Christmas/Advent Books
Handcrafted by the Sisters of Daughters of Mary
This glass board is a beautiful addition to any kitchen. The tempered glass makes it durable and easy to clean, while the non-slip rubber feet prevent slips and accidents. Use it for meal prep, trivet, charcuterie board or as a decorative piece in your kitchen.
Product Details
- Tempered glass
- Diameter: 12"
- Thickness: ¼"
* Colours may vary slightly.
by Mildred Corell Luckhardt’
“Good King Wenceslas looked out, on the Feast of Stephen, when the snow lay round about, deep and crisp and even.” Familiar to all Christmas carolers, these words begin the story of a brave king and his page as they journey through the winter wilderness, bearing Christmas gifts to the poor and needy.
Bohemia in the time of King Wenceslas is caught in a twofold struggle: first, the old pagan ways and its many gods, against the new Christian religion and its one God, the God of love; second, the authority of its good Christian king, Wenceslas, against the power of his rebellious brother, Duke Boleslas.
When young Vojak is captured by Boleslas, he is claimed by Wenceslas and given the Christian name of Stephen, after the Church’s first martyr. In faithful service to the king, Stephen must face his people’s struggle with courage and compassion, ready at each dangerous moment and every dramatic turn to follow in the footsteps of his master, good King Wenceslas.
Beautifully illustrated by Gordon Laite, Mildred Corell Luckhardt’s Good King Wenceslas is certain to delight readers both young and old with its story of Christian kindness and Christmas joy.
Hardcover, size 9.25" x 6.25", 110 pages
by Gloria Whelan
It was the day before Christmas in a small Russian village. Alexi's babushka was telling him what Christmas was like when she was a girl-before the soldiers came. "Our church was as crowded as a pod full of peas. Candles made the church as bright as the sunniest day. Watching over us was the blessed icon of St. Nicholas." Alexi had many questions, including, "Why can't we celebrate Christmas tomorrow in St. Nicholas?" Babushka sadly replied that it would take a miracle after sixty years. Well, Alexi had heard enough. If there truly was such a thing as a miracle, why couldn't it happen here? And so unfolds a story that poignantly reveals how, though quiet and hidden, faith and hope cannot be suppressed-by soldiers or by time.
Sewn Hardcover, size 10.2" x 8.4", 32 pages, Illus
From Advent to Epiphany
Daily Readings and Meditations to Pray Alone or as a Family
by Fr Patrick Troadec
Christmas is the season of joy and peace with a charm all its own. Yet, If we are to receive everything that the Christ Child comes to give, a spiritual preparation is necessary.
This book offers you a daily liturgical meditation from the beginning of Advent to the Baptism of Jesus, richly supplemented with prayers, thoughts and resolutions.
The first days of Advent call to mind the return of Christ at the end of time and the long period of waiting that led up to His first coming at Christmas. The strong words of St. John the Baptist and the eloquent silence of Mary will help us open our hearts to the Infant of Bethlehem, who desires to be born anew each year in our souls. After the Nativity, the reader's glance is directed toward the manger and the Holy Family where the shepherds and the Magi invite the soul to adoration.
The reader is then led through the richness of the feasts from Advent to the Epiphany, inviting him to live each day with Jesus and for Jesus.
Each of the daily meditations covered in this book includes a:
Quote: Taken from Scripture, the Mass, or the Spiritual Fathers.
Meditation: A particular truth of the Faith and how it applies to us.
Prayer: Two short daily prayers for the reader to choose from.
Thoughts: Daily recollections that illustrate a profound point
Resolution: Three simple and practical resolutions.
Anyone looking to draw closer to God through the liturgy of His Church while developing the habit of daily spiritual reading and meditation needs to read this series! It continues to be a wonderful and trusted aid for Catholics of any age or walk of life. A profoundly Catholic and truly practical guide to daily growth in holiness.
The series includes:
From Advent to Epiphany
From Epiphany to Lent
Toward Easter
Eastertide Day by Day
From Trinity Sunday to the Assumption
From the Assumption to Advent
Paperback, size 9" x 6", 160 pages
Daily Meditations for Advent and Christmas
by St. Alphonsus Liguori
This Advent Season, let the great and prolific Doctor of the Church, St. Alphonsus Liguori, guide you on a daily prayerful pilgrimage from the start of Advent through the birth of our Lord to the Epiphany. Drawing on Sacred Scripture and his profound saintly counsel, St. Alphonsus takes you into the details of Christ’s birth for prayerful reflection that will have your imagination placing you at the feet of our infant Lord. With meditations on the poverty of our Lord becoming man to Jesus weeping as a baby and lying on straw, St. Alphonsus will bring a humble intensity to your Advent prayer life. The contents of these meditations are marked by both joy for the birth of our Lord and sorrow for what we know He will suffer for our salvation.
