Parish Resources

The revised translation of the Order of the Anointing of the Sick and of their Pastoral Care is an opportunity for the church to recommit to pastoral care of the sick. It is also an opportunity to catechize the faithful anew on the heightened importance of Viaticum and the church’s sacramental life when a person is in danger of death. In To Free, Save, and Raise Up, Paul Turner offers a commentary on this ritual book, with pastoral insights for priests and deacons who use it in their ministry, as well as important background on the Second Vatican Council’s changes to the sacraments for the sick, the deliberations that produced the revised rite, and the translation process. This practical guide serves as a helpful resource for priests, deacons, and all who participate in this important ministry.

Paul Turner is pastor of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Kansas City, Missouri, and director of the Office of Divine Worship for the Diocese of Kansas City––St. Joseph. He holds a doctorate in sacred theology from Sant’ Anselmo in Rome. The 2025 Catholic Media Association’s Author of the Year, Turner is also a past president of the North American Academy of Liturgy, and a member of Societas Liturgica and the Catholic Academy of Liturgy. He is the author of numerous books published by Liturgical Press and a contributor to Give Us This Day. 

Publication Date:4/15/2026

A practical guide for initiation ministers on the appropriate ways to accompany Christians who are already baptized, and who now seek to enter into the Catholic Church.

The Order of Christian Initiation of Adults offers pathways for preparing both unbaptized catechumens entering into the Christian life and validly baptized Christians of other denominations who seek to enter into the Catholic Church. However, there is often confusion about the proper ways of accompanying those who are already baptized and celebrating the sacraments of initiation with them. In Full Communion with Us, Paul Turner provides an in-depth analysis of the pages of the OCIA that concern baptized candidates, with guidance that takes seriously both the liturgical rites and the Catholic Church’s ecumenical commitments. Those who are preparing the formation as well as the liturgical celebrations pertaining to baptized candidates will find this an invaluable resource.

Paul Turner is pastor of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Kansas City, Missouri, and director of the Office of Divine Worship for the Diocese of Kansas City––St. Joseph. He holds a doctorate in sacred theology from Sant’ Anselmo in Rome. He is a former president of the North American Academy of Liturgy and a member of Societas Liturgica and the Catholic Academy of Liturgy. He is the author of numerous books published by Liturgical Press and a contributor to Give Us This Day. Most recently, he is the recipient of four awards from the 2025 Catholic Media Association Book Awards, including First Place for Author of the Year.

Receiving baptized Christians into the full communion of the Catholic Church calls for ecumenical sensitivity and pastoral wisdom on the part of those who will accompany these candidates as they prepare for reception.

Deuteronomy, the final book of the Torah, is ostensibly addressed to males but it does not mean it lacks a concern for women. In this commentary on Deuteronomy, Johanna W. H. van Wijk-Bos provides serious feminist engagement with the complete text, paying specific attention to the effect it may have on women’s perspectives, and considers ways the text highlights female presence or absence.

In this commentary, van Wijk-Bos encourages readers to question not only the patriarchal practices reflected in Deuteronomy, but also modern misogynist and androcentric assumptions that they may bring to the world of the text. Divided into eleven sections, Deuteronomy offers insight for our present time, as well as an opportunity to hear new voices, examine cultural and gender-biased interpretations, and draw other conclusions to open up new avenues of understanding God and ourselves.

Fifty years after the death of Bernard of Clairvaux, Alan of Lille died in 1202 or 1203 among the CisteOCIAns at Cîteaux. Celebrated in his own time as doctor universalis, Alan made pioneering contributions in a variety of genres. Best known today for his influential epic poems, the Anticlaudianus and the Complaint of Nature, Alan also composed a theological dictionary, a handbook for preachers, a defense of the catholic faith against the Cathars, and one of the first Marian commentaries on the Song of Songs. Translated here in its entirety for the first time, Alan’s Elucidatio in Cantica Canticorum illumines his other writings and provides a measure for the originality of his Mariology.

Ann W. Astell is the John Cardinal O’Hara Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame. The author of seven books and the editor or co-editor of seven volumes, she has recently published essays on Honorius Augustodunensis, Bernard of Clairvaux, Eadmer of Canterbury, and Aelred of Rievaulx.

Each year, on the Third Sunday of Advent, children gather with their families in Saint Peter's Square for "Bambinelli Sunday." The children bring with them figures of the Christ Child—the Bambinelli—from their family's Nativity scene. During the Angelus prayer, the pope blesses the children, their families, and the figurines they have brought.

