Online text: “Retrieving Ember Days”, by Roger Pieper

See this online text:

• “Retrieving Ember Days”, by Roger Pieper, Obsculta, vol. 7, no. 1 (2014): pp. 163-182. Available in pdf format at Obsculta.

Posted on an Ember Friday in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite. For other online texts and legally free ebooks, you may access the List of Free eBooks (Arranged by Title) and the List of Free eBooks (Grouped by Subject).

Online text: “On Keeping the Lord’s Day Holy”, by Pope John Paul II

See this online text:

• Apostolic Letter “Dies Domini” on Keeping the Lord’s Day Holy, by Pope John Paul II (Saint John Paul the Great), 31 May 1998. May be read online on this page of Adoremus, and at the Holy See.

On the Feast of Our Lady of La Salette in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite. For other online texts and legally free ebooks, you may access the List of Free eBooks (Arranged by Title) and the List of Free eBooks (Grouped by Subject).

Online ebook: “The Fulton J. Sheen Sunday Missal”

See this online ebook:

• The Fulton J. Sheen Sunday Missal, arranged and edited by Philip Caraman, S.J. and James Walsh, S.J., with an Introduction by Fulton J. Sheen (New York: Hawthorn Books, 1961). Available in 2 parts through this page of Corpus Christi Watershed: Part 1 and Part 2.
  • [N.B.1, We have assumed that this ebook was lawfully made available online and that links to it are likewise lawful. If this is not the case, kindly inform us so we may remove the links immediately. Tibi gratias.]
  • [N.B.2, We strongly recommend that readers peruse and meditate on the introduction of Archbishop Sheen, which is a concise summation of the truth concerning the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.]

On the Feast of Saint Mariam Baouardy, O.C.D. (مريم بواردي‎) (Mary of Jesus Crucified) in the Melkite Greek Catholic church. For other online texts and legally free ebooks, you may access the List of Free eBooks (Arranged by Title) and the List of Free eBooks (Grouped by Subject).

“And beginning from Moses, and all the prophets, he expounded to them in all the Scriptures, the things that were concerning him… And it came to pass, whilst he was at table with them, he took bread, and blessed, and brake, and gave to them. And their eyes were opened, and they knew him” (St. Luke xxiv, 27, 30-31)

Online text: “Mary and the Eucharist”, by James T. O’Connor

See this online text:

• “Mary and the Eucharist”, by James T. O’Connor, Marian Studies, Vol. 34 (Proceedings of the Thirty-Fourth National Convention of the Mariological Society of America held in North Palm Beach, FLA.), Article 14, (1983): pp. 48-65. Available in pdf format through this page at Marian Studies.

On the Feast of Saint Hyacinth of Poland in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite. For other online texts and legally free ebooks, you may access the List of Free eBooks (Arranged by Title) and the List of Free eBooks (Grouped by Subject).

Online text: “Altar Boy Handbook”, edited by Tom Mead (with other resources for altar servers)

See this online manual on altar servers for the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite:

• Altar Boy Handbook, edited by Tom Mead, September 2009 (Gainesville, Virginia: Holy Trinity Parish, Diocese of Arlington, 2009). Available in pdf format (on this page) at Holy Trinity Catholic Church.
  • [N.B., Although this is not directly connected to the text, we note with joy and hope that the parish’ website declares: “The mission of Holy Trinity Catholic Church is to lead all parishioners to Heaven and the Beatific Vision of the Blessed Trinity.” Such fidelity to Christ our Lord and the mission He entrusted to His one true Church is a blessing indeed. Deo gratias!]

See also this manual for altar servers for the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite:

• Handbook for Altar Servers, by the Archconfraternity of St. Stephen. May be read online (on this page) through the page Altar Server Tutorial and Resources for the Traditional Latin Mass at Sancta Missa. [N.B., The website notes that the text, in view of its age, may not be consistent with the 1962 Missale Romanum and the online tutorial provided on the website, and “is intended as a possible aid for parishes or individuals interested in implementing a similar guild.]

