" their responsibility to initiate these seekers. Then, although catechumens, candidates, sponsors, and team members form a tight-knit community, parishioners still wonder who these people are with their rituals that make the Mass long, and most of the newly initiated still disappear from the parish after Easter.

Taking to heart what the United States bishops said in their document on adult faith formation"While the parish may have an adult faith formation program, it is no less true that the parish is an adult faith formation program"Diana Macalintal argues that we have to stop trying to get the parish involved in the RCIA and start getting the catechumens and candidates involved in the parish.

In this book, readers will discover:

Subtitle: RCIA in the Midst of the Community

Author: Diana Macalintal

PRODUCT DETAILS
ISBN: 978-0-8146-4465-2, 4465
Details: 142 pgs , 6 x 9 
Publication Date: 03/05/2018

In this book, Gerald O'Collins, SJ, takes a systematic look at the 2010 English translation of the Roman Missal and the ways it fails to achieve what the Second Vatican Council mandated: the full participation of priest and people. Critiquing the unsatisfactory principles prescribed by the Vatican instruction Liturgiam Authenticam (2001), this book, which includes a chapter by John Wilkins: 

• tells the story of the maneuverings that sidelined the 1998 translation approved by eleven conferences of English-speaking bishops,
• criticizes the 2010 translation, and
• illustrates the clear superiority of the 1998 translation, the "Missal that never was"

Subtitle: The English Language and the Catholic Mass
Author: Gerald O'Collins, SJ, and John Wilkins

PRODUCT DETAILS
ISBN: 9780814644577
Details: 132 pgs , 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 
Publication Date: 10/18/2017

Theology for Ministry is for beginning ministry students, seasoned lay leaders, and anyone in between who wants to learn more about the faith that feeds their call to serve. Six easy-to-read chapters introduce the main areas of theology that every lay minister ought to know: the notion of vocation, the doctrine of God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, church, and ministry. By sharing personal stories and simple examples, Edward Hahnenberg brings the Bible to life and dusts off ancient church doctrines-revealing the many ways our tradition can inspire the work of lay ministers today.

Subtitle: An Introduction for Lay Ministers
Author: Edward P. Hahnenberg

PRODUCT DETAILS
ISBN: 9780814635216
Details: 148 pgs , 5 3/8 x 8 1/4 
Publication Date: 04/16/2014

The publication of The Roman Missal, Third Edition offers an opportunity for homilists to explore the relationship between the Sunday readings and the new Roman Missal. Between the Ambo and the Altar is the final book (Year C) in a three-volume series that presents scriptural, liturgical, and preaching commentary for Sundays, solemnities, and feasts throughout the year.

Each Sunday's resources are presented in three sections: exploring the Scripture, connecting the Lectionary with the liturgy, and a homiletic strategy. DeBona takes the preacher through a meditation on the language of the Missal, suggests parallels to the Sunday Lectionary, and gives practical homiletic strategies using core themes and images. It is hoped that the commentary advances a framework for homily preparation so that preachers might "savor the deep meaning of the word of God which unfolds each year in the liturgy" (Benedict XVI, Verbum Domini 52).

Subtitle: Biblical Preaching and The Roman Missal, Year C
Author: Guerric DeBona, OSB

PRODUCT DETAILS
ISBN: 9780814635599
Details: 328 pgs , 6 x 9 
Publication Date: 09/16/2015

The publication of The Roman Missal, Third Edition offers an opportunity for homilists to explore the relationship between the Sunday readings and the new Roman Missal. Between the Ambo and the Altar is the first book (Year A) in a three-volume series that presents scriptural, liturgical, and preaching commentary for Sundays, solemnities, and feasts throughout the year.

Each Sunday's resources are presented in three sections: exploring the Scripture, connecting the Lectionary with the liturgy, and a homiletic strategy. DeBona takes the preacher through a meditation on the language of the Missal, suggests parallels to the Sunday Lectionary, and gives practical homiletic strategies using core themes and images. It is hoped that the commentary advances a framework for homily preparation so that preachers might "savor the deep meaning of the word of God which unfolds each year in the liturgy" (Benedict XVI, Verbum Domini 52).

