Books - (also see Inspirational Books)

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

The fifty-six essays in this book present cultural reflections on the gospel reading assigned for each Sunday in Cycle C of the Roman Lectionary. Each essay highlights aspects of the first-century, Eastern Mediterranean cultural world in which Jesus lived and suggests a cross-cultural comparison with contemporary Western culture. With this background information, readers can make more fitting applications of the Scripture to modern life situations.

By John J Pilch

5-3/8 x 8-1/4 paperback 184 pages

Reflections on Lectionary Readings for Cycle C by Dr. Dianne Bergant, CSA

A well-known biblical scholar presents thought-provoking reflections on the lectionary readings for each Sunday and feast for the Year of Luke.

Paperback 200 pages

Cycle C of this three-volume work of reflections on the liturgical readings for Sundays and Holy Days rounds out Father Krempa's series with meditations based largely on the Gospel of Luke which plays such a prominent role in the Cycle.   As such, emphasis has been placed on the Lord's kindness, compassion, predilection for the poor, the outcast, the sick and the sinner.   Intended for the "average" Sunday congregation, these brief thoughts exemplify how to apply the best scripture scholarship to practical, everyday problems.  

199 pages

In concluding his 3-volume series of reflections on the Sunday Gospels, Father Dowling throws light in a special way on the nuances to be found in the Gospel of Luke, which plays such a predominant role in Cycle C of the liturgical readings. With Luke there is always more than meets the eye or ear when initially encountered. These meditations reveal what we otherwise might well have missed. Ever gender-conscious in his presentation of the teachings of Jesus, Luke made a special effort to follow a lesson in which a man was the protagonist with another in which a woman took the lead. Struck by Our Lord €™s predilection for the poor, the outcast, the sick and the sinner, Luke portrays the kindness, the compassion, the empathy and the forgiving nature of Jesus in a way that is unique to his Gospel. Drawing on his years of study and long experience as a homilist in a variety of settings, Father Dowling educates and inspires with these brief yet profound reflections in the hope of enriching the spiritual lives of those who make use of them. Homilist and average parishioner will find much to ponder here. All will appreciate the addition of the topical, liturgical and scriptural indices to his three-volume series present in this third book.

Pages 271

In this volume, Father Smith rounds out his three-year cycle of practical, pertinent and popular reflections on the Word of God proclaimed from the pulpit each Sunday. Following his own advice he has kept his homilies short and to-the-point with brief, illustrated and often humorous stories which emphasize the main theme of the liturgical readings of the day. €œPreaching, €� he tells us, €œmust be the fruit of the preacher €™s own prayed experience €¦[and] a good homily always serves up something to think about, something to emote over, something to aspire to, something to smile at, and something to believe. Most of all, it provides a truth of faith to live by €�. These Sunday homilies succeed remarkably well in doing all these things.

Pages 251

This resource provides invaluable commentary on the Lectionary readings for Year C (including the Responsorial Psalm) for Sundays, holydays of obligation, and feasts and solemnities that may occur on a Sunday. Written in a pastoral tone, it offers historical-critical background on each of the readings and underscores their relevance to life today. Thematically related quotations from major Church documents are included with each Scripture background to provide context and connections to Church teaching. Organized by the liturgical calendar, each season of readings begins with an overview of the season and a brief look at where the readings come from and any unifying messages or themes present throughout the selected readings. Scripture Backgrounds for the Sunday Lectionary, Year C is written by a team of writers with a broad range of theological, pastoral, and catechetical experience. Their reflections offer homilists a solid foundation from which to begin the process of preparing to speak the Word of God to their assemblies.

Author contributors: Mary A. Ehle; Peg Ekerdt; Jean Marie Hiesberger; Biagio Mazza; Mary M. Mcglone, csj; Abbot Gregory J. Polan, caps">osb; Denise Simeone; George Smiga; Paul Turner

Paperback 6x9 308 pages

This is a book of short homilies on the Gospels for the Sundays and celebrations of Year C. The homilies concentrate on the core message of the Gospel and are catechetical in approach. They make a wonderful companion and guide for those who prepare the homilies as well as those who want further reflection on what they hear at Mass.

Paperback 6x9 160 pages

In recent years there has been an intensified focus on the development of discipleship-based parish ministries especially in the Catholic Church. Making disciples is the great and enduring Commission Jesus gave to the Church in Matthew 28:19.

In this book, Monsignor Mueggenborg presents a simple resource that can help enrich the faith lives of parishioners and assist them in becoming missionary disciples. These reflections are based on the Gospel readings assigned to a given Sunday in liturgical year C.

Each reflection identifies some significant elements in the Gospel passage followed by application questions that challenge a disciple's faith life. The reflections are designed for use in either small group bible studies or as a resource for individual prayer and contemplation. The reflections intentionally start with the brevity and simplicity of Advent before developing into more complex explorations of the biblical text as the year progresses. The Word of God is alive, powerful, and sharper than a two edged sword (Heb 4:12). Come Follow Me is a tried and proven resource that helps to unleash the power of the Word in the hearts of Christ's disciples.

Paperback 6x9 292 pages

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

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 Reid, OP

Details: 136 pgs, 6 x 9 Paperback

Publication Date: 08/01/2012

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 

What are Vespers? Where have the consecration bells gone? Why do some liturgical ministers vest and others don't? Blinking sneakers on altar servers, Christmas trees in January . . . what is that all about? These are some of the candid questions that Catholics and others often wonder about the liturgy. In What's the Smoke For?, expert liturgist Johan van Parys offers helpful and engaging answers. Based on church teaching and rooted in sound theology, Johan's responses invite inquiring minds to continue to think about what is happening in the church and to be engaged in learning more about liturgy and the arts.

