In introducing eight new eucharistic prayers, "Common Worship" has focused fresh attention on the most central act of Christian worship. This text offers a wealth of information on both the words and actions of the Eucharist. Part one focuses on the content of the Eucharist, from the opening greeting to the final blessing and dismissal. Each stage of the service is explored from a biblical and historical perpective and readers discover how the Eucharist has evolved from the days of the Early Church. Part two focuses on the actions of the Eucharist: the posture and movement of the celebrant and participants, ceremonial, symbolism, the role of memory, essentials and variables in the rite. Part Three explores the eight different Eucharistic prayers of "Common Worship", their distinctive styles, provenance, theological features and pastoral uses.

A resource to deepen the understanding of the Eucharist, this companion contains the full text of "Common Worship" Order One and the different eucharistic prayers with explanatory notes throughout. Fuller explanations of key biblical and theological subjects are included.

Delves into the biblical origin for each of these masterpieces of God's love.Gray guides readers through the Gospels, showing Christ's deliberate acts to inaugurate these sacred signs as the foundation of the New Covenant.

How should the Eucharist be celebrated? What is the connection between the celebration of the Eucharist and the rest of our lives? In this book leading writers associated with the Affirming Catholicism movement present markersfor 'best practice' in the new era of common Worship. Each contributor discussed a different part of the eucharist liturgy in turn, not only deepening our understanding of it but helping us to live it with joy.

Since the Common Worship Lectionary first came into use, many short preaching aids have been published. They have ranged from brief notes to almost complete sermons. This new companion offers an understanding of some points of significance in each lection for every Sunday and for other major days. It combines the latest scholarship with the conviction that the text should address today's world, squarely facing up to the difficulties that some passages may present to modern congregations. It does not aim to provide a substitute for sermon preparation, but to stimulate reflection among those engaged in this work. This is a serious academic commentary on the readings, by scholars who are also aware of the demands and purposes of preaching. The book provides the academic background knowledge essential for interpreting the texts; does not shirk difficult questions; stimulates the prospective preacher to see new ways of reading the text; covers the Anglican variations not dealt with in American commentaries.

For each Sunday of the year there is a brief commentary and reflection, taken from the author's weekly "Church Times" column, on the Common Worship lectionary readings. Each section gives the lectionary references and provides a starting-point for thinking about the readings, drawing out points of connection between them. The book can be used in preparation for Sunday worship, or by anyone who wants regular and straightforward Bible study throughout the year, or even for sermon preparation. The pieces are clear and grounded in first-class scholarship, but wear their learning lightly, as is appropriate for this readership. The book covers all Sundays in the year, using track 1 (Daily Eucharistic Lectionary) for the Sundays after Trinity.

Stookey seeks to relieve the anxiety of inexperienced leaders of public prayer and the discomfort of those with and for whom they pray in this practical guide to the art of praying in public.

The book has three parts. First, Stookey offers reflections on the nature of prayer, utilizing the image of a flow of energy. Second, he discusses the forms, mechanics, and vocabularies of prayer. His analysis brims with insight and practical application. Third, and most importantly, he provides concrete exercises in editing prayers. The reader is challenged to mark prayer texts and then to compare her or his own work with the author's as Stookey points out the particular issues that the exercises highlights.

The book is clearly organized, economically written, and easy to use. Those who read carefully and complete the exercises will gain significant experience in crafting prayers to which the whole congregation can respond with an enthusiastic "Amen."

Presents the complete Common Worship lectionary readings, printed out in full from the NRSV translation of the Bible. Old Testament, Epistle and Gospel readings are provided for the Principle, Second and Third Services, making this an essential resource for worship. The Bible texts are clearly laid out with introductions and closing responses included as appropriate, making this an ideal volume for reading aloud.