Subtitle: Biblical Preaching and The Roman Missal, Year A
Author: Guerric DeBona, OSB

PRODUCT DETAILS
ISBN: 9780814634592
Details: 316 pgs , 6 x 9 
Publication Date: 11/14/2013

After the publication of The Roman Missal, Third Edition, much attention was given to the catechesis of the clergy and the faithful on the Order of Mass, which contains the chief theological and spiritual elements of the eucharistic celebration. In The Prayers of the New Missal, Anscar J. Chupungco expands the reader's focus to the other parts of the Mass--namely, the orations or the Collect, Prayer over the Offerings, Prayer after Communion, and Prayer over the People. He demonstrates that these elements, too, are a rich source of doctrine and spirituality waiting to be shared with others through homily and catechesis.

Preachers and catechists will especially appreciate Father Chupungco's recommendations for approaching the difficult and sometimes vexing structure and vocabulary of the new Missal. He offers helpful exercises for analyzing the Latin texts, comparing the original and the English versions, and crafting provisional literal translations that will aid in easier comprehension. Finally, he concludes with an ample sampling of homiletic and catechetical notes that will serve as a rich source of nourishment for preaching and catechesis.

Subtitle: A Homiletic and Catechetical Companion
Author: Anscar J. Chupungco, OSB; Foreword by J. Michael Joncas

PRODUCT DETAILS
ISBN: 9780814635193
Details: 140 pgs , 6 x 9 
Publication Date: 05/01/2013

PRODUCT DETAILS
ISBN: 9780814634561
Details: 80 pgs , 7 x 10 
Publication Date: 01/01/2013

Far-reaching changes continue to take place in the American priesthood. Building on insights gained from four previous surveys, Same Call, Different Men uses fresh data from a 2009 survey-jointly implemented by the National Federation of Priest's Councils and the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate-in which 900 priests shared attitudes and stories about their lives and ministry. Among topics covered are the challenges of ministry with fewer ordinations and larger parishes, ministering to an increasingly multicultural laity, collaboration with lay leaders, and personal reflections on the sexual abuse issue. It also relates the many satisfactions of being a priest, one who brings Christ to others and who is invited into many profound moments of individual lives.

Subtitle: The Evolution of the Priesthood since Vatican II
Author: Mary L. Gautier, Paul M. Perl, and Rev. Stephen J. Fichter

PRODUCT DETAILS
ISBN: 9780814634295
Details: 256 pgs , 6 x 9 
Publication Date: 05/01/2012

In Stewardship: Living a Biblical Call, Bernard Evans presents an accessible and easily understood biblical and theological foundation for giving that both parishioners and stewardship leaders will find practical and valuable. In focused chapters, the many aspects of stewardship are named and described, assisting readers in recognizing gifts and actions that make practicing stewardship far more than a financial proposition.

Grounded in years of practical work in this area with parish leaders, Evans adeptly ties the Catholic invitation to stewardship to biblical foundations as well as the social teaching of the church. A clear, concise, readable work, Stewardship: Living a Biblical Call also engages key questions of the age, such as ecological stewardship and care for body, mind, and spirit. Evans explores the communal and personal actions that help every believer proclaim the reign of God.

Author: Bernard F. Evans

PRODUCT DETAILS
ISBN: 9780814634257
Details: 144 pgs , 5 3/8 x 8 1/4 
Publication Date: 05/30/2014

Though daily Mass is held most frequently, resources for daily homilies can be in short supply. In this book, Bishop Sklba offers a rich collection of ideas fire starters for preparing brief, spiritually nourishing homilies for daily Eucharist. Like building a campfire, where one ignites the logs with more easily flammable paper, these "fire starters" are intended to provide the spark for weekday homilies. God's Spirit provides the flame.

Each day, the biblical citations and summary phrases for the reading and the gospel plus the refrain from the psalm are provided. After each citation, Bishop Sklba offers a series of meaningful insights from his expertise as a Scripture scholar, prayerful study of Scripture, and many years of preaching and pastoral experience. These brief entries provide knowledge and inspiration that will stimulate personal prayer and spark homily possibilities for the preacher every day.

Fire Starters will support anyone privileged to be called to leadership at weekday celebrations of the Eucharist to prepare for the important ministry of preaching.