Few saints have written with such passion, depth, and simplicity on the incarnation and nativity of Christ as Saint Alphonsus Liguori.
This book, The Road to Bethlehem: Daily Meditations for Advent and Christmas, is taken from the original book entitled The Incarnation, Birth, and Infancy or the Mysteries of the Faith.
Deluxe Leatherette, size 7.25" x 5.5", 200 pages
by Archbishop Fulton J Sheen
“God so loved the world, that He gave up His only-begotten Son, so that those who believe in Him may not perish, but have eternal life.” These famous words of Saint John’s Gospel reveal the true meaning of Christmas.
Simply and reverently, Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen meditates upon the Incarnation and Nativity of Jesus Christ, Son of the Most High, born in a lowly stable in Bethlehem of Judah, and the significance it bears and salvation it offers for each man, woman, and child.
Beautifully illustrated by Fritz Kredel, The True Meaning of Christmas offers a joyful greeting to the newborn King of kings and Lord of lords, and makes for fitting Yuletide reading for the whole family.
Hardcover, size 7.25" x 5.25", 32 pages
by Rev. Msgr. Aloysius F. Coogan,
Today, Christmas is celebrated without Christ in many quarters. Christmas is the season when God became man in the form of a child, and yet, unhappily, in how many homes, because Christ is uninvited, children, too, are no longer welcome. Christmas, like Emmanuel, means “God with us.” If we celebrate Christmas without God, we have lost its meaning. If we refuse an inn to God’s children as the fruit of marriage, we repeat the sad tale of Bethlehem that refused an inn to Mary and Joseph and the Child.
This book was written with the hope and intention of bringing to our minds the thoughts of Advent that we may think and pray with Mary who brought Christ to us. Advent, like Lent, is a time of preparation in thought and deed for a great event.
Spiritual Steps to Christmas, provide a daily meditiation throughout Advent to prepare well for the coming of the Christ Babe.
Paperback, size 8" x 5.25", 116 pages, Impr 1953
by Archbishop Alban Goodier
From prophecy to fulfillment, the Incarnation is the center of our holy Faith. This awe-inspiring classic will help you take a breath and ponder the hidden yet stupendous events surrounding this great mystery. You will be spiritually uplifted as you reflect upon insightful and stirring meditations — thirty each for Advent and Christmas.
Although the short reflections may be read in less than ten minutes per day, you may wish to spend time contemplating the mysteries and allowing them to nourish you again and again. Archbishop Alban Goodier provides a handy three-point summary for each meditation, as well as:
- Meditations on an event in Jesus’ life that baffles human comprehension
- An explanation of how God bestows His favors on you, as He did on the Holy Family
- Popular prayers and devotions that sprang from Advent and Christmas
- Ways in which Our Lady shows you how to live both the contemplative and the active life
Advent is a time to slow your pace of life, to be receptive, docile, and still, and to gaze at the beauty before you — Almighty God, present, waiting in the womb of His chosen Mother. The Christmas season, likewise, is a time to rejoice in tranquil adoration before our newborn Savior’s manger.
Archbishop Goodier’s masterful meditations on these sacred moments will awaken in you the powerful mystery of the Word made flesh. Archbishop Goodier guides you along from the Old Testament prophecies to the pure yes of Mary, from the stable birth to the daily life of Jesus in Nazareth. These soul-stirring meditations, drawing from the customs of the time, enliven the Gospel stories in a way that will enrich both your emotional and intellectual experience of the ultimate mystery of God’s love for you.
This keepsake book is a treasure for contemplating Our Lord as the Incarnate God who came to us little, poor, and vulnerable. Archbishop Goodier’s reflections will aid you in raising your mind and heart to God and will nourish your prayers to the Infant Savior. You will grow in knowledge and devotion as you contemplate Jesus’ hidden life and God’s mercy in dwelling among us.
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 120 pages
by Miss Rosa Mulholland
The First Christmas comes to life on the pages of this book from 1875. The original paintings were recreated using a sophisticated woodcut technique that gives the feel of an engraving, but in vivid colors. With verses by Rosa Mulholland, who frequently wrote for Charles Dickens' weekly magazine, All the Year Round.
Hardcover, size 8.5" x 11", 32 pages
by Bishop Jacques-Benigne Bossuet
Keep Christ in Christmas this year by turning to this slim volume of daily Advent meditations by Bishop Jacques-Benigne Bossuet, one of the greatest homilists in the history of the Church.