See also these texts relating to altar servers:

• Address to the Second Group of German Bishops on Their “Ad Limina” Visit, of His Holiness Benedict XVI 18 November 2006. May be read online and available in pdf format at the Holy See.
• General Audience of 1 August 2001, by Pope John Paul II. May be read online and available in pdf format at the Holy See.
• General Audience of 04 August 2010, by Pope Benedict XVI. Available at the Holy See.
• General Audience of 29 August 2012, by Benedict XVI. May be read online at the Holy See.
• Special Catechesis for the European Pilgrimage of Altar Servers: General Audience of 02 August 2006, by Pope Benedict XVI. May be read online and available in pdf format at the Holy See.

On the Feast of Saint John Berchmans. For other online texts and legally free ebooks, you may access the List of Free eBooks (Arranged by Title) and the List of Free eBooks (Grouped by Subject).

Free ebook: “Explanation of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass”, by Martin von Cochem

See this legally free ebook:

• Cochem’s Explanation of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass; with an Appendix, Containing Devotions for Mass, for Confession, and for Communion, by Martin von Cochem [+1712], with a Preface by Bishop Camillus P. Maes [+1915] (New York, Cincinnati, Chicago: Benziger Brothers, 1896). With Imprimatur. May be read online, and available in pdf, epub, mobi, and other formats, at Internet Archive.

See also these ebooks relating to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass:

• Calvary and the Mass: A Missal Companion, by Archbishop Fulton Sheen (P.J. Kenedy & Sons, 1936). May be read in HTML (on this page) of Sancta Missa and in plain TXT (on this page) of EWTN Library. Available in PDF (on this page) of Catholic Primer. [N.B., The Catholic Primer text states the book is in the public domain but the electronic version is copyrighted. The electronic version may be distributed free of charge subject to the stated conditions.]
• An Explanation of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, by Bishop M. F. [Michael Francis] Howley, 1843-1914 (Boston: Doyle and Whittle, 1894). With Imprimatur. May be read online, and available in pdf, epub, mobi, and other formats, at Internet Archive, with a 2nd copy at Internet Archive and a 3rd but less legible copy at Internet Archive.
• An Explanation of the Prayers and Ceremonies of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass; in Familiar Discourses, Addressed to a Congregation, 4th edition, by Rev. E.B. [Edward Benedictus] Glover, OSB (London: William Eusebius Andrews: 1835). May be read online, and available in pdf, epub, mobi, and other formats, at Internet Archive.
• Hierurgia; or, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass; With Notes and Dissertations Elucidating its Doctrines and Ceremonies, and Numerous Illustrations, 3^rd edition, by Daniel Rock, revised by W. H. James Weale (London : John Hodges, 1892). Volume 1 is available in various formats at Internet Archive and Open Library, with a 2^nd copy at Internet Archive and Open Library; and at eBooksRead.com. Volume 2 is available in various formats at Internet Archive and Open Library, with a 2^nd copy at Internet Archive and Open Library.
• The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass; Dogmatically, Liturgically and Ascetically Explained, 3^rd edition, by Rev. Dr. Nicholas Gihr, translated from the sixth German edition (St. Louis, Mo.: B. Herder, 1908). With Imprimatur. Available in various formats (pdf, epub, mobi/kindle, etc.) at Internet Archive and Open Library. An earlier edition (Freiburg im Breisgau, Vienna, Munich, Strassburg, St. Louis: B. Herder, 1902) is available at Internet Archive and Open Library, with another imprint (St. Louis, Mo.: B. Herder, 1902) available at Internet Archive and Open Library. An excerpt from a 1918 edition, “The Saints of the Canon of the Mass”, reprinted from The Catholic Voice, is available in PDF format through this page of Sancta Missa.