Subtitle: Igniting the Holy in the Weekday Homily
Author: Richard J. Sklba

PRODUCT DETAILS
ISBN: 9780814634158
Details: 618 pgs , 7 x 10 
Publication Date: 06/01/2013

The church's cycle of scriptural readings for the liturgy offers believers an opportunity to immerse themselves in the word of God. It is a very real and tangible way of responding to the call of Jesus: "Remain in me, as I remain in you."

In Abiding Word, Barbara Reid, OP, takes the Sunday experience to every day with accessible weekly meditations on the Lectionary readings of the year. This collection of articles, which includes Scripture readings for Sundays and solemnities followed by reflections, allows readers to meditate on the connection between the sacred text and their daily lives. Living with the word day by day invites us into a closer relationship with Christ, the God who became flesh.

Author: Barbara E. Reid

PRODUCT DETAILS
ISBN: 978081463144
Details: 136 pgs , 6 x 9 
Publication Date: 08/01/2013

Looking for homily suggestions that faithfully represent the Scripture readings and offer hearers of the text practical applications for Christian life? Homilies for Weekdays, the final of two volumes by Father Don Talafous, OSB, contains creative suggestions of what a homilist might say about the daily readings following the Lectionary cycle.

This extensive compilation for each day is a result of Father Talafous many years of experience in preparing homilies. Written on both a popular and pastoral level, these homily ideas may also serve as daily reflections or meditations on the Scriptural texts for readers interested in nourishing their Christian lives with Scripture.

Author: Don Talafous, OSB, PhD

PRODUCT DETAILS
ISBN: 9780814630310
Details: 232 pgs , 6 x 9 
Publication Date: 10/01/2006

Ours is a culture steeped in media and technology, a fact that fascinates some and frightens others. Because media permeates every aspect of our lives, church leaders would do well to discern when and how it might be appropriately used in liturgical settings. In Liturgical Art for a Media Culture Eileen Crowley provides a powerful aid in that discernment process. By first addressing such basics as the vocabulary and historical context of media in Christian worship, Crowley helps to ease readers fears.

By looking honestly at the perils and possibilities of media in worshipand by giving readers both a framework for evaluating and a model for implementing media in worshipCrowley guides the reader fascination with media into channels appropriate for worship. This is a timely source for those who wish to use media and technology as a way to vitalize, yet not obstruct, worship and liturgy.

Author: Eileen D. Crowley

PRODUCT DETAILS
ISBN: 9780814629680
Details: 104 pgs , 5 3/8 x 8 1/4 
Publication Date: 07/01/2007

The Ministry of Servers is a simple and concise, yet comprehensive guide for altar servers and their instructors. Well organized with helpful line drawings, this book will be easily understood by children who fulfill this essential ministry to God and God's people.

Author: Michael Kwatera, OSB

PRODUCT DETAILS
ISBN: 9780814629598
Details: 48 pgs , 5 3/8 x 8 1/4 
Publication Date: 09/01/2004

The Ministry of Communion offers practical advice and vital theology for Eucharistic ministers. Updated with the latest liturgical laws and norms, and with an expanded section on leading Communion services, this book is an excellent guide for both those who serve God's people, and those who help them prepare for the ministry.

Author: Michael Kwatera, OSB

PRODUCT DETAILS
ISBN: 9780814629581
Details: 56 pgs , 5 3/8 x 8 1/4 
Publication Date: 09/01/2004

Storyteller and theologian John Shea provides a unique commentary that's ideal for preaching, teaching, or simply meditating on the Gospels. His writing is poignant and conversational making this book a valuable tool for professional ministers, as well as for Christians who reflect on the Gospels for personal spiritual growth.

Shea draws readers into the people and situations that Jesus encountered in ways that are evocative and inspirational. The resource is based on both the Catholic Lectionary for Mass and the Revised Common Lectionary, making it accessible across Christian denominations.

Subtitle: The Relentless Widow Year C
Author: John Shea, STD

PRODUCT DETAILS
ISBN: 9780814629154
Details: 344 pgs , 6 x 9 
Publication Date: 11/01/2006

With a goal of transcendent awareness, John Shea presents this commentary on the Sunday Gospel readings for those who are drawn to the spiritual wisdom of the Gospels. Ideal for Christian preachers and teachers, and Christians who meditate on the Gospels, Shea's book takes a literary-spiritual approach. He analyzes the mindsets of characters and how Jesus complimented, critiqued, praised these mindsets, to inspire meditation, reflection, and spiritual development. On Earth as It Is in Heaven, Year A is the first book of a four-volume set, The Spiritual Wisdom of the Gospels for Christian Preachers and Teachers. This set is a Lectionary-based resource that references both Roman Catholic and Revised Common Lectionaries, making it useful and interesting to various Christian denominations. A Scripture index makes Shea's insightful reflections accessible for personal reflection on the Gospel texts as well as other uses outside of liturgical preparation. With wisdom relevant to our contemporary world, The Spiritual Wisdom of the Gospels for Christian Preachers and Teachers: On Earth as It Is in Heaven will find its way to the top of your resource list.