Carefully selected to lift your soul to God in those hectic days that stretch from Thanksgiving to Christmas, these forty daily meditations will keep you mindful of the real meaning of Christmas while affording you an admirable distillation of the doctrines and piety of our Holy Catholic Church.
With the help of Bishop Bossuet and the sense of God's grandeur and love that permeates his every word all through the rush toward Christmas you'll stay mindful of the holy words of Isaiah foretelling the birth of our savior; you'll find yourself marveling at the Annunciation and the Visitation; you'll rejoice in anticipation of the coming birth of Jesus; and, finally, you ll look forward to kneeling with St. Joseph and the Blessed Virgin in silent adoration of the incarnate Son of God. This year, you won't (as so often happens) arrive at Midnight Mass distracted, exhausted, and frazzled, having neglected your Advent devotions and your ordinary prayers, too. Instead, you'll find yourself stepping lightly into church, ready and eager to adore the newborn King, your soul what it should be: a fit dwelling place for the Redeemer.
Don't waste another Advent! Let Meditations for Advent keep you prayerful amidst the worst distractions of the holiday season. Let it draw you daily closer to Jesus, whose birth the season celebrates, and whose birth your soul yearns to celebrate, too.
Paperback, size 7" x 5", 173 pages
From Epiphany to Lent
Daily Readings and Meditations to Pray Alone or as a Family
by Fr Patrick Troadec
Fr. Troadec’s four-part series continues in this second book From Epiphany to Lent. The series offers a simple and practical guide for individuals and families alike to grow closer to God by better understanding the Church’s liturgical year and practicing daily meditation and prayer.
Each of the daily meditations covered in this book includes a:
Quote: Taken from the Bible, The Mass, or the Spiritual Fathers.
Meditation: A particular truth of the Faith and how it applies to us.
Prayer: Two short daily prayers for the reader to choose from.
Thoughts: Daily recollections that illustrate a profound point.
Resolution: Three simple and practical resolutions.
Anyone looking to draw closer to God through the liturgy of His Church while developing the habit of daily spiritual reading and meditation needs to read this book. It continues to be a wonderful aid for Catholics of any age or walk of life. A profoundly Catholic and truly practical guide to daily growth in holiness.
The series includes:
From Advent to Epiphany
From Epiphany to Lent
Toward Easter
Eastertide Day by Day
From Trinity Sunday to the Assumption
From the Assumption to Advent
Paperback, size 9" x 6", 222 pages
by St. Francis de Sales
Steeped as he was in Sacred Scripture, St. Francis de Sales gives totally fresh and surprising insights into the truths of our religion including: the Sacred Name of Jesus, Our Lady's wisdom at Cana, St. John the Baptist's temptation, etc. Nine insightful sermons. Published here for the first time in English. Great wisdom from a great saint and Doctor of the Church; excellent spiritual reading for Advent or any other time of the year! Catholics living in the world today can benefit much by reading these substantial, riveting sermons.
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 135 pages
by Fr Francis X. Weiser, S.J.
This book unfolds the story of the celebration of Christmas. Beginning with its gospel and history, the author leads us through the festivities of the Middle Ages, to the decline and eventual revival of Christmas customs in Europe and in America.
Paperback, size 5.5" x 8.5", 188 pages
by Hertha Pauli
Ever since that night nearly two thousand years ago when the Infant Savior of the World smiled up from a manger in a poor village in Judea, men’s hearts have gladdened at the angel’s good tidings and their eyes have turned toward Bethlehem for a glimpse of the Divine Child.
This is the story of how those good tidings reached us, of how they passed from land to land and from saint to saint, of how Christmas customs sprang up from the hearts of people of every land. From the lands of the Magi back to the fourth-century Bethlehem of St. Helena, and on to the Emerald Isle of St. Brigid, to the thirteenth-century Italy of St. Francis, all the way to La Navidad in the New World - so the good tidings were carried. And with them came, one by one, the tree, the gifts, the crib - all the customs which bind our own time and place with the Bethlehem of long ago. In a beautiful blend of history and legend, Hertha Pauli weaves together the story of the world’s Christmas.
Paperback, size 8" x 5.2", 190 pages, Impr, 1956
by Paul Horgan
The Castillo brothers are artists in the craft of saintmaking—curing, carving, plastering, and painting dead wood into lifelike statues of God’s blessed ones. As boys, the brothers received this talent from a Franciscan friar, who saw in them the capacities to wield it well.
The brothers were fashioned by God to constitute, between them, that which it took to make a work of faith, which was the same thing as saying a work of art. Roberto had the eye, the swift and careful hand, to see what lay hidden in a stick of wood and to carve it free; while Carlos had the patient and musing joy to work by measure, like an apothecary, and never by the flash of certainty that comes from nowhere.