• How Christ said the First Mass, or, The Lord’s Last Supper: The Rites and Ceremonies, the Ritual and Liturgy, the Forms of Divine Worship Christ Observed, when He Changed the Passover into the Mass, 2^nd edition, by Rev. James L. Meagher (New York: Christian Press Association, 1908). Available in various formats at Internet Archive and Open Library. The 1^st edition (New York: Christian Press Association, 1906) is also available at Internet Archive and Open Library.
• The Mass and Vestments of the Catholic Church: Liturgical, Doctrinal, Historical and Archeological, by Monsignor John Walsh, 1847-1919 (New York, Cincinnati, Chicago: Benziger Brothers, 1916). With Imprimatur. May be read online, and available in pdf, epub, mobi, and other formats, at Internet Archive and Internet Archive. (An older impression (Troy, NY: Troy times art Press, 1909), with Imprimatur, is available at Internet Archive.
• The Mass Every Day of the Year: The Roman Missal, translated and arranged by Pace, Edward A. [Aloysius] Pace [+1938] and John J. [Joseph] Wynne [+1948] (New York: Home Press, 1916). With Imprimatur. May be read online, and available in pdf, epub, mobi, and other formats, at Internet Archive
• The Mass of the Western Rites, by the Right Reverend Dom Fernand Cabrol, Abbot of Farnborough Abbey. Available in PDF format at Sancta Missa. May be read online at the EWTN Library and at the Maternal Heart of Mary Traditional Latin Mass Chaplaincy (beginning with the Preface; for the other chapters, click the “Western Rite” widget on the leftmost column below “Dom Cabrol”). Chapter 10 may be read online at the Franciscan Archive.
• The Order and Ceremonial of the Most Holy and Adorable Sacrifice of the Mass: Explained in a Dialogue between a Priest and a Catechumen, by Frederick Oakeley (New York: Catholic Publication Society, pref. 1859). With Imprimatur. Available at Open Library and Internet Archive (Digitizing sponsor: MSN, Book contributor: University of California Libraries). History, Sacraments, Liturgy.
• The Ritual of the New Testament: An Essay on the Principles and Origin of Catholic Ritual in Reference to the New Testament, 3^rd edition, by Rev. T.E. Bridgett, C.Ss.R. (London, Burns and Oates; New York: Catholic Publication Society, 1887). With Imprimatur. Available in pdf, epub, mobi/kindle, etc. formats at Internet Archive and Open Library, with a 2^nd copy at Internet Archive, Open Library and Open Library, and a 3^rd copy at Internet Archive. Also available at Google Books, at Google Books, at HathiTrust Digital Library, and (with some pages reserved for members) at Forgotten Books.
• The Roman Missal Adapted to the Use of the Laity from the Missale Romanum; as Corrected under a Decree of the Tridentine Council, Issued by Command of Pope St. Pius V., Revised by Subsequent Popes, and Reformed by Authority of Pope Pius X, 21st edition (Toronto [Ont.] : W.E. Blake & Son, 1913). May be read online, and available in pdf, epub, mobi, and other formats, at Internet Archive and Open Library.
• The Sacrifice of the Mass: An Explanation of its Doctrine, Rubrics and Prayers; with an Introductory Chapter, 5^th edition, revised, enlarged, and corrected, by the Rev. M. Gavin, S.J. (London: Burns and Oates; New York, Cincinnati, Chicago: Benziger Brothers, 1906). With Imprimatur. Available at the HathiTrust Digital Library; and in pdf, epub, mobi, and other formats at Open Library and Internet Archive.
• The Sacrifice of the Mass: An Explanation of its Doctrine, Rubrics and Prayers; with an Introductory Chapter, 3^rd edition, by the Rev. M. Gavin, S.J. (London: Burns and Oates; New York, Cincinnati, Chicago: Benziger Brothers, 1903). With Imprimatur. Available in pdf format (on this page) of the Grupo São Tomás de Aquino. As linked from this page of Catholic AudioBooks, it may be read online on this page of the-latinmass, and it is available in pdf, epub, mobi, and other formats at Internet Archive. The audiobook of what appears to be the 3^rd edition, read out by Maureen S. O’Brien (2008) is available in video form (on this page), published 25 September 2017 by Classic Catholic Audiobooks. The same audiobook is also available in 3 parts at Internet Archive (linked from this page of Catholic AudioBooks): Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.
• The Sacrifice of the Mass Worthily Celebrated, by Father [Pierre] Chaignon, S.J. , translated by Bishop L. De Goesbriand (New York, Cincinnati, Chicago: Benziger Brothers, 1897). With Imprimatur. May be read online, and available in pdf, epub, mobi, and other formats, at Internet Archive, with a 2^nd copy at Internet Archive.