Subtitle: On Earth as It Is in Heaven Year A
Author: John Shea, STD

PRODUCT DETAILS
ISBN: 9780814629130
Details: 360 pgs , 6 x 9 
Publication Date: 09/01/2004

More than just a simple guide to liturgical music, The Ministry of Music explores the acclamations, hymns, and responsorial psalm from the perspective of liturgy as ritual enactment of the paschal mystery an enactment which the music allows us to join. Harmon includes practical advice and suggestions for selecting seasonal music and helps create a paschal mystery spirituality to shape our daily lives.

Subtitle: Singing the Paschal Mystery
Author: Kathleen Harmon, SNDdeN

PRODUCT DETAILS
ISBN: 9780814628782
Details: 104 pgs , 5 3/8 x 8 1/4 
Publication Date: 09/01/2004

Catholic Press Association Award Winner!

The commentaries on the Lectionary readings in Hearing the Word of God are an attempt not only to hear the Word of God in Scripture but also to suggest ways that the Sunday readings might continue to nurture faith and life. Inevitably they reflect the time in which they were first written as a popular weekly column in America from November 2000 to Advent 2001.

Hearing the Word of God includes Scripture readings for the Sunday, followed by a reflection on the reading, and concludes with "Praying with Scripture," a series of questions and meditations to guide readers in making a personal application of the reflection.

Subtitle: Reflections on the Sunday Readings, Year C
Author: R. Donahue, SJ

PRODUCT DETAILS
ISBN: 9780814627846
Details: 152 pgs , 6 x 9 
Publication Date: 09/01/2003

Recovering the Riches of Anointing is a collection of the papers presented at an international symposium sponsored by the National Association of Catholic Chaplains (NACC) as part of a long-term exploration of topics of theological and pastoral concern in pastoral care of the sick. This book looks at the anointing of the sick from the vantage point of theology, history, and canon law. Since Vatican II the training and commissioning of lay Eucharistic ministers has enabled the sick and dying to receive the nourishment of Christ's body and blood regularly in their confinement at home or an institution. The sacraments of penance and the anointing of the sick, however, have become less and less available as the number of ordained priests in chaplaincy is decreasing. In response to this pastoral problem Bishop Richard J. Sklba, auxiliary bishop of Milwaukee, suggested that the NACC gather theologians together to explore the history and practice of this sacrament and other rituals in the rich tradition of the Church. Thus the papers concerning this particular sacramental ministry were written and delivered at this conference. Recovering the Riches of Anointing will be helpful for professional ministers of pastoral care; professional pastoral, liturgical, and sacramental theologians; and those engaged in pastoral ministry formation.

Subtitle: A Study of the Sacrament of the Sick
Author: Genevieve Glen, OSB, Editor; Kevin Tripp, Susan Wood, SCL, Peter Fink, SJ, Michael Drumm, Kevin Irwin, John M. Huels, OSM, and Genevieve Glen, OSB; Foreword by Joseph J. Driscoll

PRODUCT DETAILS
ISBN: 9780814627754
Details: 152 pgs , 6 x 9 
Publication Date: 09/01/2002

Monsignor Comiskey offers practical suggestions for extending hospitality in sacramental moments while teaching, serving, greeting, or in day-by-day living. Comiskey begins with the roots of hospitality and its importance in the Bible and concludes with resources useful to parishes looking to reach out and enhance hospitality. Dedicated "To all hospitable people who reach out seeking and finding Christ," Comiskey's work encourages sharing of parish visions and dreams.

Subtitle: Second Edition
Author: James A. Comiskey

PRODUCT DETAILS
ISBN: 9780814627327
Details: 48 pgs , 5 3/8 x 8 1/4 
Publication Date: 09/01/2004