liturgical-seasons
Parts I & II. For the Sundays, Holydays, and Festivals Throughout the Ecclesiastical Year to which are added the Lives of the Saints.
by Leonard Goffiné
Translated from the German edition of Rev. George Ott by Very Rev. Gerard M. Pilz, O.S.B. With many approbations of the Most Rev. Archbishops and Bishops of the united States.
It would be difficult to find a book more suitable for the laity, imparting fuller instruction in faith and morals, or giving more lucid explanations of the ceremonies which the Church employs throughout the Ecclesiastical year. It is no surprise that this Catholic treasure has been warmly recommended over time by many bishops and priests since it first appeared in 1880 to strengthen the Catholic faith, propagate true Christian morality and lead to a better comprehension of the Ecclesiastical year. The Epistle and Gospel for each Sunday or Holyday is fully explained, complete with scriptural references; finally there is a short sermon that relates to the Gospel of the day. Replete with inspirational line drawings, which have been removed by most other publishers.
Fr. Goffine offers a short, insightful, and enriching instructions on the Gospel and the Epistles. Excellent guide for those who attend the Traditional Latin Mass. A must have for those who want to understand the liturgical calendar better.
Sewn Hardcover, size 8.25" x 5.6", 962 pages, Impr 1918
by Saint Gregory the Great
Translated by Nora Burke
No matter the stage, the career of Saint Gregory the Great was marked consistently by excellence. Appointed Prefect of Rome around the age of thirty, Gregory forsook his worldly success in favor of monastic silence and communion with God, establishing at his ancestral home the Monastery of St. Andrew. There, in the words of Pope Benedict XVI, he lived a “life of permanent dialogue with the Lord in listening to his word.” Providentially, Gregory was called in turn to leave the monastery for the See of Peter; there, his deep understanding of the Divine Word stood him in excellent stead—perhaps nowhere more tangibly than in his preaching.
Selected from his work of forty homilies on the Gospels (Homilia XL in Evangelia) and translated by Nora Burke, Saint Gregory’s Parables of the Gospel comprises an even dozen sermons on the parables of the Hidden Treasure; the Laborers in the Vineyard; the Marriage Feast; the Ten Virgins; the Talents; the Sower; the Great Harvest; the Barren Fig Tree; the Great Banquet; the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin; the Rich Man and Lazarus; and the Good Shepherd.
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 180 pages
by Rev. P. Huguet, Marist,
translated by a Sister of Mercy.
Pious souls, deeply afflicted by the outrages that the Sacred Heart of Jesus receives from careless and impious Christians, consecrate to It, in the spirit of reparation, the first Friday of each month. Is it possible, O faithful souls who read these touching words proceeding from the Heart of your loving Saviour, that you can remain insensible to the invitation that He extends to you to repair the outrages heaped upon His love ? Will you have less zeal for Jesus Christ than for an earthly friend or for a loving father—you who can not bear to see a loved one suffer the least ill-treatment without expressing your grief and endeavoring to console him by your affectionate tenderness?
Paperback, size 5.5" x 4", 155 pages, Impr 1884
Practical Meditations for Each Day of the Month of November
by Abbé Berlioux
The two great commandments are to love God above all things and one's neighbor as oneself. The highest regard that can be paid to one's neighbor is to remember him, and all the poor souls in Purgatory after they have passed out of this world beyond the grave. This is why man needs the liturgical month of November.
The season has passed from the heat of summer to the crispness of Autumn with all its bounty. Many reap from the gardens and fields that which God graciously bestowed to them through the labor of their hands. Harvests are celebrated and preserved in various ways all around the world. Fittingly, we retire with full larder and bursting barns in order to now pull from the treasure of graces and indulgences, that are available at every moment for the relief of the poor souls in Purgatory, again, from our Father's loving hand. To better make use of these graces, and to preserve a holy life, The Month of the Souls in Purgatory, by the Abbé Berlioux, contains a valuable harvest of devotions, practices and meditations toward sanctifying the month of November. The book is excellent as a daily reader for the month, but also very useful for the anniversaries of the deaths of loved ones, whose daily assistance is a chief duty of the Church Militant. Let us remember the dead, and look to our last day as well.
