The Catholic Home: Celebrations and Traditions for Holidays, Feast Days, and Every Day

For centuries, the Catholic Church has offered an abundance of splendid traditions that extend religious and spiritual practice into daily life. Now, Meredith Gould reintroduces these customs and rituals to modern Roman Catholics.

Using the liturgical calendar, The Catholic Home provides familiar and new ways to celebrate each season and its special days. Gould reviews major holy days, select saints' days, familiar prayers, and suggests meaningful ways to prepare as a family for such sacraments as Baptism, Confirmation, First Eucharist, and Matrimony.

This book includes a concise history of each ritual and clarifies the meaning behind it by highlighting celebrations of Catholic holidays from different parts of the globe. Your family will learn to make Advent wreaths, Jesse trees, St. Lucy's crowns, King's cakes, All Souls altars, traditional foods, and participate in family devotions.

Throughout The Catholic Home, Gould's down-to-earth practicality and sense of humor give the activities she describes modern relevance no matter how ancient their origins. Excerpts from the official Catechism of the Catholic Church are included to illuminate Church doctrine on matters of faith and ritual. This indispensable guide will appeal to Catholics young and old and inspire beloved family traditions to be handed down from one generation to the next.

Meredith Gould, Ph.D., is the author of four books, including Deliberate Acts ofKindness: Service as a Spiritual Practice. A convert to Catholicism, she brings a fresh appreciation of age-old customs and provides a framework for understanding the symbols and celebrations of her chosen faith. Dr. Gould lives in Princeton, New Jersey, and welcomes reader comments on her website, www.meredithgould.com.