On the anniversary of the issuance of the Apostolic Letter Given Motu Proprio “Summorum Pontificum” on the Use of the Roman Liturgy Prior to the Reform of 1970, by Pope Benedict XVI (7 July 2007), for which we offer this prayer:

Our God and Savior Jesus Christ, we thank You for giving us Summorum Pontificum through Your faithful vicar Benedict, who thus affirmed and strengthened our liberty to celebrate the living Forms of the Roman Rite. Grant that we, who are nourished by the liturgy and tradition of Your Body the Church, may be ever filled with Your grace and truth, that we might remain in Your love until death and dwell with You forever in heaven. Amen.

Online ebook: 2018-2019 Liturgical Year: Easter, edited by Jennifer Gregory Miller and Darden Brock

See this online ebook:

• 2018-2019 Liturgical Year, Volume 4: Easter, edited by Jennifer Gregory Miller and Darden Brock (Manassas, VA: Trinity Communications, 2018). Available in pdf, mobi, and epub formats through this index page of Catholic Culture: Free Catholic eBooks. [N.B., The ebooks may be accessed upon login or a free subscription. Registration takes less than a minute, though we recommend taking another 2 minutes to input a password and modify other details of one’s account.] As summarized in the index page:
  • “This fourth volume of the 2018-2019 Liturgical Year series covers all the days of Easter Season from the Easter Vigil through Pentecost Sunday, providing a rich set of resources for families to use in living the liturgical year in the domestic church, that is, in their own families. Resources include biographies of the saints to match each feast day, histories of the various celebrations and devotions, penitential spirituality, descriptions of customs from around the world, prayers, activities and recipes.”

See also these related texts:

• Contemplations and Meditations on the Passion and Death, and on the Glorious Life of Our Lord Jesus Christ, According to the Method of St. Ignatius, 5^th edition, [by Charles Michel Alexandre de Brandt,] translated from the French by a Sister of Mercy, revised by the Rev. W. [William] H. Eyre, S.J. (London: Burns & Oates; New York, Cincinnati, Chicago: Benziger Brothers, 1901). With Imprimatur. Available in pdf, mobi, epub, and other formats at Internet Archive (linked by the Free Traditional Catholic Books page of Traditional Catholic) and Open Library.
  • The 2nd edition (London: Burns & Oates), with the approbation of the Bishop of Birmingham, is available in pdf, mobi, epub, and other formats at Internet Archive.
  • The 2nd edition (London: Burns & Oates; New York, Cincinnati, Chicago: Benziger Brothers, 1898), with Imprimatur, is available in pdf, mobi, epub, and other formats at Internet Archive.
• The Mystery of Jesus, by Dom Savinien Louismet, 1858-1926 (London: Burns, Oates, & Washbourne; New York: P.J. Kenedy & Sons, 1922). With Imprimatur. Available in various formats at Internet Archive and Open Library with a 2^nd copy at Internet Archive and Open Library.
• “Risen Time: Easter as the Source of History”, by Professor José Granados, Communio 37 (Spring 2010): pp. 6-33. Available in pdf format (here) through this page at Communio: International Catholic Review.
• The Tragedy of Calvary: or the Minute Details of Christ’s Life from Palm Sunday Morning till the Resurrection and Ascension; Taken from Prophecy, History, Revelations and Ancient Writings, by James L. Meagher (New York, N.Y. : Christian Press Association Publishing Co., 1905). Available in various formats at Internet Archive and Open Library.

On the Feast of the Resurrection of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (Easter Sunday) in the one true and Catholic Church. For other online texts and legally free ebooks, you may access the List of Free eBooks (Arranged by Title) and the List of Free eBooks (Grouped by Subject).

Pour forth, we beseech You, O Lord, Your grace into our hearts, that we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ Your Son was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection. Who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. (Collect Prayer, Fourth Sunday of Advent, with some capitalization modified)

This post is dedicated to Father James V. Schall, S.J. (+17 April 2019), faithful shepherd and teacher, with prayer for his soul, sadness for his passing, and gratitude for his witness and service. Requiescat in pace.

Online ebook: “The Eucharist: Sacrament and Sacrifice”, by Fr. Giles Dimock

See this online ebook:

• The Eucharist: Sacrament and Sacrifice, by Father Giles Dimock, O.P., S.T.D. (New Haven, CT: Knights of Columbus Supreme Council, 2009). With Imprimatur. May be read online and available in pdf format through this page of the Knights of Columbus Supreme Council – Catholic Information Service.

