Pastoral Books

The Book of Blessings from Catholic Book Publishing contains the blessings of the Roman Ritual for the Universal Church as well as additional proper blessings for use in the United States. This liturgical book includes blessings pertaining to persons, to objects, and to various occasions, as well as blessings and services connected with official parish events. Three valuable indices make the Book of Blessings a practical as well as pastoral liturgical resource. The Book of Blessings is set in highly readable 14-pt. type and is durably bound in brown cloth to ensure long-lasting use.

Here is the book to provide you with the directions and indications needed to carry out the various rites found in the liturgical books of the Catholic Church. This manual aims to restore the grammar and syntax to the body language demanded by the celebration of Mass, the sacraments, and sacramentals. The scope is limited to those rites that the typical parish clergy are most likely to celebrate on a regular basis. It will assist priests and all those who exercise liturgical ministries with a detailed description of liturgical celebrations commonly found in parishes.

Msgr. Caron's approach draws upon the traditional practice of the Roman Rite as it pertains to the postures and gestures of the various rites. It takes into consideration the immemorial customs that have grown up around the public worship of the Roman Catholic Church.

The General Instruction on the Roman Missal provides the framework for the way Mass is to be celebrated. Along with the rubrics, the Gen

Communion of the Sick from Catholic Book Publishing is a valuable service booklet for Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist that contains all appropriate readings as well as a series of beneficial pastoral instructions and guidelines. Includes texts for both Communion in Ordinary Circumstances and Communion in a Hospital or Institution. Commentary, history, and appendices have been written for Communion of the Sick by renowned author Rev. Joseph M. Champlin. Printed in large type and in two colors with text set in both English and Spanish, Communion of the Sick is bound in a flexible green paper cover. A handy, essential resource for all Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist.

In Encountering Christ the Servant: A Spirituality of the Diaconate, Deacon Dominic Cerrato, PhD, offers deacons and deacon candidates an integrated approach to diaconal life and ministry, rooted in the cultivation of the interior life. In this study, Deacon Dominic outlines the primacy of the interior life, the necessity of abandonment, the Servant Mysteries, and living the Servant Mysteries.

Don't let concerns about "what page am I supposed to be on?" scare you away. Sockey will be your guide to answer common questions and overcome common fears. Your prayer life will never be the same!

This handy little book will increase your understanding of this ministry. It will help you to carry it out well. You will discover that you become stronger in your faith in other ways, too. You will come to realize that a lector is far more than someone who simply stands up and reads aloud from the lectionary--much, much more than that. Packed with inspiration, history, voice suggestions. A great Christmas gift for all lectors and especially for newly appointed lectors.
Also available in Spanish: RPS123/04.

Winner of a 2022 Association of Catholic Publishers Excellence in Publishing Award: Resources for Ministry (Third Place).

Whether you are seasoned from years of ministry or are just getting started living out the vows you made at ordination, this essential handbook will provide the spiritual and practical support you need as a Catholic deacon in the Church today.

In Our Life of Service, international speaker and bestselling author Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers will inspire and uplift you as he and his brother deacons--including Greg Kandra, Larry Oney, Dominic Cerrato, and Thomas J. Fox--share their testimonies and insights about how to serve God with determination, faith, and vision. Burke-Sivers explains the gift of the diaconate as a living image of Christ the Servant in the world, a source of comfort and hope at a time when both are in short supply.

Burke-Sivers explores the daily realities of life to answer important questions about the diaconate such as:

Burke-Sivers also calls for younger, more diverse groups of men who reflect on the face of the Church to become permanent deacons in order to bridge the gap between the Church and the world and to reach the unchurched.

Each chapter contains questions for reflection, action steps, and prayers to help deacons strengthen their own commitment to their calling. Drawing from the writings of St. John Paul II and other ecclesial writings about the purpose and gift of the permanent diaconate, Burke-Sivers educates and inspires us to more fully appreciate this gift and enriches and encourages those who have themselves answered this call.

Written for deacons in active ministry, Our Life of Service is also inspiring reading for Catholics in the pew who are considering a call or who simply want to understand the purpose and gift of the permanent diaconate.

"Rekindle the gift of God that is within you", Saint Paul urges Timothy years after his ordination (2 Tim 1:6).

Drawing on sixty years of experience as a Catholic priest, Cistercian Fr. Roch Kereszty provides realistic spiritual, psychological, and pastoral guidance to priests and seminarians--from preaching and sacramental ministry, to parish life and spiritual direction, to chastity and poverty.

Countless priests struggle to understand their role and identity in the post-conciliar Church, where laypeople have taken on many responsibilities once considered priestly. With the sexual abuse crisis kicking up a cloud of confusion and discouragement, many young men are wondering, "Why join a system in which everyone is suspect?" Meanwhile, without the right guidance, those already ordained can find themselves slipping into boredom--or even cynicism.

But Fr. Kereszty knows the fire of a true vocation. With insights and examples from St. Bernard of Clairvaux, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, St. John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and many others, Rekindle the Gift of God helps priests and seminarians discover or rediscover their mission as shepherds, prophets, and teachers. A happy priest is one who lays down his life not only for his flock, but for his Lord. Father Kereszty gives patient, down-to-earth counsel on putting this ideal into practice, and he offers a glimpse of his own immense joy and gratitude for the gift of serving Jesus Christ.

This study edition contains the officially approved texts and rubrics for the following: Institutions of Readers and Acolytes; Ordination of Deacons, Priests, and Bishops; Rite of Religious Profession; Blessing of Persons: Abbot, Abbess; Consecrating to a life of Virginity; Rite of Commissioning Special Ministers of Holy Communion; Dedication of a Church and Altar. Appendices include: Reception of the Bishop in the Cathedral Church, Blessing of Pontifical Insignia, the Rite of the Blessing of Oils, the Rite of Consecrating the Chrism, Crowning of the Image of the Blessed Virgin.

The Shorter Book of Blessings from Catholic Book Publishing is a handy-sized edition of the larger Book of Blessings that includes only the blessings that are celebrated outside Mass. It contains the New American Bible translation for all Scripture readings to ensure conformity with the Catholic liturgical Lectionary. This handy liturgical resource is printed in two colors, with each blessing set in easy-to-read sense lines and carefully arranged for the celebrant. The Shorter Book of Blessings is elegantly bound in black gold-stamped bonded leather.