Liturgy Resources

Signs and Symbols of the Liturgy: An Experience of Ritual and Catechesis by Michael Ruzicki, Victoria M. Tufano, D. Todd Williamson, and Terry Navarro.

Catholic liturgy is a rich language composed of music, spoken word, silence, symbols, signs, postures, gestures, and ritual actions. Each of these elements serves to open our hearts, minds, and bodies to the presence of God, allowing us to deepen our participation in the mystery we celebrate. This resource will help participants explore the various elements of the liturgy.

Give groups in your parish a reverent, artful, and interactive experience of the symbols of the liturgy followed by time to reflect on their meaning. The symbols common things of nature and human craft such as water, candlelight, oil, book, and cross, are the very language through which we encounter the mysteries of our faith, and they cannot be understood through words alone.

Signs and Symbols of the Liturgy will help parishes break open the signs and symbols of the liturgy in their most basic forms. It explains how to prepare a ritual and catechetical experience of the signs and symbols in which participants can interact with the symbols as they are presented, one by one.

This resource includes:

• Instructions for gathering and training a team, arranging an appropriate space, selecting music, and rehearsing the choreography
• A video to show you how the experience looks and sounds
• Commentary on the video to advise you on the nuances of delivering an artful and reverent experience
• Scripts with the poetic texts
• Checklists of items needed
• Diagrams of room arrangements
• A promotional flyer
• Reflection questions and advice for helping participants process their encounter

It is a wonderful resource for catechists and liturgists to use with Christian initiation groups, sacramental preparation sessions, adult formation programs, youth group meetings, and retreats for liturgical ministers.

978-1-61671-437-6 | Book with disk | 8 1/2 x 11 | Language: English

Liturgy with Style and Grace Third Edition Revised by Gabe Huck

This book presents the basics of liturgy for parish liturgy committees and planning teams, liturgical ministers, and anyone interested in learning more about the way we worship. It offers planners and ministers a way to gain a sense of all the ways liturgy expresses the life of a parish.

Whether read from beginning to end or simply selected by a particular topic, these articles assist with teaching and learning about the liturgy. Discussion questions and helpful quotations from a variety of sources are available for individual use or group study. The new revision includes updated quotes from liturgical documents and texts as well as revised study questions and sidebar quotes.

978-1-61671-436-9 | Paperback | 8 3/8 x 10 7/8 | 144 pages | Language: English

Connecting the Liturgy with Our Lives: Print and Digital Resources for Faith Formation by Kathy Kuczka

Through images and stories that come from daily experiences, these faith formation inserts provide insights on the parts of the Mass, gestures and postures that are part of the liturgy, rites and symbols, and the liturgical year. As parishioners read these short pieces, they will relate to the mysteries we celebrate at Mass. Parishes will want to distribute these pieces during particular seasons of the liturgical year The 63 inserts can be downloaded from the CD-ROM or from the resource's website.

978-1-61671-485-7 | Book with disk | 8 1/2 x 11 | 80 pages | Language: English

A deep strain of tribal politics is dividing societies around the globe. Organized religions are also coping with scandals, disappointments, and polarizing ideologies. The history of Christianity reveals that such frictions deeply wound the church. Fr. Richard S. Vosko recognizes that liturgical buildings are metaphorical expressions of the people of God. He proposes, in a relational way, that when all physical and psychological boundaries in a place of worship are removed people will discover a common ground. Building on theological foundations and design principles, Vosko envisions what an egalitarian "servant church" can look like. In a bold but thoughtful manner, he presents progressive insights into the fields of church art and architecture.

Author: Richard S. Vosko

PRODUCT DETAILS
ISBN: 9780814684719
Details: 252 pgs , 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 paperback
Publication Date: 09/15/2019

This book provides a paragraph-by-paragraph commentary on the Catholic Church's Order of Celebrating Matrimony. Readers will learn about the history and theology of the elements of the rite and of the pertinent texts in the Roman Missal. Paul Turner provides translations of reports of the study group that revised the ceremony after the Second Vatican Council. The book also covers the Spanish translations used in the United States, Mexico, and Colombia, and variations permitted in Australia and in England and Wales, as well as in French-speaking Canada. This in-depth commentary serves as an invaluable resource for practitioners and students of Catholic weddings.

Author: Paul Turner

PRODUCT DETAILS
ISBN: 9780814663530
Details: 324 pgs , 6 x 9 
Publication Date: 02/02/2017

Maxwell Johnson has made multiple contributions to our understanding of liturgical history and liturgical theology. This volume honors his work by offering a set of important essays by respected scholars that bridge the distance between scholarship and praxis, to be accessible and relevant to both pastoral ministers and academic theologians.