See also these texts and ebooks on the Sacrament of the Eucharist:

• The Coming Home Journal, Volume I, Issue 3: The Eucharist (July-December 1998). Includes the articles: “The Real Presence” by David Palm, “Transubstantiation and the Eucharist” and “St. Augustine’s Belief in the Real Presence” by David Armstrong, “But What Do We Mean By ‘The Real Presence’?” by Dwight Longenecker, “The Holy Eucharist (reprint)” by James Cardinal Gibbons, “The Meal of Melkizedek” by Scott Hahn, Ph. D., and “Before You Object” by Marcus Grodi. Available in PDF format (on this page) at the Coming Home Network.
• The Eucharistic Christ: Reflections and Considerations on the Blessed Sacrament, by the Rev. A. [Albert] Tesnière, translated by Mrs. Anne R. Bennett-Gladstone, with a Preface by the Rev. D.J. McMahon, D.D. (New York, Cincinnati, Chicago: Benziger Brothers, 1897). With Imprimatur. Available at Google Books. May be read online, and available in pdf, mobi/kindle, epub, and other formats, at Internet Archive and Open Library, with a 2^nd copy at Internet Archive and Open Library.
• Eucharistic Meditations of the Curé d’Ars, by St. John Baptist Mary Vianney (Carmelite Publications, 1961). Available in pdf format (here) at through this archive of the Irish Province of the Order of Carmelites; and also available at Yumpu. [N.B., We have assumed that this work was lawfully published online since it is available on a Carmelite website. If this assumption is incorrect, please comment immediately so we may immediately remove the link.]
• Lectures on the Holy Eucharist, by Charles Coupe, S.J., M.A., edited with notes and references by Hatherley More (London: R. & T. Washbourne; New York, Cincinnati, Chicago: Benziger Brothers, 1906). Available in pdf, mobi/kindle, epub, and other formats at Internet Archive; also available at Forgotten Books (with some copies limited to members).
• The Sacraments: A Dogmatic Treatise. Volume II, The Holy Eucharist, 2^nd revised edition by Rt. Rev. Msgr. Joseph Pohle, adapted and edited by Arthur Preuss (London, St. Louis, Mo.: B. Herder, 1917). Book IX of the Pohle-Preuss Dogmatic Theology series. With Imprimatur. Available on multiple formats at Internet Archive and Open Library, with a 2^nd copy at Internet Archive and Open Library, with a 3^rd copy at Internet Archive and Open Library.

On the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, see the following books and texts:

• Hierurgia; or, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass; With Notes and Dissertations Elucidating its Doctrines and Ceremonies, and Numerous Illustrations, 3^rd edition, by Daniel Rock, revised by W. H. James Weale (London : John Hodges, 1892). Volume 1 is available in various formats at Internet Archive and Open Library, with a 2^nd copy at Internet Archive and Open Library; and at eBooksRead.com. Volume 2 is available in various formats at Internet Archive and Open Library, with a 2^nd copy at Internet Archive and Open Library.
• The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass; Dogmatically, Liturgically and Ascetically Explained, 3^rd edition, by Rev. Dr. Nicholas Gihr, translated from the sixth German edition (St. Louis, Mo.: B. Herder, 1908). With Imprimatur. Available in various formats (pdf, epub, mobi/kindle, etc.) at Internet Archive and Open Library. An earlier edition (Freiburg im Breisgau, Vienna, Munich, Strassburg, St. Louis: B. Herder, 1902) is available at Internet Archive and Open Library, with another imprint (St. Louis, Mo.: B. Herder, 1902) available at Internet Archive and Open Library. An excerpt from a 1918 edition, “The Saints of the Canon of the Mass”, reprinted from The Catholic Voice, is available in PDF format through this page of Sancta Missa.
• How Christ said the First Mass, or, The Lord’s Last Supper: The Rites and Ceremonies, the Ritual and Liturgy, the Forms of Divine Worship Christ Observed, when He Changed the Passover into the Mass, 2^nd edition, by Rev. James L. Meagher (New York: Christian Press Association, 1908). Available in various formats at Internet Archive and Open Library. The 1^st edition (New York: Christian Press Association, 1906) is also available at Internet Archive and Open Library.
• The Sacrifice of the Mass: An Explanation of its Doctrine, Rubrics and Prayers; with an Introductory Chapter, 5^th edition, revised, enlarged, and corrected, by the Rev. M. Gavin, S.J. (London: Burns and Oates; New York, Cincinnati, Chicago: Benziger Brothers, 1906). With Imprimatur. Available at the HathiTrust Digital Library; and in pdf, epub, mobi, and other formats at Open Library and Internet Archive.
• The Sacrifice of the Mass: An Explanation of its Doctrine, Rubrics and Prayers; with an Introductory Chapter, 3^rd edition, by the Rev. M. Gavin, S.J. (London: Burns and Oates; New York, Cincinnati, Chicago: Benziger Brothers, 1903). With Imprimatur. Available in pdf format (on this page) of the Grupo São Tomás de Aquino. As linked from this page of Catholic AudioBooks, it may be read online on this page of the-latinmass, and it is available in pdf, epub, mobi, and other formats at Internet Archive. The audiobook of what appears to be the 3^rd edition, read out by Maureen S. O’Brien (2008) is available in video form (on this page), published 25 September 2017 by Classic Catholic Audiobooks. The same audiobook is also available in 3 parts at Internet Archive (linked from this page of Catholic AudioBooks): Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