This second collection of approximately 100 piggyback songs for preschool children differs from the first collection by using new texts never published before. While the texts are based on Scripture and themes such as God's love, friends, and so forth, the tunes are familiar children's songs such as "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" or "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." The words are written around a story, character, or theme, and are created to fit a popular tune. Piggyback songs are popular to use with preschool children's choirs, vacation Bible school, and children's Sunday school settings, and with teachers who are not overly musically inclined. For ages 3-7. Key Benefits: * Allows teachers to be comfortable with music because of the use of familiar tunes * Fun for children because they already know the tune of the new song * Songs included for all parts of the Bible

The authors provide an overview of Reformed faith and spirituality, revealing how it constantly merges tradition with the ever-changing culture of the church community. Outlining the history, theology and rationale of the faith in detail, the book also includes practical discussions of the Church sacraments and ordinances, providing helpful suggestions and resources for their renewed relevance in services today. The book is a useful resource for all who are seriously seeking to understand the Reformed heritage and its value for present-day worship.

The voices of liturgical theology in the twentieth century are many and varied. Primary Sources of Liturgical Theology brings together in one volume the representative writings of scholars throughout the Euro-North American context whose insights have shaped our understanding of liturgy today. The selections in Primary Sources of Liturgical Theology are arranged around nine seminal questions which students of liturgical theology need to engage. Each selection is introduced and contextualized by another liturgical theologian. Through this first-hand encounter with primary sources readers will develop a sense of the broad range of writings available to them. Chapters are What Is Liturgical Theology?" "What Is Liturgy?" "How Can We 'Do' Liturgical Theology?" "How Are Theology and Liturgy Related?" "How Does Liturgy Embody Theological Themes?" "What Is the Theological Function of Liturgical Language and Ritual?" "What Is the Role of the Word in Liturgy?" "How Do Liturgical Theologians Engage Cultural Diversity?" "How Are Liturgy and Life Related?" Includes an alphabetical list of primary contributors and a chronological index of major entries by date of original publication. Contributors to Primary Sources of Liturgical Theology are Peter Brunner; Odo Casel, O.S.B.; Louis-Marie Chauvet; Anscar J. Chupungco, O.S.B.; Mary Collins, O.S.B.;Irenee Henri Dalmais, O.P.; Ruth C. Duck; Justo L. Gonzalez; Romano Guardini; Angelus A. Haussling, O.S.B.; Mary Catherine Hilkert, O.P.; Lawrence A. Hoffman; Paul Waitman Hoon; Aidan Kavanagh,O.S.B.; Edward J. Kilmartin, S.J.; Gordon W. Lathrop; L. Edward Phillips; David N. Power, O.M.I.; Gail Ramshaw; Don E. Saliers; Alexander Schmemann; Robert F. Taft, S.J.; Harold Dean Trulear; Evelyn Underhill; Dwight W. Vogel; Jean Jacques von Allmen; Geoffrey Wainwright; and Joyce Ann Zimmerman, C.PP.S. Dwight W. Vogel is professor of theology and ministry and dean of the chapel at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary where he coordinates the doctoral program in liturgical studies.

Encourages openness of heart & hand based on Jesus' teachings about wealth and attitude to money. Offers many creative ideas for teaching & preaching on this theme & provides imaginative worship resources that can be reproduced freely in service sheets.

A knowledgeable liturgical theologian and historian proposes the lines of a Christian worldview that can inform liturgical renewal.