Each chapter contains the whole day's reading, prayer, and a fitting example for the reading, usually taken from the author's personal knowledge or some other historical example. The subjects range from the ancientness of praying for the dead, the pains and nature of the suffering, the holiness and nearness to God of the souls, the favors granted by them to those on earth who relieve them, the various means of relieving the poor souls, the ways souls end up in Purgatory and how to avoid these downfalls, as also apparitions by the dead, carrying out the wishes of those who pass before us, an admonition to make provisions in one's own will that supplies for masses and alms against time spent in Purgatory, and more. The readings are short and easy to complete for a morning meditation, between the labors of a busy life, and for raising to a higher level one's entire being toward a particular goal that is common to all men. As one saint said before beginning the November devotions, "Let us empty Purgatory!"
The Month of the Souls in Purgatory was first published in the French language in Grenoble. The book was soon after translated for the English-speaking world and published in 1886. The Abbé Berlioux was a priest of the diocese of Grenoble and was the Curé, or parish priest, of the church of St. Bruno. In this work, he calls out to the reader, addressing him by the name, "Christian Soul", in nearly each day's reading as he gets to the point of what the individual could do to utilize and live a Christian life based on a greater devotion to the souls in Purgatory, increasing the seriousness of the tone as well as gripping the attention of the reader with it.
Read The Month of the Souls in Purgatory to increase in the soul the love of God's justice and mercy! In its pages you will find:
- An organized 30 days of devotions to the Holy Souls for the complete month of November
- Daily spiritual reading on the various truths and means of the devotion
- A detailed study of the pains and helplessness of Souls in Purgatory, and ways to personally apply the message
- Daily prayers to and for these suffering souls
- Daily examples of true-life stories that draw out the truths within each day's reading.
- A special Rosary of the Dead
Paperback, size 8" x 5", 158 pages
Also available in Hardcover with dust jacket upon request (additional cost)
From Thomas A Kempis, For Every Day in the Year
compiled by Sara O'Brien
Consider this little pocket book as a precious gift for a loved one!
A beautiful pocket book of “Little Gems”, short inspirational thoughts, selected and arranged for every day in the year. “If thou considerest the dignity of the giver, no gift will seem to thee little, which is given by so great a God.”
Paperback, size 2.5" x x3.5", 128 pages, Impr 1891
Daily Meditations on the Traditional Mass
by Fr. Benedict Baur, O.S.B.
Between the countless duties, deadlines, and distractions that afflict man, finding space to concentrate on the powerful omnipresence of God is a struggle. Still, spending just a few minutes each day in quiet recollection conveys rich rewards, enabling us to reorient our lives to the rhythm of the sacred prayer of the Church. Liturgical piety is indispensable for our sanctification as it draws us into the mystery of our Faith and fosters within us a spirit of charity and divine praise.
For the first time ever in a single volume, the spiritual classic The Light of the World, by the renowned Dom Benedict Baur, O.S.B., offers a year-long cycle of powerful meditations following the traditional Catholic liturgical calendar. In the celebrated lineage of Prosper Gueranger, The Light of the World combines dogmatic precision with spiritual unction to offer a “daily retreat” for the entire Church year, renewing one’s daily spiritual life through the prayers of the classical Roman Rite. Features include:
- Reflections for every Sunday, weekdays, ember days, rogation days, and more
- Guidance for mental prayer and contemplation based on the liturgical orations
- Daily prayers incorporating adoration, thanksgiving, petition, and reparation
- Practical suggestions and resolutions for battling vice and growing in virtue
- Devotions to Christ’s redeeming sacrifice and sanctifying presence as our spiritual center
- Classic exegesis on the Sacred Scriptures and the sacraments
- Colloquies on Our Lady as the model of prayer and guide to the interior life
- Instructions on remote and proximate preparations for daily meditation
- Spirituality based on the Rule of St. Benedict: “Let our mind be in harmony with our voice”
- Methods of prayer from St. Ignatius of Loyola and the tradition of St. Sulpice
Instructive and deeply inspiring, The Light of the World is an ideal companion volume for providing spiritually nourishing yet accessible reflections to extend the graces of the Church’s venerable worship into one’s entire day. Dom Baur offers readers an expansive tour of the treasures of our Faith through the prism of traditional liturgy, to preserve and impart its riches to future generations.