On the worthy reception of Christ our Lord in Holy Communion, see the books and texts listed in our post “Online texts: Commentaries on ‘Amoris Laetitia’“, as well as the following texts:

• “Abortion, Bishops, Eucharist, and Politicians: A Question of Communion”, by Professor Gregory C. Sisk and Professor Charles J. Reid, Jr., The Catholic Lawyer, Vol. 43, No. 2, p.255-288 (Fall 2004). Available in pdf format on this page and on this page of the Social Science Research Network (SSRN), and on this page of the University of St. Thomas. What appears to be a November 2017 electronic reprint is available in pdf format on this page of the St. John’s Law Scholarship Repository.
• “Canon 915: The Discipline Regarding the Denial of Holy Communion to Those Obstinately Persevering in Manifest Grave Sin”, by the Most Rev. [now Cardinal] Raymond L. Burke, Archbishop of St. Louis, Periodica de Re Canonica, Vol. 96 (2007) pp. 3-58. May be read online on this page of the EWTN Library; and on this page of the Real Presence Eucharistic Education and Adoration Association, linked to from In the Light of the Law (blogspot)and In the Light of the Law (wordpress).
• Communio: International Catholic Review, Volume 41.2, Marriage: Theological and Pastoral Considerations (Summer 2014). Available (on this page) at Communio: International Catholic Review, including the following articles: “Marriage and the Family Between Anthropology and the Eucharist, by Cardinal Angelo Scola (in PDF format); “The Merciful Gift of Indissolubility and the Question of Pastoral Care for Civilly Divorced and Remarried Catholics”, by Nicholas J. Healy, Jr. (in PDF format); and “God’s Gift of Life and Love: On Marriage and the Eucharist”, by Pope St. John Paul II (in PDF format).
• “Happy Are Those Who Are Called to His Supper”: On Preparing to Receive Christ Worthily in the Eucharist, by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, November 14, 2006. Available in PDF format on this page of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
• Marriage: Theological and Pastoral Considerations (Washington, D.C.: Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage & Family and Communio International Catholic Review, 2015), which is available in PDF format (on this page) at the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family at the Catholic University of America.

Posted on Holy Thursday (Maundy Thursday), 2019 in the one true and Catholic Church. For other online texts and legally free ebooks, you may access the List of Free eBooks (Arranged by Title) and the List of Free eBooks (Grouped by Subject).

“The tradition which I received from the Lord, and handed on to you, is that the Lord Jesus, on the night when he was being betrayed, took bread, and gave thanks, and broke it, and said, Take, eat; this is my body, given up for you. Do this for a commemoration of me. And so with the cup, when supper was ended, This cup, he said, is the new testament, in my blood. Do this, whenever you drink it, for a commemoration of me. So it is the Lord’s death that you are heralding, whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, until he comes.”

