Enter into the mystery of Christmas through the ancient prayer, worship, and traditions of the Catholic Church.
Volume 2 of Dom Prosper Guéranger’s monumental The Liturgical Year begins the Church’s celebration of Christmastide, guiding the reader from the solemn joy of Christmas Day into the feast days that follow the birth of Our Lord.
Dom Guéranger does far more than recount the story of Bethlehem. He explains the history and spiritual meaning of Christmas, shows how Catholics have traditionally lived the season, and leads the reader through the prayers and liturgy by which the Church celebrates the mystery of the Word made flesh.
A substantial portion of this volume is devoted to Christmas Day itself, including the Church’s ancient offices and the three traditional Christmas Masses: Midnight Mass, the Mass at Dawn, and the Mass during the Day. Dom Guéranger unfolds the meaning behind these ceremonies and prayers, helping the reader see Christmas through the eyes of the Church rather than simply as a single annual holiday.
The volume then continues through the remarkable succession of saints and feasts immediately surrounding the Nativity, including:
- The history and mystery of Christmas
- Traditional Catholic practices during Christmastide
- Morning and evening prayers for the Christmas season
- Guidance for assisting at Mass and receiving Holy Communion
- Vespers and Compline during Christmastide
- Christmas Eve and the solemn celebrations of Christmas Day
- The three traditional Masses of Christmas
- St. Stephen, the First Martyr
- St. John the Apostle and Evangelist
- The Holy Innocents
- St. Thomas Becket and other saints of the Christmas season
Through these feasts, Dom Guéranger reveals something often lost in the modern celebration of Christmas: Christmas is not merely a day, but an entire sacred season centered on the mystery of the Incarnation.
His commentary connects Scripture, Catholic doctrine, Church history, the lives of the saints, ancient liturgical traditions, and devotional prayer into one continuous journey through the life of the Church.
The Liturgical Year was written to help Catholics do more than simply know when the Church celebrates her feasts—to help them pray, understand, and live the liturgical year alongside her.
Volume 2: Christmas I is an especially fitting companion for Catholics who want to rediscover the depth of Christmastide and contemplate more fully the mystery of God becoming man for our salvation.
By: Dom Prosper Guéranger, O.S.B.
Translated by: Dom Laurence Shepherd, O.S.B.
Series: The Liturgical Year, Volume 2 of 15
Season: Christmas — Volume I