Author: Johan van Parys

Details: 168 pgs, 5 3/8 x 8 1/4 Paperback

Publication Date: 07/07/2014

Explore the deeper meaning of eucharistic celebration with a highly regarded expert on liturgy. In Mystagogy of the Eucharist, Gilbert Ostdiek, OFM, draws on ritual actions, liturgical symbols, prayer texts, and reflective commentary to help participants in the liturgy name and reflect on the meaning that Eucharist has for daily life. This book is offered as a practical, pastoral resource for those engaged in the ongoing formation of worshipers and their liturgical ministers.

Author: Gilert Ostdiek, OFM

Details: 144 pgs, 6 x 9 

Publication Date: 05/12/2015

What are we doing when we confirm teenagers? Why is the religious education of teenagers so perplexing? Why is confirmation often a moment of "graduation" out of parish life?

Confirmation: How a Sacrament of God's Grace Became All about Us tells the story of how confirmation, more than any other sacrament, has interacted with secular culture to give rise to these kinds of pastoral challenges. At the same time, confirmation has, over the course of the twentieth century, become a sacramental stamp of approval for various Catholic renewal movements.

The cultural shifts of the last century have led to various theological themes for confirmation, creating a crisis of meaning today. Is confirmation a personal choice for faith, or is it the deepening of an ongoing relationship with the Divine? Timothy Gabrielli gives us a fresh approach for addressing these pressing questions.

Author: Timothy Gabrielli

Details:132 pgs, 6 x 9 

Publication Date: 09/24/2013

More than half a century after its introduction into the Easter liturgy, the rite of the washing of feet on Holy Thursday goes to the heart of what it means to take part in Christian liturgy as well as to live a Christian life. In Washing Feet: Imitating the Example of Jesus in the Liturgy Today, Thomas O'Loughlin explores the significance of mutual footwashing in early Christian communities and in the rituals of churches today.

Washing Feet is a sound and engaging combination of liturgical theology, historical exploration, and practical pastoral guidance. Clergy, liturgy committees, and RCIA leaders involved in Holy Week liturgies will find this a useful and accessible resource for understanding how this practice is a key to how ordinary Christians understand the nature of the church and their relationship to others within their particular communities.

Author: Thomas O'Loughlin

Details: 144 pgs, 5 x 7 

Publication Date: 12/07/2015

As the summit of the church's liturgical year, the Paschal Triduum requires the energy, time, and talents of many people within the parish community. In Three Great Days, Jeremy Helmes draws on rubrics, liturgical theology, the church's tradition, and plenty of lived experience to offer a sound guide to planning and preparing. He draws attention to rituals requiring special attention and helps you determine liturgical roles and responsibilities. He also offers templates, worksheets, planning forms, and other ready-to-use resources that any parish can use to make their liturgical preparation and evaluation easier and more effective.

Whether it's your first time preparing these liturgies, you're looking for fresh ideas, or you just want to make sure you're covering everything, this book will help your parish make this year's Triduum three truly great days.

Author: Jeremy Helmes 

Details: 106 pgs, 7 x 10 Paperback

Publication Date: 12/07/2016

Since its initial publication in 2006, Paul Turner's Let Us Pray has become a valuable resource for understanding, planning, and celebrating the Eucharist. This new edition, thoroughly updated by the author to be in full continuity with the Revised English Translation of The Roman Missal, will be one that priests, liturgical ministers, planners, and students will want to keep close at hand.

Turner offers helpful explanations for the principal rubrics for a typical Sunday Mass. He reflects on the place of ritual within the context of Catholic piety and then explores the regulations governing the furnishings, vestments, and ministers. He carefully walks readers through the entire Mass from the entrance procession to the dismissal. The book is cross-referenced to answer most questions about the Sunday ritual.

Author: Paul Turner

Details: 184 pgs, 6 x 9 

Publication Date: 09/01/2012

The Collegeville Psalter is a brand new responsorial psalm collection for Catholic worship, composed by one of today's most accomplished and inspiring composers. It faithfully follows the U.S. Lectionary text of the psalms and responses for the complete three-year cycle of Sundays and major feast days. It also includes settings of the "Common Texts" responsorial psalms.

The music is fresh and singable, with memorable responses for the assembly, fresh tones for the cantor, and engaging accompaniments for organ or keyboard. Psalms with different refrains or sets of verses use the same or related musical material for ease of learning. An important new resource, The Collegeville Psalter serves well either as a stand-alone parish psalter or as a fine addition to any existing liturgical music program.

Author: Paul Inwood

Coil bound 166 pages 8 1/2 "x 10 7/8"

The Collegeville Ministry Series offers inexpensive, yet comprehensive, training on the various liturgical roles. Each booklet is 5 3/8" x 8 1/4" in size and prepared by a specialist in the field and provides down-to-earth suggestions for making ministry more meaningful for the ministers and those who serve.

We all know that a one-size-fits-all approach to RCIA catechumenate formation doesn't work. But until now, many of us were stumped trying to find a viable alternative. Seek the Living God: Five RCIA Inquiry Questions for Making Disciples is the answer to your prayers. After just a few meetings with your seekers, you will be able to easily create a customized faith formation plan that is tailored to the unique needs of each person. The best part is that the seekers do most of the work in developing their own plan. Your role shifts from being the Catholic "expert" to being a mentor and coach.

Once you understand how the five-question process works, you can easily train others to use it. New team members don't have to worry about "knowing enough" to be on the team. Start using these questions with your very next RCIA seeker. You will be amazed at the powerful conversion that will happen with your inquirers-and with you.

Author: Nick Wagner

130 pages, 6" x 9" Paperback

Publication Date: 12/14/2017