It is organized according to three categories: liturgical year, Christian initiation, and Eucharist. Within these categories, the contributors are especially attentive to three important aspects of liturgical history:

• the role that important figures in liturgical history played as liturgical pastors
• how liturgical history has been used in shaping contemporary liturgical rites and prayers
• how liturgical history informs contemporary understandings and beliefs

Ultimately, the book pays tribute to Johnson's contributions to the life of the church by exploring ways that the study of liturgical history might help the church remain faithful to God and to the sacramental worldview that continues to define and characterize classic Christianity.

Subtitle: On the Intersection of Liturgical History and Pastoral Practice
Author: David A. Pitt, Stefanos Alexopoulos, and Christian McConnell (editors)

PRODUCT DETAILS
ISBN: 9780814662434
Details: 288 pgs , 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 
Publication Date: 10/01/2012

The principal liturgies of Holy Week underwent a series of revisions between 1951 and 2011. In this book, noted liturgist Paul Turner charts the rubrics and prayers of the current rites paragraph by paragraph, explaining the historical development of individual components, how and why the post-Vatican II liturgical reform made its revisions, and where the Roman Missal, Third Edition has added nuances. This book will help ministers, liturgists, catechists, and all the faithful enter more deeply into the mystery of the cross of Christ, their glory and their hope.

Subtitle: Holy Week in the Third Edition of The Roman Missal
Author: Paul Turner

PRODUCT DETAILS
ISBN: 9780814662427
Details: 192 pgs , 6 x 9 
Publication Date: 12/01/2011

2009 Catholic Press Association Award Winner!

Perhaps no liturgical scholar of our time is better able than John Baldovin to write with clarity and accuracy about the meaning of the church's liturgy and the history of its development in the last half century. In this summary volume on the reform of the liturgy since the Second Vatican Council, Baldovin pinpoints and assessesboth sympathetically and criticallythe objections to changes in the liturgy since the council, focusing on philosophical, historical-critical, and theological questions. After addressing each criticism in turn, in a final chapter he assesses the critique of postVatican II liturgy as a whole, affirming what is accurate and necessary, rejecting what is backward looking, and proposing a set of principles to guide future development. No one who studies or participates in liturgical action in the twenty-first century can afford to overlook this book.

Subtitle: A Response to the Critics 
Author: John F. Baldovin, SJ

PRODUCT DETAILS
ISBN: 9780814662199
Details: 192 pgs , 6 x 9 
Publication Date: 11/01/2008

Each year, many adults who have never been baptized become Catholic. In the United States, these adults are outnumbered by baptized Christians of other denominations who seek to enter into the full communion of the Catholic Church. In the minds of many Catholicsindeed, in many parish preparation programsthere is little difference between the two groups. Baptized and catechized Christians are often placed in programs with those who have not been baptized. Just as often, the two groups are welcomed into full membership alongside one another during the Easter Vigil, thereby obscuring further the distinction between them. Imagine that a high school senior transfers schools and is subsequently placed in middle school classes. Imagine no one thinking this change in status odd.

Turner seeks to clarify and confirm the status of baptized persons who enter into full communion of the Catholic Church. In addition, he explores the rites of reception in the early church and the Second Vatican Council call for ecumenical dialogue and looks to the reception rites of other Christian communities to gain added perspective. Turner historical and ecumenically sensitive analysis will help members of catechumenate teams think more carefully about the baptismal unity of all Christians. Drawing on that foundation of unity, they will find cause for rejoicing and restlessness and will learn steps to avoid and steps to takeso that communion becomes both easier to achieve and a reality in their midst.

Author: Paul Turner, STD

PRODUCT DETAILS
ISBN: 9780814662168
Details: 184 pgs , 6 x 9 
Publication Date: 01/01/2007

Why do parish First Communion Masses so often neglect good liturgical principles? Should these celebrations resemble something analogous to a recital? Or, should they be celebrations worthy of the praise and glory of God?

First Communion Liturgies explores the purpose and practice of First Communion in our time, uncovers the pitfalls associated with it, and offers a guide for preparing celebrations that will enrich the lives of children and families, bringing them into a deeper relationship with God and the church.

