Adrien Nocent's The Liturgical Year was the first comprehensive commentary on the three-year lectionary in its relation to the Sacramentary of Paul VI. Now this extraordinary work of applied, postconciliar liturgical scholarship has been revised and annotated by Paul Turner. While taking care to keep Nocent's voice, the revision provides: a brief introduction, placing the commentary in its historical context; annotations that provide a bridge between Nocent's day and our own; explanatory notes on history, culture, language, and liturgy where needed; gender-inclusive language where appropriate; liturgical texts that conform to The Roman Missal, Third Edition. As we celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of Vatican II's Sacrosanctum Concilium, encounter again or for the first time the still fresh, vibrant scholarship and pastoral wisdom of Adrien Nocent's The Liturgical Year! (back cover).

An indispensable resource for clergy, students, and liturgists, this revised volume assembles the liturgical documents needed for the study and preparation of parish sacramental rites, and other liturgies, such as Masses with children, the Liturgy of the Hours, and Eucharistic adoration. This second edition now includes the praenotanda from the sacramental rites, along with additional documents needed to prepare the Mass, blessings, and the Sacred Paschal Triduum. A pastoral overview introduces each document, explaining the purpose of the document, the degree of its authority, and its practical implications. With an extensive index and a glossary of terms, this volume is designed for easy navigation and frequent reference.

The Cambridge Dictionary of Christianity is an authoritative reference guide that enables students, their teachers, Christian clergy, and general readers alike to reflect critically upon all aspects of Christianity from its origins to the present day. Written by a team of 828 scholars and practitioners from around the world, the volume reflects the plurality of Christianity throughout its history. Key features of The Cambridge Dictionary of Christianity: •Provides a survey of the history of Christianity in the world, on each continent, and in each nation •Offers a presentation of the Christian beliefs and practices of all major Christian traditions •Highlights the different understandings of Christian beliefs and practices in different historical, cultural, religious, denominational, and secular contexts •Includes entries on methodology and the plurality of approaches that are used in the study of Christianity •Respects each Christian tradition by providing self-presentations of Christianity in each country or Christian tradition •Includes clusters of entries on beliefs and practices, each examining the understanding of a given Christian belief or practice in different historical and contemporary contexts •Presents the relationship and interaction of Christianity with other religious traditions in the world •Provides, on a Web site (http://hdl.handle.net/1803/3906), a full bibliography covering all topics discussed in the signed articles of this volume

If a list were made of the greatest human beings who have ever lived, those reflected upon in this four-volume series would be at the top of that list. Though historians often attempt to judge greatness from their own subjective perspective, there must be an objective criteria by which human greatness is judged. The only Person Who is capable of establishing that criteria is God. The criteria that God has established are the virtues, as identified by Jesus and revealed by Him through the holy Gospels. The goal of this four-volume series is to present each saint found on the Catholic liturgical calendar (as a Solemnity, Feast, or Memorial) in such a way as to identify the Godly virtues that place them on the top of that list. Though their greatness has already been established and their heroic virtues confirmed by the Church, God chose the men and women found in these pages, not only for greatness in their lifetimes but also as models of holiness in ours. These men and women are gifts to you, given by God through the Church. Every saint is unique, but every saint is similar because each one became living witnesses to Christ and living Gospels for a world in need. Some saints were united to God through martyrdom, some through virginity and chastity, some through works of charity, and some through lives of intense prayer. The saints have come from every culture, every socio-economic background, every level of education, and every personality type. Through every saint, God shines forth, radiating His abundant mercy through the diversity of their lives. In the end, it is not their personality, preferences, gifts, or any other unique qualities that unite them as the one communion of saints. It is God and God alone Who floods their souls and forms them into a united song of praise of God’s eternal glory. Why read about the saints? Why learn about their lives? Why ponder what they said and did? The answer is simple. You are called to be among their company. You are called to become as holy as they were, transformed by God’s grace, and to radiate that grace in the world today. At first, the virtues of the saints might seem to be out of your reach. The saints can appear to be superhuman. The truth is that the saints became fully human by becoming who they were created to be. They rejected the deceptions of the devil, the seductions of the world, and the weaknesses of the flesh. Instead, they discovered the truths of God, sought out the riches of Heaven, and became filled with the strength of every virtue. As you read about the lives of the saints, ponder their words and actions, study their heroic virtues, and learn from their lives of prayer, allow yourself not only to be inspired by them but also to desire to imitate them. Nothing is stopping you from being counted among the saints in Heaven. God promises to lavish every grace upon you that you need to walk down that holy path. Only when you refuse His grace is that mission thwarted.

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 emended and annotated by one of today's leading 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. On 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.

It is a terrible irony that notwithstanding what can be described as the miraculous achievements of the Catholic Church in Igbo land especially in numbers and structures, Igbo Catholicism as a project has remained largely stalled both in theological reflection and other critical activities associated with it. Igbo Catholicism perhaps ranks dead last among its peers in indigenous theological activities. With regard to theological reflection, the Church in Igbo land looks like a dormant volcano. The potential for eruption is there for everybody to see. Yet she does not seem to be able to release the first surge of the molten lava.

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.

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

Guide for Celebrating® Matrimony walks through each part the revised ritual noting best practices and appropriate adaptations while providing pastoral guidance for forming and catechizing couples; ideas for leading wedding workshops, handling difficult situations, and developing parish guidelines; as well as offering suggestions for parish evangelization and hospitality. This book includes: Theological reflections on the Sacrament of Matrimony; Historical overview of the development of Marriage rituals; Answers to frequently asked questions; A glossary and suggestions for additional resources; Inspirational and instructive quotations from Scripture and Church documents; Ritually instructive photos.

Since its publication in 2000, The Early Christian World has come to be regarded by scholars, students and the general reader as one of the most informative and accessible works in English on the origins, development, character and major figures of early Christianity. In this new edition, the strengths of the first edition are retained. These include the book’s attractive architecture that initially takes a reader through the context and historical development of early Christianity; the essays in critical areas such as community formation, everyday experience, the intellectual and artistic heritage, and external and internal challenges; and the profiles on the most influential early Christian figures. The book also preserves its strong stress on the social reality of early Christianity and continues its distinctive use of hundreds of illustrations and maps to bring that world to life. Yet the years that have passed since the first edition was published have seen great advances made in our understanding of early Christianity in its world. This new edition fully reflects these developments and provides the reader with authoritative, lively and up-to-date access to the early Christian world. A quarter of the text is entirely new and the remaining essays have all been carefully revised and updated by their authors. Some of the new material relates to Christian culture (including book culture, canonical and non-canonical scriptures, saints and hagiography, and translation across cultures). But there are also new essays on: Jewish and Christian interaction in the early centuries; ritual; the New Testament in Roman Britain; Manichaeism; Pachomius the Great and Gregory of Nyssa. This new edition will serve its readers for many years to come.