Feminist liturgy began in the midst of a broad human quest for justice in the late twentieth century. The Civil Rights Movement and the Anti-Vietnam War movement added momentum for women's struggle for justice. Within this ferment, women addressed the limits placed on them in secular and religious institutions as well. Feminist liturgies developed as one of a number of attempts to discover and claim a more truthful telling and embodying of the stories that shape our religious consciousness. In Feminist Liturgy: A Matter of Justice, Walton offers a partial account" of feminist liturgies to encourage both discussion and action so that our liturgies will be "true" for all of us. Walton explains that liturgies typically described as "feminist" emerged in the late 1960s when women and some men realized that what they were experiencing in the liturgies not only wasn't *enough - but, in fact, wasn't *true. - a liturgical process that centers on an encounter - an engaged, embodied dialogue with God - cannot be true when females are left out of the dialogue. To make the liturgies more accurate, people joined together to discover how to use symbols, texts, and forms that expressed relationships with God more authentically. Walton examines four aspects of feminist liturgies: the historical context in which they developed, the tasks and principles that guide them, the possibilities they offer, and application to regular institutional liturgies. In examining these aspects, Walton responds to questions, clarifies hunches, alleviates doubts, and encourages more people to contribute to the development of feminist liturgies. Janet R. Walton is professor of worship at Union Theological Seminary in New York. She is the author of Art and Worship: A Vital Connection published by The Liturgical Press.

A resource to inform, inspire and challenge, Word in Our Time is written for all who take part in worship to help them engage more deeply with the Scripture readings of the day. Preachers will find it an invaluable resource which enables them to make links between the Old Testament, Epistle and Gospel texts, bring out their essential message and relate them to the experience and needs of the congregation. In addition to pithy and informed commentary on the principal service readings for each Sunday and major holy day in Year C, the year of Luke, many practical preaching' helps are also included: information on biblical or historical background, variations in interpretation, illustrative quotes and points for application. Those who read in church will be helped by a better understanding what the biblical writers were saying, and for all who prepare for worship by prayerful reading of the lessons for the day, Word in Our Time provides many thoughtful and stimulating insights which will encourage fuller integration between our worship, celebration, learning, spiritual formation and daily living.

Here are  prayers and meditations for parents and others who strive to instill values of faith, integrity, compassion, and service in our children at a time when these ideas are threatened by commercialism and violence. With warmth and conviction, Edleman shares his own prayers as well as inspirational readings from others.  Turn in this book for guidelines and support--again and again.

Are we becoming a nation of moral illiterates? These brief sketches with accompanying discussion questions challenge young people to consider their own value system. What about cheating, rationalizing one's behavior, setting personal goals, using your God-given talents, gambling, self-discipline, the desire for wealth, facing temptation? These scence are the perfect tools for helping youth deal with their personal struggles.

2000 Catholic Press Association Award Winner! Throughout this century the Epistle of James has been viewed consistently as a disjointed set of instructions. In A Spirituality of Perfection Patrick Hartin differs from this approach by showing that the call for perfection" provides a unifying meaning for the epistle. Examining the concept of perfection against the background of the Graeco-Roman world, the Old Testament, and the Septuagint, Father Hartin shows that perfection provides a key to defining the spirituality of the Epistle of James. Father Hartin shows how the notion of perfection plays a key role in the definition of God, as well as the way one is called *to be in the world. - He adopts a fresh approach toward understanding the categories of wisdom, eschatology, and apocalyptic as they illuminate the epistle's advice. He allows James to be read in its own right, instead of through the eyes of other traditions, such asPaul, and shows that what James intends by perfection is different from our modern understanding - that the concept of perfection unlocks an important self-understanding in Christianity. Just as every generation of believers aims at putting its faith into action, A Spirituality of Perfection culminates with the question: *What direction does the Epistle of James give Christians of the twenty-first century for putting their faith into action? - Chapters are *A Cal to Perfection, - *An Overview of the Concept of Perfection in the Ancient World as a Background to the Letter of James, - *The Nature and Purpose of the Letter of James, - *Faith Perfected Through Works: A Context for the Moral Instructions in the Letter of James, - *A Spirituality of Authentic Perfection, - *Perfection in the Letter of James and the Sermon on the Mount, - and *On Reading James Today. - Patrick J. Hartin, DTh, teaches New Testament in the religious studies department at Gonzaga University in Spokane. "

Introduces the sacraments and then examines each one in turn, giving their historical background and assessing their value and importance.

