Teacher Resources

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

When Adrien Nocent's The Liturgical Year was published in the 1970s, it was the very first comprehensive commentary on the three-year lectionary in relation to the Sacramentary/Missal as these were revised following the Second Vatican Council. Expressed on nearly every page was Nocent's conviction that the liturgy and the Word of God proclaimed within it have something important to say to real people of every culture and time. He constantly returns to the question: What does this passage have to say to us today?

Now this extraordinary work of applied, postconciliar liturgical scholarship has been revised and annotated by one of today's top liturgical scholars. Paul Turner has provided many helpful explanatory notes on history, culture, language, and, of course, liturgy. He has also updated the liturgical texts to conform to The Roman Missal, Third Edition. The result is a resource that promises to enrich and inspire a new generation of presiders, preachers, liturgy planners, and students.

In honor of the fiftieth anniversary of Vatican II's Sacrosanctum Concilium, encounter the vibrant scholarship and pastoral wisdom of Adrien Nocent's The Liturgical Year again or for the first time!

Volume 3 covers all of the Sundays of Ordinary Time.

Author: Adrien Nocent

Details: 416 pgs, 6 X 9 Paperback

Publication Date: 11/07/2013

When Adrien Nocent's The Liturgical Year was published in the 1970s, it was the very first comprehensive commentary on the three-year lectionary in relation to the Sacramentary/Missal as these were revised following the Second Vatican Council. Expressed on nearly every page was Nocent's conviction that the liturgy and the Word of God proclaimed within it have something important to say to real people of every culture and time. He constantly returns to the question: What does this passage have to say to us today?

Now this extraordinary work of applied, postconciliar liturgical scholarship has been revised and annotated by one of today's top liturgical scholars. Paul Turner has provided many helpful explanatory notes on history, culture, language, and, of course, liturgy. He has also updated the liturgical texts to conform to The Roman Missal, Third Edition. The result is a resource that promises to enrich and inspire a new generation of presiders, preachers, liturgy planners, and students.

In honor of the fiftieth anniversary of Vatican II's Sacrosanctum Concilium, encounter the vibrant scholarship and pastoral wisdom of Adrien Nocent's The Liturgical Year again or for the first time!

Volume 2 covers Lent, the Paschal Triduum, and the season of Easter.

Author: Adrien Nocent

Details: 516 pgs , 6 X 9 Paperback

Publication Date: 01/21/2014

Joyce Ann Zimmerman's The Ministry of Liturgical Environment has served as a reliable and inspiring resource for parish liturgy committees, liturgy directors, and clergy for more than a decade. It is an insightful and practical guide to preparing an inviting sacred space that reflects and enhances the community's valued principles. Contemporary and complete, it considers the physical location of our worship, from assembly seating, color usage, and liturgical accouterments to ministers' and assembly's dress. This fully revised edition includes new content, a new structure, and updates based on ecclesial documents published since the publication of the previous edition. Anyone involved in liturgical ministry will want to keep it close at hand.

Author: Joyce Ann Zimmerman, CPPS

104 pgs , 5 3/8 x 8 1/4 Paperback

Publication Date: 01/19/2016

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

Author: Michael Kwatera, OSB

48 pgs , 5 3/8 x 8 1/4 Paperback

Publication Date: 01/19/2016

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

56 pgs , 5 3/8 X 8 1/4 Paperback

Publication Date: 01/18/2016

The Ministry of Cantors has long been a valuable resource for music ministry formation. This new edition includes valuable insights from Sing to the Lord: Music in Divine Worship. The revised edition addresses more fully the distinction between the roles of psalmist and cantor, suggests further concrete ways a paschal mystery spirituality must undergird both roles, and offers practical insights for helping one discern the call to be a cantor. New content also explores the power of the psalms to transform those singing into the kind of persons God is calling them to be.

As with the first edition, this new book does not present the "how-tos" of vocal technique, warm-up exercises, diction principles, etc. Instead, The Ministry of Cantors focuses on what the cantor is doing beneath vocal technique: surrendering self to the dying and rising of the paschal mystery. The aim of the book is to help cantors delve more deeply into who they are and who they are becoming through their ministry: the Body of Christ pouring self out in voice, breath, and prayer for the life of the world.

Author: Kathleen Harmon, SNDdeN

96 pgs , 5 3/8 X 8 1/4 Paperback

Publication Date: 01/19/2016

Ministering as a catechist is one of the highest callings within the church. Your "yes" to this calling for whatever reason needs to be affirmed and supported by an understanding of the ministry of catechesis, your role as minister, the audience to whom you are ministering, and the art of this ministry. Carrie Sallwasser offers an overview of the ministry of religious education for novice and veteran catechists alike that will aid in their ongoing formation as catechists in the ministry of forming disciples.

Author: Carrie Sallwasser

88 pgs, Paperback

Publication Date: 03/15/2016

Many who come to Sunday Mass or other liturgical celebrations are not one of the formal ministers (presider, greeters, acolytes, lectors, etc.). This book is about helping everyone at liturgy understand that being there and serving one another so that liturgy is fruitful for all is a ministry. This is what we may call the ministry of the assembly.