“And therefore, if anyone eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily, he will be held to account for the Lord’s body and blood. A man must examine himself first, and then eat of that bread and drink of that cup; he is eating and drinking damnation to himself if he eats and drinks unworthily, not recognizing the Lord’s body for what it is.” (I Corinthians xi, 23-29)

Online text: “The Liturgical and Theological Aesthetics of Pope Benedict XVI”, by Roland Millare

See this online text:

• “The Sacred Is Still Beautiful: The Liturgical and Theological Aesthetics of Pope Benedict XVI”, by Roland Millare, Logos, vol. 16, no. 1 (Winter 2013), pp. 104-128. May be read online and downloaded in pdf format at Academia.edu.

See also our list of ebooks on Art and Architecture; as well as these related texts and ebooks:

• The Beauty of Holiness: Sacred Art and the New Evangelization, by Jem Sullivan (New Haven, CT: Knights of Columbus Supreme Council—Catholic Information Service, 2012). With Imprimatur. Part of the New Evangelization series (Michelle K. Borras, Ph.D., general editor). Available in PDF format (on this page) at the Knights of Columbus Supreme Council—Catholic Information Service.
• “The Feeling of Things, the Contemplation of Beauty”, by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI). 2002 message to a meeting of the ecclesial movement Communion and Liberation. May be read online at Zenit and on this page of Cossroads Initiative, which summarizes the text as a “Lenten and Holy Week meditation on Psalm 45 and the contemplation of beauty”. [N.B., According to John Jang in his thesis “Beauty as a transcendental in the thought of Joseph Ratzinger”, page 5, footnote 21, this text was re-titled “Wounded by the Arrow of Beauty: The Cross and the New ‘Aesthetics’ of Faith,” when published in On the Way to Jesus Christ (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2005)]

• Letter to Artists, by Pope St. John Paul II (4 April 1999). Subtitled: “To all who are passionately dedicated to the search for new ‘epiphanies’ of beauty so that through their creative work as artists they may offer these as gifts to the world”. May be read online on this page of the EWTN Libraries (linked from this page of Ignitum Today); at the Holy See (linked from this page of the Institute of Catholic Culture); on this page of JP2 Love; and on this page of The Foundation for Sacred Arts. Excerpts of the Letter are read out in “Pope John Paul II’s ‘Letter to Artists’”, (published April 21, 2014) at the JPCatholic Youtube channel, which may also be viewed on this page of Xt3; and on this page, which has a brief essay by Monique Ocampo, at the John Paul II Foundation.
• “Liturgical Architecture and the Classical Tradition: A Balthasarian Approach”, by Denis R. McNamara, Communio: International Catholic Review, Vol. 32, pp. 137-151 (Spring 2005). Available in PDF format (through this page) at Communio: International Catholic Review, with a link from Spring Hill College.
• The Spirit of the Liturgy, by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI)  (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2000). May be purchased through this page of Ignatius Press and at Amazon.com. The following excepts may be read online, linked by The Cardinal Ratzinger Fan Club and anagasto.wordpress.com:
  • “The Altar and the Direction of Liturgical Prayer” , in Adoremus Bulletin, Vol. VI, No. 3 (May 2000) , available at Adoremus;
  • “Art and Liturgy: A Question of ImagesI“, in Adoremus Bulletin, Vol. VII, No. 10: (February 2002), which is the 1st part of the chapter “A Question of Images”, available at Adoremus;
  •  Art, Image and Artists: Sacred art, inspired by faith, both reflects and informs the culture – Part II”, in Adoremus Bulletin, Vol. VIII, No. 1 (March 2002), which is the 2nd part of the chapter “A Question of Images”, available at Adoremus;
  • “Music and Liturgy: How does music express the Word of God, the Vision of God?”, in Adoremus Bulletin, Vol. VII, No. 8 (November 2001), available at Adoremus;
  • “The Theology of Kneeling”, excerpt from a chapter, “The Body and the Liturgy”, available at Adoremus; and
  • “What Does ‘Rite’ Mean in the Context of Christian Liturgy?”.

Posted on Holy Monday, 2019; on the anniversary of Lateran Council of AD 769; in observance of the Universal Day of Culture and of World Art Day; and in advance of the birthday of Pope Benedict XVI. For other online texts and legally free ebooks, you may access the List of Free eBooks (Arranged by Title) and the List of Free eBooks (Grouped by Subject).