Recent years have seen an unprecedented period of reform in the public worship of the Catholic Church. Controversy over liturgical reform was focused in England by an international conference in 1996, which led to the formation of a Liturgy Forum and the issuing of the Oxford Declaration on Liturgy. This book represents all the key elements from that important conference.

Presents the complete Common Worship lectionary readings, printed out in full from the NRSV translation of the Bible. Old Testament, Epistle and Gospel readings are provided for the Principle, Second and Third Services, making this an essential resource for worship. The Bible texts are clearly laid out with introductions and closing responses included as appropriate, making this an ideal volume for reading aloud.

Applying theology to worship and to the practice of liturgy, this innovative work reclaims the importance of word and sacrament as the center for the church's life and witnesses. Drawing connections between liturgy and life, this collection of essays deepens worship-life by helping congregations "to talk with each other about the ways we encounter the living God in worship;" and by strengthening "skills that enhance worship." Inside Out: Worship in an Age of Mission addresses pastoral liturgical and sacramental issues at work in congregations today and offers a comprehensive vision for congregational life centered around word and sacrament.

In his letter to liturgists meeting in Mainz, Germany, in 1964, theologian Romano Guardini asked: Is ritual a forgotten way of doing things?" That question challenged Catholics to reevaluate the roots and roles of ritual. In an ongoing response to that challenge, liturgists have sought to reinterpret the multiple meanings of ritual using insights from the social sciences. In "Liturgy and the Social Sciences," Nathan Mitchell examines the responses of liturgists to Guardini's famous question.

In the first chapter Mitchell focuses on Aidan Kavanagh, OSB, a noted U.S. liturgist that undertook the challenge of answering Guardini's question. He explains how Father Kavanagh's innovative call for a new discipline - a "political science" of behavior - was taken up by American liturgists in a "classical" or "high church" mode that emphasized ritual action as "traditional, authoritative, repetitive, conservative," and ""canonical.""

The second chapter examines how the "high church consensus" began to unravel as a result of critical work done on "emerging ritual" by Ronald Grimes and David Kertzer. These scholars argued that new categories were needed to understand how ritual connects with social life and explained the characteristics of "emerging ritual" as "innovative, untraditional, unpredictable, playful," and "short term."

In the third chapter Mitchell explores some of the proposals that a new generation of anthropologists have made for interpreting ritual. He gives attention to the research of Talal Asad, who suggests that rituals are a "technology" aimed at producing "virtuous selves." Michel Foucalt's "technologies of the self" is also discussed in this chapter.

Although written for directors of liturgy, "Liturgy and the Social Sciences" will also appeal to DREs, clergy and religious, directors of adult formation, persons working with candidates in RCIA, and students and teachers of liturgy who want to look beyond "what" we do to understand "why" we do it.

Nathan D. Mitchell, PhD, is Associate Director for Research at the Center for Pastoral Liturgy, University of Notre Dame. Six times a year, he writes "The Amen Corner" for "Worship." In 1998, the North American Academy of Liturgy presented him with its Berakah Award. Other books by Mitchell that have been published by The Liturgical Press include "Cult and Controversy, Mission and Ministry," and "Rule of Prayer, Rule of Faith." He also contributed to "The Collegeville Pastoral Dictionary of Biblical Theology.""

Patricia Wilson-Kastner's wonderfully crafted work views the liturgy as a cosmic drama, enacting a sacred meal that grounds us in the universe, draws us into God's creation and redemption, and poses stiff ethical challenges "deep in our bones" to Christians in community. "Liturgy reconnects us with God and with all creation, rekindles in us the vision of the restoration of all in God, and clarifies and nourishes again in us the hope in which we can live now in justice, peace, and love with each other," she says. Though we don't have all the details of this script, we are deeply implicated in the plot. A gifted preacher and writer, and no stranger to church battles, Wilson-Kastner brings a confident faith in the transforming power of worship. Her rich, ecumenically oriented introduction to the liturgy leverages people's great hunger for spirituality and community into deep commitment to justice within church and society.