Hardcover, size 9.2" x 6.2", 736 pages
by Msgr Robert Hugh Benson
Paperback, size 9.5" x 7.5", 100 pages
My Book of the Church's Year
by Enid M. Chadwick
“Quite simply, it’s the loveliest, most charming, and in many ways most clever introduction to the liturgical calendar I’ve ever come across. It is informed by a deep Catholic love for the seasons of the year, the feasting and fasting, the great holy days, the pageantry of the saints and their stories, the underlying rhythm that connects nature, culture, and sanctity.” - Peter Kwasniewski
Thoughly written and illustrated by Enid Chadwick, a High Church Anglican, the feasts depicted in this book differ only in very minor ways from the traditional Catholic calendar. Chadwick’s handsome illustrations are simple enough for young children, and yet at the same time full of complexities for those who are attentive, making My Book of the Church’s Year appealing to a wide range of ages.
Full colour reproduction of the original 1948 edition with a new Forward by Peter Kwasniewski.
Hardcover, size 9.5" x 6", 52 pages
With the Church, Volume 1
Advent to the Ascension
by Mother Mary Loyola
Now for the first time in nearly a century, this classic set of meditations on the Liturgical Year are back in print! Written while Mother Loyola was bedridden with a hip fracture, these devotions bring us the urgency of living our life With the Church, for we "know not the day nor the hour."
The Irish Monthly back in 1924 had this to say about With the Church: “Father Thurston tells us that forty years ago Mother Loyola, when bringing out anonymously her first book on Holy Communion, and being anxious to get ecclesiastical recommendation for it, asked him to write a short preface. The favourable reception accorded by the Catholic public to the numerous books which she has brought out since that time has amply justified Fr. Thurston’s judgment in recommending the authoress’s work. This latest book of hers consists of a series of reflections on the feasts of the year from Advent to the Ascension. Her thoughts are always well-grounded and ingenious, and their expression is clear and graceful, with a strong personal charm. They are musings jotted down just as they occur to her devotional spirit and not simply as dictated by a resolution to follow a certain line.”
Paperback, size 5.5" x 8.5", 380 pages
Holy Thoughts For Every Day in the Month
Drawn from the works of St Alphonsus Maria de Ligouri with Some Additional Practices of Catholic Devotion from the works of St. Alphonsus Maria De Liguori
Each day of the month contains a Morning thought with Aspiration, followed by an Evening thought with Aspiration. In addition there are 58 pages of Catholic devotions to include Novena to the Holy Souls in Purgatory, Acts before and after Holy Communion, etc.
Paperback, size 3.6" x 4.9", 138 pages, Impr 1887
Practical Meditations for Each Day of the Month of May
by Abbé Berlioux
In May we run with excitement to endow Mary’s altars with boughs of flowers that vie with nature’s splendor, and spiritual offerings as well as good works to pay homage to the most generous of queens. To more fully live the spirit of the season, we must enter into the very spirit of the Mother of God. As the preface states: “She is a spiritual universe.” There is nothing in our path toward heaven, which she cannot supply, if we but study her soul and apply her works in our lives.
The subjects, containing two short points each day, range from Our Blessed Mother’s Immaculate Conception, her holy name, her motherhood, each of her shining virtues, her devotion to Holy Communion, and other subjects.
It was originally written in the 19th century by the Abbé Berlioux, who was a priest in the diocese of Grenoble in 1872 and was the Curé, or parish priest, of the church of St. Bruno. The devotional enjoyed ten editions of popularity in the French language before being translated and printed in English in 1884. Each chapter contains the whole day’s reading, prayer, and a fitting example for the reading, usually taken from the author’s personal knowledge or some other historical example. This is what gives the book a unique atmosphere. As each of the thirty-one days of May progresses, the subjects cover every possible facet of the known life of Mary, historical tradition, apparitions and the life of the Church surrounding this ancient devotion, solidifying for the devotee a rich theological truth and piety.