Christmas 1809: Roberto Castillo sets forth for the village of San Cristóbal, in New Mexico’s Rio Grande valley, with a statue of their patron to be installed and venerated at the Midnight Mass. It is the brothers’ masterpiece: St. Christopher bearing on his shoulder the holy Christ Child. Upon his return home, Roberto greets his brother, not with the payment for their labor, but with strange, miraculous tidings.
Told with tenderness and great suspense, and illustrated with eighteen fine drawings by the author, The Saintmaker’s Christmas Eve tells with imaginative fire and frank humility the miracle of Christmas: God’s mercy, made incarnate for all peoples.
Hardcover, size 9.25" x 6.25", 112 pages
Selection from Father Faber
by Rev. John Fitzpatrick, O.M.I.
This is a Christmas book about the Blessed Sacrament.
When, at the good tidings of great joy, the little ones crowd to the Crib, going over, as it were, and going back to Bethlehem, to see the gracious mystery which has come to pass, we elders turn rather to the Tabernacle, to find there once again, new-born in mystic birth and wrapped in the swaddling-clothes of the sacramental species, Him for whom there is really no far-away and no long-ago.
These pages will help to penetrate us, while kneeling there in lowly adoration, with the spirit of the dweller in that ‘house of bread’, and to make us, in very truth, as little, children once again.
Paperback, size 5" x 3.8", 120 pages, Impr 1901
by Abbe Dom Prosper Gueranger
Dom Gueranger notes in his Liturgical Year that St Eulalia is one of the five virgin saints whose feast are prominent during Advent, the others being St Bibiana, St Barbara, St Lucy, and St Odilia.
This little book brings to life the courageous martyrdom of St Eulalia with beautiful watercolour illustrations by Jane Spencer. Written by Prudentius in the 4th century, the hymn was included in the traditional Mazarabic liturgy of Spain.
Enjoy gathering your children around you every 10th December and read this heroic story of the valiant maiden of Christ.
Booklet, size 8" x 4.75", 30 pages
by Fr Gerald T Brennan
Father Brennan spent his life specializing in telling interesting stories to the young. He has a very special gift in reaching the young with moral lessons they would remember for many years.
In Father Brennan's Christmas Storybook, one of his many books, there are 4 different stories all for the young and young at heart. All stories deal with the Christmas season, especially Christmas Eve.
Booklet, size 7.4" x 5.4", 28 pages, Impr. 1957, colour pictures
by Susan Peek
Meet Saint Anastasia, one of the greatest Christmas saints and the Patroness of Martyrs. Take her hand and let her lead you to the Crib! When people think of saints that remind them of Christmas, Saint Anastasia is almost always forgotten. For centuries, this humble and unassuming martyr has remained hidden in the shadows of the stable. Yet of all the saints in Heaven, she is the only one whose feast day falls on Christmas itself! It's about time she stepped forward and made some new friends! Join Saint Anastasia and her best friend, Saint Theodota, as they bravely prove their love for God and neighbour, even unto the sacrifice of their own lives.
Paperback, size 10" x 8", 40 pages, Full colour illustrations
by Canon Alfred Weber
“His Holiness Pope Pius X desires me to send you His thanks … for having raised an outstanding monument of sacred literature on the foundation of the Holy Gospels.” (Letter of Cardinal Merry del Val to Canon Weber.)
Have you ever wished you could read all four Gospels in one single, unbroken narrative? Canon Alfred Weber allows you to do just that thanks to his outstanding work The Four Gospels in One.
Using the words of the Evangelists themselves and relying on the harmonization of the best Scriptural scholars, Weber weaves the four Gospel texts into one seamless account, allowing us to accompany Our Lord Jesus Christ at every step of His earthly life, from the Incarnation right through to the Ascension.
Illustrated by the beautiful engravings of Gustave Doré, supplemented by copious and informative notes from the Fathers and great Ecclesiastical writers, as well as by maps and plans of Palestine and Jerusalem in the first century, this wonderful book deserves a place in every Catholic home.
Features of this book:
- Douay-Rheims text
- Detailed introduction on the importance of the Gospels in the mind of the Church
- Reader’s layout (no columns or verse numbers)
- Comprehensive notes giving important doctrinal, historical and geographical explanations
- Special sections on Our Lord’s journeys during His Public Life, the layout of the Temple, the city of Jerusalem
- Appendix on the foretold destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.
- Maps of Palestine and Galilee, model of the Temple of Herod and plan of the city of Jerusalem
- Synoptic table of the main events of Our Lord’s life and the places and times they occurred
- Table referencing Gospel excerpts for every Sunday and major feast days
- Beautiful illustrations by Gustave Doré
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 490 pages