Subtitle: Preparing First-Class First Celebrations
Author: Donna M. Eschenauer

PRODUCT DETAILS
ISBN: 9780814649671
Details: 112 pgs , 5 3/8 x 8 1/4 

Cantors throughout the United States and elsewhere have long known Kathleen Harmon, SNDdeN, as a reliable teacher and mentor in how they understand and practice their important ministry. In Becoming the Psalms, she explores the spirituality of the psalms, a spirituality that shaped God's people in the past, forms the church today, and leads us into the future. Each chapter offers cantors who pray and sing the psalms a better understanding of the role of the psalms in shaping faith.

Kathleen Harmon is known as the author of Music Notes, a popular column in the journal Liturgical Ministry. Becoming the Psalms showcases some of her finest entries as well as new material exploring the relationship between praying the psalms privately and praying them liturgically, as well as the function of the responsorial psalm as proclamation.

Subtitle: A Spirituality of Singing and Praying the Psalms
Author: Kathleen Harmon, SNDdeN

PRODUCT DETAILS
ISBN: 9780814648599
Details: 104 pgs , 5 3/8 X 8 1/4 
Publication Date: 06/22/2015

Thousands of readers have found Fr. Mark Boyer's The Liturgical Environment: What the Documents Sayto be a useful compendium of the church's law and guidelines on the liturgical environment. Rooted in the norm of active participation as the guiding principle for all liturgical celebration, each chapter considers the ecclesial documents that pertain to the particular objects under discussion, the theology found in the documents, and the praxis that flows from the theology. Now in its third edition, The Liturgical Environment has proven to be an essential resource for all those involved in planning, building, renovating, decorating, and worshiping in a sacred environment.

This new edition is significantly expanded and revised to take into account important material from the third edition of The Roman Missal, the new General Instruction of the Roman Missal, Pope Benedict's apostolic exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis, and the Vatican's Instruction on the Eucharist, Redemptionis Sacramentum. Additional material has been added on celebrating the parish feast day, principles involved in decorating, and fakery in the liturgical environment. New information on the font and various baptismal scenarios for the Easter Vigil is also included. Three new chapters focus on celebrating marriages, funerals, and anointing the sick; on the concept of progressive solemnity in the liturgy; and on liturgical furniture for conference use when Mass is not celebrated in a church. Finally, new discussion questions present opportunities for reflection and discussion.

Subtitle: What the Documents Say: Third Edition
Author: Mark G. Boyer

PRODUCT DETAILS
ISBN: 9780814648575
Details: 296 pgs , 6 x 9 
Publication Date: 05/06/2015

Pope Francis has said, "How I would like a Church that is poor and for the poor!" How might your parish answer the Holy Father's call more boldly? The Ministry of Peace and Justice is a practical guide meant to help faith communities deepen their commitment to bringing God's compassion to a wounded world. Intended for pastoral leaders and parishioners with a heart for those who are poor and vulnerable, this book includes creative suggestions for starting or expanding social efforts and contains six ready-to-use educational, interactive sessions for new or growing peace and justice committees.

Author: Michael Jordan Laskey

PRODUCT DETAILS
ISBN: 9780814648131
Details: 108 pgs , 5 3/8 x 8 1/4 
Publication Date: 02/11/2016

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Contemporary and complete, The Ministry of Liturgical Environment considers the physical location of our worship, from assembly seating, color usage, and liturgical accouterments to ministers' and assemblys dress. Zimmerman offers a useful, practical guide for those preparing an inviting sacred space that reflects and enhances the community's valued principles.

Includes: Introduction, "The Liturgical Environment,"A Journey Through Space,Things Used for Liturgy, Aesthetics of Sacred Space, A Spirituality for Ministers of the Liturgical Environment, Responsibilities of Ministers of the Liturgical Environment, Enhancing the Environment for Liturgical Seasons and Occasions, and Concluding Thoughts.

Author: Joyce Ann Zimmerman, CPPS

PRODUCT DETAILS
ISBN: 9780814627051
Details: 96 pgs , 5 3/8 x 8 1/4 
Publication Date: 09/01/2004

The Symbols of the Church looks both beyond the church building and deep within it to find symbols relevant to Judeo-Christianity. First it recalls those principal sacred symbols sun, moon, stars, architectural figures, time, space which various cultures have made into a permanent and universal religious language and which were known to the Christian Church. Then it presents the evolution of the church building through time, from ancient temples to the modern church. Finally, it explores church furnishings and features the baptistery, the nave, the organ, sacred vessels, the vestiture of church ministers that are "permanent church signs."