The author uses literary tools in his writings so as to awaken his reader from a spiritual slumber. Particular emphasis in this book is derived from the daily repetition of the phrase “Children of Mary”, addressing the reader affectionately and with a personal effect that cannot be ignored. It is as though the very voice of our heavenly mother is calling out to the reader, as a mother calls her children to her, and should we all not come running? Come, Children of Mary, come to the safety of your mother’s mantle.
In this book you will find:
- An organized 31 days of devotions to the Blessed Mother for the complete month of May
- Daily spiritual reading on the life, virtues, and traditions surrounding the Blessed Virgin
- Daily prayers to Mary
- Daily examples of true-life stories that draw out the truths within each day’s reading.
- Various ways of consecrating oneself to Mary
- Various ways of praying the Holy Rosary and a unique Marian way to attend Mass.
The book is most excellent for the original purpose, to devote one’s life to the practices of the May altar, but it is also an excellent choice during the time of Lent, when the entire Christian world is tuned in so singularly to the deep sorrows and grief of Our Blessed Mother; and Advent, at which time we contemplate Our Blessed Mother’s expectation of her Divine Child.
Paperback, size 8" x 5", 198 pages
Also available in Hardcover with dust jacket upon request (additional cost)
Sermons of the Cure of Ars
For the Sundays and Feasts of the Year
by St John Vianney
Reprint of the 1901 edition of St. John Vianney’s Sermons! These sermons cover all the Sundays of the Year and all the principal feasts, combined with a few of the greater saints. It is almost 400 pages and unabridged from the original.
- Easy to read layouts with large font;
- Beautiful dropcaps and floral effects
- Balanced margins that provides an easy reading experience
This edition has all 85 of the extant sermons of St. John Vianney, and several additional sermons distributed to cover all the Sundays of the Year as well as the principal feasts (as they were in 1901). There is a lot more here to find spiritual nourishment.
This wonderful work by the patron of parish priests should be in every home!
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 424 pages
Also available in Hardcover upon request (additional cost)
For Every Day
by by St Alphonsus Liguori
compiled by Trent Beattie
Saint Alphonsus de Liguori (1696-1787), Doctor of the Church, was a legal savant who was awarded a double doctorate in civil and canon law at the age of sixteen. Born into a noble Italian family, St. Alphonsus soon abandoned his legal career to care for the poor and ill of Naples. In 1732 he founded a new missionary society, the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (the “Redemptorists”). His literary career, surprisingly, did not begin until he was nearly fifty, but from that point on, his pen was never at rest, composing an unfathomable 111 works on areas covering apologetics, ecclesiastical discipline, dogmatic theology, ascetical theology, and moral theology.
This present book draws from many of St. Alphonsus’ works, in a reader-friendly “a-thought-a-day” format. Readable as well as humane and likeable, St. Alphonsus Liguori is a saint for all times, especially our own.
Paperback, size 8" x 5", 120 pages
The Year of the Lord in Liturgy and Folklore
by Fr Francis X. Weiser, S.J.
The Church’s Liturgical Year reflects the fullness of Divine Revelation. In the various celebrations and commemorations of the Year of the Lord, the Church recalls the mysteries of faith: the Incarnation of God’s only-begotten son, his passion, death, and resurrection which won redemption for mankind, and his institution of the sacraments and founding of his Church for the salvation of souls. Handbook of Christian Feasts and Customs, first published in 1958, is a masterful summary of the origin, history, development, and observance of the events on the Christian calendar as they developed to the mid-twentieth century.
With warmth, wit, and due reverence, Francis X. Weiser, S.J., presents the liturgical and devotional aspects and the cultural expressions—the food and drink, music and dancing, and more—found in these salvific occasions. Set in three parts, the study progresses through the temporal rhythm of the seasons (Sundays and weekdays), the recollection of Christ’s redeeming work (Advent and Christmas, Lent and Easter, Pentecost and Corpus Christi), and the jubilation over the fruits of that work (the Blessed Mother and the angels and saints).