Bambinelli Sunday tells the story of one little boy, Alessandro, and what he learns from Baby Jesus about the love that can overcome anything.

A Walk through the Mass will take you on an awe-inspiring journey through the Mass. Each chapter is focused on a particular part of the Mass. Within each chapter, Timothy P. O’Malley provides accessible context for why Catholics pray at Mass in a specific way and provides the meaning behind our postures, movements, and prayers. It will lead you to a greater understanding of the Mass and deepen your relationship with God and all who pray with you. This is the perfect resource for those interested in the Catholic faith, for new Catholics, or for those who need a refresher on our most important prayer.

Join Fr. Agustino Torres, CFR—founder of Corazón Puro—on a multimedia Advent journey led by the saints and the Holy Family to prepare yourself to enter into the story of Christ’s birth through prayer, charity, and joyful acts of service to the needy.

Prepare Your Heart features stunning original art by Valerie Delgado of Pax.Valerie, along with daily meditations on a passage from scripture, reflection questions, prayer, and space for journaling and notetaking.

Embark on a transformative journey this Advent with Heather Khym, cohost of the Abiding Together podcast, as she extends a heartfelt invitation to embrace stillness and silence amid life’s chaos, allowing God to dwell in the depths of your being. While the world moves at an ever-faster pace, Heather encourages you to pull back from the hustle and create space for our Savior to come into every area of your life—to transform and heal it through his love.

In Encountering Emmanuel, using poignant reflections and accompanying videos, Heather will gently guide you into the areas of your heart where Christ has not yet come—the areas where you’ve shut him out, the places you’ve long forgotten and ignored, or the spaces you’re ashamed to acknowledge. You’ll learn how to invite him in so that he can bring his light, love, peace, hope, and healing into your heart. From the forgotten corners to the shadowed recesses, Heather encourages you to open these spaces to the transformative power of Christ’s love.

“If we do not embrace the darkness,” writes Fr. John Nepil, “we cannot welcome the light. This is the heart of Advent: a season of trustful surrender, renewed receptivity, and silent vigil. It is the time when we wait for the coming of the light—not just in the Christ child at Christmas, but in the inner illumination of God’s presence in the soul. God, who is conceived in silence and born in poverty, comes again to fill the soul with light.”

St. Pio of Pietrelcina had a deep devotion to the Christ Child. The man more commonly known as Padre Pio also possessed extraordinary and unique mystical gifts: Jesus often came to him in the form of a little child.

In Welcoming the Christ Child with Padre Pio, stories about the saint known for his stigmata and ability to bilocate are woven with scripture and prayer to help you experience Advent—Padre Pio’s favorite season—with greater hope and joy.

Discover peace and spiritual renewal in the midst of the holiday season using Praying with the Psalms by Deacon Jason Bulman. Designed for Advent and the Christmas season, these daily three-minute devotions guide you to lay down the busyness and tensions of life and embrace the profound hope and promise of the Incarnation.

From the First Sunday of Advent (November 30) through the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord (January 11), this devotional invites you to ponder the wonder of God becoming human in Christ Jesus. Whether you spend three minutes or linger longer, these reflections will center your heart and mind on the true meaning of the season.

Let the music of Advent and Christmas draw you into deeper prayer this season with Away in a Manger: Daily Prayers for Advent and Christmas 2025. This beautifully crafted devotional from the Ave Devotionals series invites you to spend just a few minutes each day in quiet reflection, guided by the hymns and carols that echo the joy and mystery of the Incarnation.

Behold the Wonder invites you to experience Advent in a fresh and immersive way—by stepping into the world of scripture and witnessing the story unfold around you. Imagine breathing in the scent of lilies at the annunciation. Envision Mary embracing Elizabeth in joyful wonder. Pause to contemplate the hushed awe of the shepherds on that first Christmas night. Picture yourself traveling with the Magi beneath a guiding star, drawn to the radiant light of Christ.

Theology professor Catherine Cavadini and artist Anastassia Cassady blend the ancient monastic practices of lectio divina (divine reading) and visio divina (divine seeing) to lead you on a contemplative journey, inviting you to encounter Jesus as Mary did—with wonder, love, and trust.