In some respects the ministry of the assembly is the most important ministry of all because it makes visible the church, the Body of Christ, by its very gathering together as one Body. As liturgical assembly, it makes present the celebration of the paschal mystery and Christ's ongoing mystery of salvation. Being a liturgical assembly is a privilege of our baptismal identity and the first way we live it out. The Ministry of the Assembly is a new book in the Collegeville Ministry series. Its five chapters address the being of the liturgical assembly, what the assembly does during liturgy, why being a liturgical assembly is so important, the configuration of the liturgical assembly in its own place, and a spirituality of the liturgical assembly.

Author: Joyce Ann Zimmerman

80 pgs , 5 3/8 X 8 1/4 Paperback

Publication Date: 01/09/2016

Instead of being a dour task on the checklist, what if the process of homily prep renewed you? Instead of feeling insecure about your message, what if your skills made you confident to preach a consistently clear message of Good News, authentic to you, relevant to your listeners, holding their attention and inviting transformation? Backstory Preaching: Integrating Life, Spirituality, and Craft shows you how.

By integrating your life and spirituality with the practical skills necessary for effective preaching, you can move beyond the boredom, stress, or insecurity of preaching so it is no longer you who preach but Christ who preaches in you. By connecting with God in the midst of your sermon prep, the Gospel will be spread deeper and further. God's joyand yourswill be made complete.

Author: Lisa Cressman

172 pgs , 6 x 9 Paperback

Publication Date: 05/23/2018

Whether you preach from a pulpit or sit in a pew, you hope (and pray) for a homily that connects the Good News with life. But what does it mean to connect? In a world that buzzes with the synapses of technological "connection," can the human touch of preaching make a difference anymore?

Connecting Pulpit and Pew is a fresh look at the conundrum of Catholic preaching, asking six key questions:

• Why does Sunday preaching matter and to whom?
• Why is Catholic preaching such an uphill climb?
• How can we connect the Gospel message with our young people?
• What are the struggles of clergy-on-the-ground in preaching?
• What is going on in the listener's head during the homily?
• And finally, what can each of us do to help "connection" in preaching become more common?

New research speaks to those questions from the voices of youth, the experiences of lay leaders, and the words of priests and deacons. Karla Bellinger offers concrete ways to connect the pulpit and the pew so that preaching becomes an act of love within a community of caring. This practical book breaks open an important and necessary conversation.

Author: Karla J. Bellinger

Details: 190 pgs, 6 x 9 Paperback

Publication Date: 05/08/2014

In June of 2012, an astounding 360 people gathered at the University of Notre Dame for a major conference on Catholic preaching. With contributions by a wide variety of theologians and practitioners, We Preach Christ Crucified gathers the fruits of those days spent reflecting on the importance of the preaching ministry. Its release is timely, given the US bishops' promulgation of a new document on preaching, Preaching the Mystery of Faith: The Sunday Homily (January, 2013), and the renewed emphasis on preaching by both Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis.

The challenges facing Christian preachers in our time are many and formidable ones. The authors in this collection take a fresh look at the task, the resources at hand, the contemporary context, and the preacher. The result is a refreshing and stunningly hopeful reconsideration of an ancient ministry.

We Preach Christ Crucified includes:

• Preface by Michael E. Connors, CSC
• We Preach a Living Word by Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller, MSpS
• Feasting at the Table of the Word: From Dei Verbum to Verbum Domini by Mary Catherine Hilkert, OP
• New Perspectives on Preaching from Verbum Domini by Fr. Jeremy Driscoll, OSB
• Preaching from and for the Liturgy: A Practical Guide by Fr. Jan Michael Joncas
• Preaching and Catechesis: Mending the Rift between Scripture and Doctrine by John C. Cavadini
• The New Evangelization and the New Media by Fr. Robert Barron
• The Challenge of Fulfilled in Your Hearing to Interpret Life in the Light of the Word by Theresa Rickard, OP
• "This Intimate Link"-The Ecumenical Contribution of Fulfilled in Your Hearing by Craig A. Satterlee
• Unfulfilled in Our Hearing, or, Why Can't Our Newly Ordained Priest Preach? by Fr. Tom Margevicius
• Preaching Hope in Times of Polarization by Susan McGurgan
• African American Contributions to Our American Catholic Preaching Challenge by Maurice J. Nutt, CSsR
• Becoming a Cross-cultural Preacher by Kenneth G. Davis, OFM Conv
• Preaching Among the Poor: A Panel of Holy Cross Priests by Fr. Joseph Corpora, CSC; Fr. Bill Wack, CSC; and Fr. Ronald Raab, CSC
• New Directions in the Funeral and Wedding Homily: The Preacher as the Minister of Hospitality of the Kingdom of God by Guerric DeBona, OSB
• Preaching and Children by Ann Garrido
• The Challenges Ahead for Catholic Preaching in the Twenty-first Century by Archbishop Robert J. Carlson
• Afterword: A Living Word of Hope for the Whatever Generation by Michael E. Connors, CSC

Editor: Michael Connors, CSC

Details: 252 pgs, 6 x 9 Paperback

Publication Date: 02/04/2014

Since the beginning of his pontificate, Pope Francis has encouraged, inspired, and delighted those who have heard him preach. Especially fascinating have been his plain-spoken and insightful weekday morning Mass homilies. He has also offered the church a substantial contribution on the theory and practice of homiletics in a large section of his first major teaching document, Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel). In The Preaching of Pope Francis, Gregory Heille, OP, introduces readers to the pope's preaching, his insights about the preaching vocation of the ordained, and his call to all the baptized to go to the margins as missionary disciples and evangelists of the Word.