An easily accessible and richly detailed guide to the holy-days and celebrations of the Christian liturgical year, Handbook of Christian Feasts and Customs remains true to its testament as “a key to a devout and meaningful observance of the Year of the Lord.”
Paperback, size 9" x 6", 384 pages
by Caryll Houselander
In The Way of the Cross, Caryll Houselander accomplishes two things: first, by her imaginative re-creation of the Passion and Death of Our Lord, realized with intensity, detail, and depth, she brings a drama of anguish and tragedy to our immediate awareness; secondly, she shows us the Passion reflected in all human suffering.
We can no more be detached spectators of the Passion than we can be detached spectators of the griefs and travails of the contemporary world. As Caryll Houselander writes, the part we are called to play is that of Veronica, coming forward to wipe the tears and sorrows from every stricken face we meet. And each time we have the courage and compassion to do so, we find the same image left on the veil. These profound meditations on the Stations of the Cross allow the reader to walk in the footsteps of Christ on that distant yet ever-present Good Friday.
Also available in hardcover on request (additional cost)
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 110 pages
Monthly Meditations on Twelve Virtues
by unknown
Anonymously published in 1775, this book swept through the Catholic world and multiple editions were published in quick succession. It remained readily available to generations of Catholics in many languages. The author remains unknown to this day. In a brief preface to the 4th edition of 1778 the following advice was given:
“To draw the utmost profit from this volume, mere reading will not suffice. It must be read with calm reflection, deep thought, and ardent desire to translate into action whatever is found to be beneficial to the individual soul.”
Without a doubt, the Spiritual Diary is one of the most widely read works in ascetical literature. Over the centuries, countless souls have drawn part of their spiritual formation from meditation upon the saintly advice contained in these pages. Its collections of sayings and examples of saints provides a source of meditation for numerous devout souls.
The meditations are arranged for the calendar year with one of twelves virtues for each month. Perfection, Humility, Mortification, Patience, Meekness, Obedience, Simplicity, Diligence, Prayer, Confidence, Charity and Union are the virtues chosen, and under each virtue are gathered pertinent sayings and examples of the saints for every day of the month. A thought may be read daily, or the reader may prefer to read the different sections according to his spiritual needs.
Many have guessed that the writer was a devoteé of St. Alphonsus because of the pattern of the meditations and the numerous direct quotes from his writings. But other spiritual writers widely quoted are: St. Mary Magdalen diPazzi, St. Francis deSales, St. Vincent dePaul, and St. Theresa of Avila.
Cloth Hardcover, size 7.25" x 4.9", 324 pages
Sunday Sermons for Children
by Rev. Wilfrid J. Diamond
In his book Sunday Morning Storyland, Father Diamond speaks of Christ to children in the language of a child. He knows that the hearts of the young must be touched with fire, and through stories he enkindles fires of faith, hope, and love. These stories will help parents, priests and teachers to fulfill their responsibility for the spiritual guidance of Catholic children.
The author of Heavenwords presents another collection of sermons for children, one for each Sunday of the year including the major feast days which occur on Sundays. A text is taken from the Gospel of the day and is explained or illustrated by stories that attract and apply.
Simply told, emphasizing a single lesson in each, these stories are purposely short and limited in scope so that the children's whole attention is held throughout the sermon. Lessons of Honesty, Charity, Humility, Faith, etc., are presented under intriguing titles like "The Nervous Lady in a Trolley Car," "Vincent Vinegar and Sally Sourcream," "The Devil Stuck in a Trapdoor," and others. What could better delight and more effectively instruct the youngsters?
A topical index is included for the convenience of priests, nuns, and catechists.
Sunday Morning Storyland will assist busy priests in the difficult but pleasant task of preaching to children, and will supply nuns and lay teachers with lively material for explaining the Gospels in the classroom. First printing 1945.
Paperback, size 8" x 5", 115 pages
The Christian Life in the Works of
Dom Prosper Gueranger
Abbess Cecile Bruyere
Dom Paul Delatte
selected and edited by Sr Mary David Totan, O.S.B.