Do you want to learn more about Catholicism? Are you returning to the faith after a long absence? Do you want to know what role the Catholic faith plays in your life? The Seeker’s Catechism answers your questions in an easy-to-read Q&A format to help you feel more at home with what the Church believes and practices.

This updated edition of The Seeker’s Catechism by veteran teacher Michael Pennock offers concise answers to questions about the riches of Catholic faith based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church. You will learn about what the Church teaches about the sacraments, annulment, the purpose of prayer, the Virgin Mary, salvation, the Paschal Mystery, and much more.

In an era marked by Eucharistic revival, synodal renewal, and Jubilee celebrations, Fr. Michael White and Tom Corcoran—the bestselling authors of Rebuilt—offer a practical guide to revitalizing your parish through small groups. In The Transformative Power of Small Groups: A 7-Step Guide for Building Vibrant Catholic Communities, they show you how to foster faith-based friendships, which result in vibrant communities that not only sustain Christian love and service but also change the world.

This concise guide shows how small groups can become the backbone of your parish’s pastoral care, discipleship, and evangelization efforts. Through their signature blend of engaging storytelling—highlighting real-life successes and struggles—White and Corcoran share examples of how small group members rally around each other during times of crisis, challenge one another toward spiritual growth, and provide meaningful support in everyday life.

Many pastoral leaders feel ill-equipped to respond to the turmoil of those who face the death by suicide of a loved one. Responding to Suicide is the first book written for Catholic leaders that takes a holistic approach to understanding suicide and ministering effectively in its aftermath.

More than a dozen leading mental health practitioners, Catholic theologians, and pastoral care experts share how best to respond to suicide as leaders in parishes, schools, healthcare systems, and other Church settings. The book offers a cross-disciplinary approach that provides basic information about the central role of mental health in suicide and clarifies Church teaching about suicide, funerals and burials for those who have died by suicide, and their afterlife.

Death by suicide is usually sudden, often violent, and frequently comes at the end of a long and difficult struggle with a mental illness. Heaped on top of that is a social stigma that leaves loved ones in shock and often burdened with shame. Responding to Suicide addresses common concerns of the bereaved following a suicide: skepticism that Catholic leaders will understand; fear that the Church teaches that their loved one is in hell; and belief that they will find little if any support in the Church.

Ann Garrido’s 2009 article in America magazine on the spirituality of administration in Catholic settings created a wave of demand in this successful academic administrator’s already full speaking schedule. Garrido admits that she sometimes finds administration draining, even boring, as it fractures her days into “tiny shards of time” that make it impossible to focus on “the big ideas.” And yet she has found spiritual gifts in her many years as a theologian, parish minister, and administrator in higher education. In Redeeming Administration, she reveals those gifts by examining twelve spiritual habits for Catholic leaders in parishes, schools, religious communities, and other institutions—presenting a saint who embodies each habit—and showing readers how to experience their administrative work as a crucial ministry of the Church.

A brief prayer and questions for personal reflection, group conversation, or spiritual direction complete each chapter. Free downloads to accompany Redeeming Administration include a small-group guide and prayer resources.

Catholic theologian Ann M. Garrido—author of the bestselling and award-winning book Redeeming Administration—continues her work on Christian leadership by examining power not as a manipulative force in short supply but as Jesus understood it: an abundant good meant to be shared and put to use for the sake of harmony and holiness.

In Redeeming Power, Garrido helps you develop a spirituality of power by considering the skills and personal qualities that will enable a healthy and holy use of power in your role as one who leads. Garrido explores key passages from the creation stories of Genesis where we find the roots of how Jesus understood power. She shows how God shares divine power with all humans and calls leaders to specific ways of exercising power that will benefit the people and institutions they serve.

9780893905408 | 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 | 48 Pages

Para comprender los sacramentos de iniciación explains the rites of the three sacraments of Christian initiation, Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist. Using the mystagogical method presented by Pope Benedict XVI in Sacramentum caritatis, the author explores each of the rites’ Old Testament foundations, liturgical history, and sacramental theology as well as the connection between the sacraments of initiation and daily Christian life.

9781616717247 | 6 x 9 | 256 Pages

Available March 2025.

There are many ways of ordering our time. The liturgical year is the Church’s way for centering and ordering our lives around Christ. Through the cycle of liturgical seasons and special feast days, we are reminded of God’s love revealed to us through Jesus Christ and invited to enter into God’s time and his salvation.