Heille, a highly regarded professor of homiletics and preacher himself, offers an inspiring and practical resource for priests, deacons, and anyone involved in the ministry of preaching. He shares the pope's vision and example for the preparation and delivery of effective and engaging homilies and for laity invested in the church's ministry of the Word in a post-Vatican II pastoral context.

Author: Gregory Heille, OP

Details: 96 pgs, 5 3/8 x 8 1/4 Paperback

Publication Date: 02/19/2015

What should preachers aim for in Sunday preaching? In 1982, the USCCB document Fulfilled in Your Hearing: The Homily in the Sunday Assembly answered this question. Here, in a pastoral commentary on Fulfilled in Your Hearing, several Catholic scholars in homiletics, liturgy, and biblical studies both appreciate the abiding insights of Fulfilled in Your Hearing and also propose areas for continuing reflection. Following the four sections of the Bishops' document, The Assembly, The Preacher, The Homily, and Homiletic Method, this commentary emphasizes the document's continuing importance for the initial and ongoing formation of Catholic liturgical preachers, while also inviting conversation about present-day cross-cultural, liturgical, and communication concerns for Catholic preaching.

Priests, deacons, seminarians, bishops, and all others engaged in the preaching task are invited to deepen their appreciation of the homily's unique role in the liturgical life of the church and to stir their enthusiasm for preaching and preaching preparation.

Edited by James A. Wallace, CSsR

Details: 136 pgs , 5 3/8 x 8 1/4 Paperback

Publication Date: 11/01/2010

Thomas Scirghi, SJ, has trained priests, deacons, and lay ecclesial ministers in the art and theology of preaching for decades. In Longing to See Your Face, he makes his insights and experience accessible to a much wider audience.

Scirghi begins with a discussion of the purpose of preaching and offers a theological sounding on proclamation, taking up several descriptions of the role of the preacher in relation to the congregation. He also addresses current theological issues for the contemporary preacher. The second part of the book discusses the practical matter of preparing to preach and proposes a method of preparation by following a pattern of reflection, research, writing, and rehearsing. The third part focuses on two specific sacramental celebrations: funerals and weddings.

Author: Thomas Scirghi, SJ

Details: 130 pgs, 6 x 9 Paperback

Publication Date: 03/08/2017

In Good News, Darrin Snyder Belousek explores the meaning of salvation in the Gospel of Luke. Through biblical reflections on the stories and songs of Luke's telling of the coming of Jesus the Messiah, this book explains the manifold message of "good news." Fully accessible to laypersons yet substantially informed by biblical scholarship, keenly aware of spiritual concerns and passionately engaged with social issues, this book offers a vision of salvation that is grounded in grace and nurtured by prayer, relevant to both the spiritual and the social, and inseparable from doing justice and seeking peace.

Author: Darrin W. Snyder Belousek

Details: 154 pgs, 5 3/8 x 8 1/4 Paperback

Publication Date: 04/07/2014

The Lectionary is made up of selected passages from the Bible, placed within a literary and liturgical context. This new context calls for a consideration of the liturgical character and setting of the Lectionary readings. Preaching the New Lectionary: Year C, offers readers that interpretation.

Preaching the New Lectionary is unique. First, it employs a literary-liturgical way of interpreting all the readings of each Sunday and major feast of the liturgical year, including the often overlooked responsorial psalm. Second, it explicitly situates the interpretation of each day within the theology of its respective liturgical season. This theology is drawn from the specific themes of the readings that comprise that particular year rather than from more general themes associated with the season. The meaning of the entire season becomes the context for understanding the individual parts of it. Third, the lections are also read in sequential order from the first Sunday of that season to the last. This reading interprets the function of the literary forms, thus providing yet another way of interpreting the riches of the readings.

This way of reading and understanding the Lectionary has potential for liturgical ministry. It can quicken the religious imagination of homilists, thus providing fresh new possibilities for liturgical preaching. It offers creative insights for those involved in the liturgical preparation for the celebration of feasts and seasons. It can also act as a valuable resource for liturgical catechesis. The insights included in Preaching the New Lectionary contribute toward enhancing the liturgical lives of the faithful.

Author: Dianne Bergant, CSA, with Richard N. Fragomeni

Details: 456 pgs, 6 x 9 Paperback

Publication Date: 08/01/2000