The French Abbey of Solesmes was one of the centers of monastic life and culture, famed for its Gregorian chant and its contributions to liturgical renewal. Here is a generous sampling of the writings of its three most important figures on major aspects of spirituality.
This book contains a selection from the writings, sermons and personal correspondence of Dom Gueranger, his successor, Dom Paul Delatte, and Abbess Cecile Bruyere who founded the Abbey of St. Cecelia near the monastery at Solesmes. Most of the writings appear in English for the first time.
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 266 pages
2013 Softcover Edition - Volume 12 - Time after Pentecost Book Three
This monumental liturgical work, comprising fifteen volumes, was the life-long labour of Benedictine Abbot Dom Guéranger. Writing with the heart of a seraphic contemplative, the holy abbot takes the reader on a daily spiritual pilgrimage through the liturgies of both the East and the West as he immerses the soul into the very life of the ecclesia orans et adorans (the church praying and adoring). The author achieves this by providing daily entries corresponding to the yearly cycle of the Church’s worship in both her divine seasonal feasts and those of her saints. Each day begins with a rich and provocative meditation on the mystery of faith to be celebrated together with the ecclesial history of the same; this is followed by excerpts from the Roman Missal’s Mass of the day (complete with Propers, i.e., Introits, Collects, Offertory prayers, etc ) as well a host of exquisite hymns from the divine office which are coupled with varied and sundry sequences garnered from other ancient Catholic rites.
The temporal and geographical universality of the Church is thusly honoured; and the oneness of faith amply manifested in light of the axiomatic criterion: Lex orandi lex credendi (the law of praying is the law of believing). If the essence of the Holy Mass is God, the Incarnate Victim, offering Himself to God, then the liturgy of the Mass is man, in union with Jesus Christ (per ipsum, et cum ipso, et in ipso), offering God to God. Truly, here is a priceless treasure awaiting your holy exploitation. Such was the strategy employed by the father of Saint Therese of Lisieux who made it a daily routine in the Martin home to read to his five daughters from these very volumes.
This is a book to be read and studied for a lifetime. Even a once through reading will immeasurably increase your knowledge and love of the history and true liturgical life of the Church. We also highly recommend the companion to this set, Explanation of the Holy Mass.
2013 Softcover Edition - Volume 13 - Time after Pentecost Book Four
This monumental liturgical work, comprising fifteen volumes, was the life-long labour of Benedictine Abbot Dom Guéranger. Writing with the heart of a seraphic contemplative, the holy abbot takes the reader on a daily spiritual pilgrimage through the liturgies of both the East and the West as he immerses the soul into the very life of the ecclesia orans et adorans (the church praying and adoring). The author achieves this by providing daily entries corresponding to the yearly cycle of the Church’s worship in both her divine seasonal feasts and those of her saints. Each day begins with a rich and provocative meditation on the mystery of faith to be celebrated together with the ecclesial history of the same; this is followed by excerpts from the Roman Missal’s Mass of the day (complete with Propers, i.e., Introits, Collects, Offertory prayers, etc ) as well a host of exquisite hymns from the divine office which are coupled with varied and sundry sequences garnered from other ancient Catholic rites.
The temporal and geographical universality of the Church is thusly honoured; and the oneness of faith amply manifested in light of the axiomatic criterion: Lex orandi lex credendi (the law of praying is the law of believing). If the essence of the Holy Mass is God, the Incarnate Victim, offering Himself to God, then the liturgy of the Mass is man, in union with Jesus Christ (per ipsum, et cum ipso, et in ipso), offering God to God. Truly, here is a priceless treasure awaiting your holy exploitation. Such was the strategy employed by the father of Saint Therese of Lisieux who made it a daily routine in the Martin home to read to his five daughters from these very volumes.
This is a book to be read and studied for a lifetime. Even a once through reading will immeasurably increase your knowledge and love of the history and true liturgical life of the Church. We also highly recommend the companion to this set, Explanation of the Holy Mass.