This collection of Celtic writings brings alive the language and images of the Celtic tradition. The basic theme is that of celebrating the seasons of life: the wonder of creation, New Year, Easter, Harvest, the daily toil, being alone with God, baptism, marriage, family, reconciliation and peace. Pat Robson also outlines the history of Celtic Christianity, and offers short biographies of those who influenced the growth of Celtic spirituality, from St Anthony to King Arthur.

Those familiar with the music of Dan Schutte are in for a great treat here. As in his music, he deals with themes of longing and desire for God, the hungers of the human heart, unfulfilled human hopes and dreams, and the profound happiness of finding ones home in God. The exercises here are loosely based on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola, and the goal is the same for both: to draw readers into a personal, living, growing relationship with Jesus Christ.

Edited by early music experts Hugh Keyte and Andrew Parrott, this anthology of Christmas carols is the most comprehensive collection ever made, spanning seven centuries of caroling in Britain, continental Europe, and North America. Containing music and text of 201 carols, many in more than one setting, the book is organized in two sections: composed carols, ranging from medieval Gregorian chants to modern compositions, and folk carols, including not only traditional Anglo-American songs but Irish, Welsh, German, Czech, Polish, French, Basque, Catalan, Sicilian, and West Indian songs as well. Each carol is set in four-part harmony, with lyrics in both the original language and English. Accompanying each song are detailed scholarly notes on the history of the carol and on performance of the setting presented. The introduction to the volume offers a general history of carols and caroling, and appendices provide scholarly essays on such topics as fifteenth-century pronunciation, English country and United States primitive traditions, and the revival of the English folk carol. The Oxford Book of Carols, published in 1928, is still one of Oxford's best-loved books among scholars, church choristers, and the vast number of people who enjoy singing carols. This volume is not intended to replace this classic but to supplement it. Reflecting significant developments in musicology over the past sixty years, it embodies a radical reappraisal of the repertory and a fresh approach to it. The wealth of information it contains will make it essential for musicologists and other scholars, while the beauty of the carols themselves will enchant general readers and amateur songsters alike.

BBC Songs of Praise is a compilation of the greatest traditional hymns, the best hymns from today's writers, and the finest examples of contemporary worship songs. It offers to churches and schools the core music required for worship in a wide range of situations. The breadth and diversity of the material ensures that BBC Songs of Praise can be the key resource for any worshipping community.

The long-awaited new translation of the Book of Common Prayer. Based on modern translation principles, this newly authorized translation of the Book of Common Prayer contains Spanish-language liturgical materials for use in the Episcopal Church. A monumental liturgical and literary work is available in an accessible Spanish translation. Created using dynamic equivalence, with an eye toward inclusive language throughout, the translation supports the liturgical and pastoral needs of Spanish-speaking Episcopalians. This inexpensive, compact paperback edition is ideal for personal use and perfect to keep at home or use while traveling.

This book explores the character of the Eucharist as communion in and through sacrifice. It will stimulate discussion because of its controversial critique of the dominant paradigm for Eucharistic theology, its reclamation of St Thomas Aquinas's theology of the Eucharist, and its response to Pope John Paul II's "Ecclesia de Eucharistia."
Argues that the Eucharist cannot be separated from sacrifice, and rediscovers the biblical connections between sacrifice and communion.
Timed to coincide with the Year of the Eucharist, proclaimed by Pope John Paul II.
Reclaims the riches of St Thomas Aquinas's theology of the Eucharist, which had recently been reduced to a metaphysical defence of transubstantiation.

Shakespeare's Common Prayers revolves around Shakespeare's great overlooked source: the Book of Common Prayer, first published in 1549, whose appearance established Protestantism as the compulsory belief of the day. Written in a simple vernacular and incorporating familiar Catholic rituals, the book laid out the proper performance of church rites and services. And yet it was also highly disputed and constantly in flux; as Daniel Swift shows, the prayer book's history is one of passionately contested revision and of manic sensitivity to a verb or a turn of phrase. In the book's ambiguities and fierce contestations, Swift argues, William Shakespeare found the ready elements of drama: dispute over words and their practical consequences, hope for sanctification tempered by fear of simple meaninglessness, and the demand for improvised performance as a compensation for the failure of language to do what it appears to promise. Swift offers a study of Shakespeare at work: of his imagination at play upon a set of literary materials from which he both borrowed and learned, of his manipulation of the explosive chemistry of word and action that comprised early modern liturgy. Swift argues that the Book of Common Prayer mediates between the secular and the devotional, producing a tension that helps make Shakespeare's plays so powerful and exceptional. Tracing the prayer book's lines and motions through As You Like It, Hamlet, Twelfth Night, Measure for Measure, Othello, and particularly Macbeth, Swift redirects scholarly attention to the religious heart of Shakespeare's work and time.

The sacred Spanish-language hymns known as alabados originated in colonial New Spain in the eighteenth century. The Alabados of New Mexico includes a selection of the most beloved and most often sung hymns, in English and Spanish, as well as a basic explanation of the alabado. Introductory material discusses the sources of alabados and the form's origin in late medieval spirituality. Thomas Steele defines terms and discusses the alabado as poetry, music, and oral tradition. The 126 bilingual alabados are organized by theme, including the Christ child and holy family, passion narratives, sacraments, and prayers, etc. Steele includes complete texts and extensive commentaries. He has devoted decades to collecting and studying New Mexico's alabados and his annotations are enriched by his access to many versions of each hymn.

Combines the Common Worship Lectionary and the Book of Common Prayer Lectionary in one volume

"Rejoice and Sing" is a completely new collection of hymns and songs for the United Reformed Church. It is the first major hymnbook to draw together the three traditions within the URC and as such represents a significant landmark in the history of the denomination. The editors and compilers have aimed to offer a worship tool for use by today's Church. The material included ranges from the traditional and familiar to those pieces with a more contemporary feel. In addition to hymns and psalms, "Rejoice and Sing" contains a number of liturgical items, including responses and prayers for congregational use. Although intended primarily to reflect the distinctive character of the URC, "Rejoice and Sing" is also offered to Christians in wider ecumenical circles as an important new resource for sung worship.