American Catholics are quite accustomed to the music resources that have been common in our parishes over the past several decades—missalettes like Breaking Bread, Heritage Missal, and Music Issue, or hymnals such as Glory and Praise and Gather. These resources serve our communities well. What many may not realize, however, is that the Church also has an official book that contains the sung texts assigned specifically to the Mass: the Graduale Romanum (Roman Gradual). READ MORE

LITURGY CORNER Liturgical Books: Breviary You may not be familiar with the term Breviary, but it is the essential tool of the other great liturgy of the Church—the Liturgy of the Hours (also known as the Divine Office). Working as dynamic partners, the Liturgy of the Hours and the Liturgy of the Eucharist (Mass) provide ceaseless prayer across the world. We have covered how the Roman Missal, the Lectionary, and the Book of the Gospels function within Mass. The Breviary is the catch-all term for the books or volumes that contain and direct the prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours. READ MORE

The Church has a remarkable way of teaching us through signs. Sometimes those signs are grand and unmistakable. Other times they are small customs that quietly shape how we enter into a season. Two beautiful traditions help us move from Ordinary Time into the penitential season of Lent: burying the Alleluia and burning last year’s palms. READ MORE

While the Roman Missal and the Lectionary are the books most frequently used at Mass, the book that is most visibly highlighted is the Book of the Gospels. Often large and relatively thin, it is not uncommon for this book to appear richly adorned, even golden in its exterior. When it is used (and it is not strictly required), it becomes part of the entrance procession. At Mary Queen, the deacon—or a lector when no deacon is present—processes with the Book of the Gospels held slightly elevated. It is then placed prominently on the altar, the central furnishing of our worship. This placement is not accidental. The first half of the Mass, the Liturgy of the Word, reaches its high point in the proclamation of the Gospel. READ MORE