CCCB Resources in preparation for Christmas

Friday, November 25 2005

(CCCB – Ottawa) The Christmas season is right around the corner with Advent commencing Sunday, 27 November. Over the years, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) has prepared a variety of excellent resources to help families, communities and individuals fully live the Advent season in preparation for Christmas.

The CCCB offers several online resources prepared by the English sector Episcopal Commission for Liturgy, including Advent – Joy and Hope. This document is a valuable tool to help prepare for Christmas, clearly outlining what Advent is about and what individuals should do throughout the season to prepare for the celebration of Christmas. Another resource, Celebrating Christmas, highlights the history and explains the rituals of the celebration of the Christmas Mass. Finally, Music for the Sunday Assembly – Year B offers wonderful song selections from Catholic Book of Worship III, the official English-language hymnal of the Church in Canada, to help celebrate Christmas liturgies.

The CCCB Publications Service has a variety of resources that can also make cherished Christmas gifts. Blessings and Prayers for Home and Family, published in 2004, contains 384 pages of traditional and contemporary prayers as well as rituals for special occasions and everyday activities. It can be used to mark family milestones, such as weddings or the birth or adoption of a child, the celebration of important family occasions, including birthdays and anniversaries, and for offering solace in times of sorrow. The book also features a special section of Advent and Christmas blessings.

For the holiday season, CCCB Publications also offers several useful sourcebooks, including Catholic Planning Calendar 2006, Year of Grace 2006 Calendar, Liturgy and Appointment Calendar 2006, as well as the Sourcebook for Sundays and Seasons 2006.

My First Bible, an ideal Christmas gift for any family with young children, is a compilation of Bible stories with beautiful illustrations. Build Your Own Bethlehem: A Nativity Scene and Activity Book for Christmastime is an interactive book with colourful pop-out characters for children to create their own Nativity scene.

A catalogue featuring the complete collection of catechetical, liturgical and pastoral resources from CCCB Publications is available by calling 1-800-769-1147 (Canada and United States); by fax at 1-613-241-5090; by e-mail at publi@cccb.ca or online at http://www.cccbpublications.ca.

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For More Information Contact:
Sylvain Salvas
Director, Communications Service
Tel: (613) 241-9461
Fax: (613) 241-9048
salvas@cccb.ca