This pastoral resource provides an insightful and spiritually engaging overview of the meaning of the liturgical year, the liturgical seasons, the importance of Sunday, and the role of the saints in leading us to Christ. It will help you embrace the sacredness of the liturgical year and allow it to order your prayer and personal life so that, in all you do, Christ is at its center.

9781616718374 | 5 3/8 x 8 3/8 | 64 Pages

Available March 2025.

In November 2000, Built of Living Stones: Art, Architecture, and Worship (BLS) was published from the United States Catholic bishops. This document is designed to guide religious communities, parish teams, and other Catholic institutions in the renovation or building of new churches, chapels, and oratories. The document “reflects [the Church’s] understanding of the liturgy, of the role and importance of church art and architecture, and of the integral roles of the local parish and the diocese that enter into a building or renovation project” (BLS, 9).

This important document also “contains many of the provisions of universal law governing liturgical art and architecture and offers pastoral suggestions . . . [and] guidelines that can serve as the basis for diocesan bishops to issue further guidelines and directives for their dioceses” (BLS, 10). With its theological reflections on art and liturgy and its establishment of liturgical norms, it is an essential document for architects, liturgical consultants and artists, contractors, and other professionals who are responsible for the design and construction of worship spaces.

9781616718411 | 6 x 9 | 96 Pages

Use these forty color-coded, self-adhesive tabs to mark the major divisions and rites found in the newly translated English and Spanish Order of Christian Initiation of Adults approved for use in the diocesed of the United States. The tabs are bilingual in English and Spanish.

These self-adhesive, die-stamped tabs require no cutting or inserting and are easy to attach to pages of the OCIA. Just peel off, then press and stick. Detailed instructions are provided inside the package.

Available March 2025.

The coordinator’s role in Christian initiation is essential for developing a rich and fruitful initiation ministry in the parish community. This book will renew veteran coordinators of Christian initiation in their role and introduce novices to the many aspects of their work. It will help coordinators manage their various responsibilities, come to a deeper understanding of the process of Christian initiation, and develop a profound appreciation for the way the liturgical and ritual elements of the baptismal catechumenate lead to an encounter with the living God. Features include:

• An introduction to the overall vision of the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults, which sets the tone for the whole ministry of initiation
• Stories of initiation that resonate with the experiences of coordinators
• Practical steps and advice to help coordinators implement the ritual
• Suggestions for how to form an initiation team and a vibrant parish ministry
• Guidance for addressing pastoral concerns that arise during the process of initiation
• Downloadable forms that help facilitate recordkeeping
• A glossary of commonly used terms related to initiation

9781616718336 | 7 X 10 | 112 Pages

This best-selling book has been a practical and spiritually enriching formational resource for years. Guide for Sponsors offers practical suggestions for accompanying another on a faith journey and explains the periods and stages of the Christian initiation process. Sponsors will become immersed in the rich theology of the sacrament of baptism and come to understand conversion as a lifelong process for all disciples. The book details the traits of an effective sponsor and provides a glossary of initiation terms and the text of traditional Catholic prayers. With this resource, sponsors in your faith community will be more confident as they walk with catechumens and candidates on the path to the sacraments.

This revised edition gives particular emphasis to the differences that exist between sponsoring a candidate and sponsoring a catechumen and includes references to the new translation of the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults.

9781616717438 | 6 x 9 | 80 Pages

The period of the catechumenate is rich with opportunities for catechesis, and the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults presents four ways that catechesis occurs during that time for the unbaptized. A Guide to the Period of the Catechumenate breaks open each of those ways of catechizing by first exploring the approach of catechesis accommodated to the liturgical year, then by providing suggestions on how to introduce catechumens to the Christian way of life. In addition to this foundational material, this book also includes:

• An overview of six foundational principles of initiation ministry and how they are applied to the period of the catechumenate
• Practical advice for leading formational and catechetical sessions with the unbaptized
• Thirty-five seasonal outlines and twenty-four monthly outlines with liturgical suggestions for preparing Celebrations of the Word
• Thirty-four seasonal outlines and twenty-four monthly outlines with practical ways catechumens can serve their parish and local communities
• Twelve catechetical sessions on the lives of the saints

9781616718015 | 7 x 10 | 244 Pages | Paperback

Simple Catechism of the Catholic Faith, in words and pictures. Catecismo de la Fe Catolica con palabras e ilustraciones simples.