The Good Liturgy Guide to Festivals

The festivals of the Christian year (Advent Sunday,Christmas, Epiphany, Lent and Holy Week, Easter, Ascension and Christ the King, All Saints, and more) call for a great deal extra by way of liturgical preparation and celebration.

As do special themed occasions such as thanksgiving festivals, major saints' days, festivals of Our Lady and so on.

It is easy to get overwhelmed by the extra ceremonial and lose sight of the meaning of the feasts.

Here is a practical guide to celebrating these key events which takes an understated, 'less-is-more' approach that will work as effectively in a small parish church as in a lavishly resourced cathedral setting and place the ceremonial at the service of the festival, rather than vice versa.

Whereas there is a range of liturgical guides and companions to celebrating the Eucharist, there is nothing to help set the new texts (such as those found in Common Worship Times and Seasons) in an appropriate and effective liturgical context.