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Charlene Rack reviews a new book on liturgical living, one that Catholic families will find valuable year after year.


The first thought that came to me as I began to read Solemnities: Celebrating a Tapestry of Divine Beauty (co-authored by Christopher Carstens, Denis McNamara, and Alexis Kurtarna) was “Where was this book when I converted to the Catholic faith in 1984?!" What a gift and blessing and wealth of knowledge it offers (knowledge I missed, due to just a few short sessions with our pastor as my catechist. I came into the faith with so very much still left to learn.

 

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I recall very clearly that all those extra “celebrations,” (i.e saint memorials, solemnities, and the “extra” Holy Days of Obligation) were a strain on me. I struggled with those extras for at least two years. Sundays were easy enough, but what about the solemnities? Some are Holy Days of Obligation, and some aren’t, and sometimes, if they’re close to a Sunday, they get moved. Yikes! You can understand why this book really appealed to me. Finding a book with all the solemnities explained in great detail, along with suggestions for enriching the celebrations in my own home (prayers, age old customs of the day, sacred symbols, and even the foods we enjoy on such days) will help me to understand, appreciate, and embrace these celebrations. It will do the same for you, especially those of you with children. This is what we need today in our domestic churches:

Teach us to count our days aright, that we may gain wisdom of heart. (Psalm 90:12)

 

If we number our days aright, as the Church teaches us with the different liturgical seasons, Mass on Sunday, saint memorials, and solemnities, we will enlighten the hearts of our children, keeping them on the path to eternal salvation and true joy. I would consider this book one of the essential tools to help you with that goal. (I wrapped up two copies for Christmas for my local daughters, and ordered another to be shipped directly to my Minnesota daughter. I know they will all love this book!)

The writing team of Carstens, McNamara, and Kutarna did an excellent job of weaving this into a beautiful tapestry of information and encouragement for knowing and living our faith.

I also appreciated all the beautiful illustrations in the book, especially the classic paintings, many of which are explained in detail, pointing out religious symbolism that many of the artists used to tell the story in their work.

Catholic families will find Solemnities helpful and spiritually valuable, something they’ll turn to year after year, even passing it down through the generations as time goes by. It is a book that will never pass out of fashion.

Ask for Solemnities at your local Catholic bookseller or order online from Ascension Press.

 

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Copyright 2023 Charlene Rack
Images: Canva