Part One: Symbols of the Christian World includes the sections "The World and Its Image," "The Inhabitants of the Heavenly and Terrestrial Worlds," "The World Subject to Humanity," and "Elements, Space, and Time." Topics included in these sections are The Heavenly Circle; The Depths; The Square of the Earth; The Ascent of the Heights; Temple; God of the Universe and Holy Trinity; Jesus Christ, God in our Midst; The World of Humanity; World of the Spirits; The Animal Kingdom; Plant World; Products of the Earth; Objects; Elements; Colors; Numbers; and Time.

Part Two: Church Symbolism includes the section "Evolution of Churches and Their Symbolism." Topics included in this section are: Foreshadowings; The First Places of Worship; The Basilica; Romanesque and Cistercian Symbolism; Gothic Symbolism; Sixteenth-Century Churches; Classical and Baroque; Mid-Eighteenth and Early Nineteenth Centuries; Nineteenth Century and First Half of the Twentieth Century; and A Symbolism for New Churches.

Part Three: Permanent Church Signs includes such topics as Consecration and Symbolism of a Church; Surroundings That Are Considered Sacred; The Church in Its Setting; Voices of the Churches; The Gates; The Baptistry, a Door onto Another Life; The Nave; The Organ; The Signs of the Paintings, Stained-Glass Windows and Statues; Sanctuary, Choir; The Celebration of the Word; The Altar; The Luminary; The Reserved Eucharist; Sacred Vessels for the Celebration of the Sacraments; and Liturgical Vestments The Study of Vestments.

Author: Maurice Dilasser, Editor; Mary Cabrini Durkin, OSU, Madeleine Beaumont, and Caroline Morson, Translators

PRODUCT DETAILS
ISBN: 9780814625385
Details: 168 pgs , 9 1/8 x 11 1/2 
Publication Date: 11/01/1999

How would the history of Roman Catholic worship look if it were viewed first from the perspective of the "people in the pews" rather than through the deliberations of popes and church councils or the writings of theologians? How did the "common people" down through the ages understand what they were doing when they came together in worship-and was this understanding always the same as the "official" interpretation of the church authorities? In Local Worship, Global Church, Mark Francis explores the history of the liturgy from "the bottom up" rather than from "the top down" and comes to conclusions that complement our understanding of the history of the liturgy and its relationship to faithful Christians from the first century CE to our own time.

Subtitle: Popular Religion and the Liturgy
Author: Mark R. Francis

PRODUCT DETAILS
ISBN: 9780814618790
Details: 196 pgs , 6 x 9 
Publication Date: 02/06/2014

Great Catholic Parishes: How Four Essential Practices Make them Thrive

Businessman, professor, and philanthropist, William E. Simon Jr. has been highly influenced by the dynamic and inspiring Catholic parishes he has attended for more than 25 years. In 2012, he founded Parish Catalyst, an organization devoted to researching and supporting the health and development of Catholic parishes. Great Catholic Parishes looks at Simons insights and the success stories of 244 vibrant parishes to show what makes them great.

In 2012 and 2013, Simon and his team studied 244 Catholic parishes to determine what made them exceptional. The study found that all of the parishes shared four foundational practices that led to a profound sense of belonging within their parish communities and a deepening commitment to discipleship:

• Share leadership by using clergy and lay staff with the best talents and skills to direct the community
• Foster spiritual maturity and plan for discipleship by offering a variety of formation programs and ministry opportunities to reach parishioners at differing points in their lives
• Excel on Sundays by dedicating significant time, energy, and money to liturgical celebrations that parishioners and visitors find welcoming
• Intentionally evangelize by challenging insiders to look outward and providing service programs, social events, global mission opportunities, and pastoral care at key sacramental moments that focus on inviting outsiders to deeper relationship with Christ and the Church.

In Great Catholic Parishes, Simon shares personal stories such as finding a welcoming parish home and what he learned about evangelizing from a mission trip to Kenya. Pastors from exceptional parishes offer helpful ideas, strategic advice, and practical strategies, as well as anecdotes about lay ministry development initiatives and reworking religious education so that it is family focused and web-based.

You will also learn creative solutions to familiar challenges such as spiritual stagnation among parishioners, reconciling diverse needs in the parish, allowing the pastor to focus on pastoring and preaching, and reaching youth and young adults who leave the Church in disproportionate numbers.

Each chapter closes with either crucial takeaways or a summary of practical challenges that will help pastors and leaders focus on growth and excellence.

Author: William E. Simon Jr.

ISBN: 9781594717413

6" x 9" Paperback

224 pages

On-sale date: September 23, 2016