[S]ome artistic expressions are real highways to God, the supreme Beauty; indeed, they help us to grow in our relationship with him, in prayer. These are works that were born from faith and express faith.” (Pope Benedict XVI, General Audience, 31 August 2011)

“[R]eligious iconography should be directed to sacramental mystagogy… Everything related to the Eucharist should be marked by beauty.” (Pope Benedict XVI, Sacramentum Caritatis, no. 41)

Online text: “Guidelines for Music at Funerals”, and other texts on Catholic funerals

See this online text:

• Guidelines for Music at Funerals, prepared by the Office of Liturgy of the Archdiocese of New York, November 2014 (Yonkers, NY: Archdiocese of New York Office of Liturgy, 2014). Available in pdf format at the Archdiocese of New York Office of Liturgy.

See also:

• Parish Book of Chant: A Manual of Gregorian Chant and a Liturgical Resource for Scholas and Congregations; including Order of Sung Mass for both Prdinary an Extarordinary Forms of the roman Rite; with a complete Kyriale, along with Chants and Hymns for Occasional and Seasonal Use and their literal English translations, expanded second edition, prepared by for the Church Music Association of America (2012). Available in pdf format (here) through this page of Musica Sacra, which also makes additional hymns available for download; and at Scribd. The hardcover printed copy may be purchased at Amazon.
  • [The chants for the Missa Pro Defunctis may be found at nos. 155-170 on pp. 151-167 of the work.]

A collection of resources on funerals are indexed and made available on the webpage “Bereavement and Funerals” of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Other texts and resources on the planning of Catholic Christian funerals include:

• Catholic Funeral Planning Guide, developed by the Maine Catholic Cemetery Committee, Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland. Available in pdf format at the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland.
• Good Shepherd Catholic Church and School Funeral Guide, Updated January 2018 (Golden Valley, MN: Good Shepherd Catholic Church). Available in pdf format on this page.
• A Guide to Ensuring You Have the Traditional Mass at Your Funeral, by the Latin Mass Society (London: Latin Mass Society). Available in pdf format (here) at the Latin Mass Society of England and Wales.
• A Planner for Catholic Funerals. 24 pages. Available in PDF format on this page of The Catholic Parishes of Northeast Wyoming.

See also these norms and other materials on liturgical and extra-liturgical observances for the faithful departed:

• “The Celebration of Christian Funerals” by Don Fier (March 24, 2018) at The Wanderer Online Daily.
• Commentary on the Order of Christian Funerals and the Funeral Directives for the Diocese of Columbus, Ohio. Available in pdf format on this page.
• “No Eulogies at Funerals” [by Father Dan Vogelpohl?]. May be read online and (preceded by an introductory essay by Geoffrey K. Mondello) in pdf format at Boston Catholic Journal.
  • [N.B., We think it probable, based on textual evidence, that this is the 4-part essay by Father Dan Vogelpohl that was the subject of the article “Never a Eulogy” by Rich Leonardi (January 25, 2007) at Catholic Exchange. However, we cannot confirm this, since that essay no longer appears to be present at the Blessed Sacrament Parish website.]
• Nine-Day Novena Prayer for the Dead (Catholic Filipino-Australian Chaplaincy, Archdiocese of Brisbane). Available in PDF format on this page of the Catholic Filipino Australian Chaplaincy of Brisbane.
• Pastoral Letter on the Christian Burial of the Dead, by Cardinal Raymond L. Burke, D.D., J.C.D. (Diocese of La Crosse, 2 November 2000). May be read online (here) at Catholic Culture; and may be read (here) at the Marian Catechist Apostolate. [N.B., Although the last part of the text provides norms specific to the diocese of then-Bishop Burke, much of it made up of doctrinal and canonical explanations that may be of general use.]
• Pastoral Letter “That We May Have Hope”, by the Bishop of Portland, Richard J. Malone (2 November 2011). Contained in Catholic Funeral Planning Guide, developed by the Maine Catholic Cemetery Committee, Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland. which is available in pdf format at the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland. [N.B., Although the text provides norms specific to the diocese, it also contains doctrinal and canonical explanations that may be of general use.]

Posted on the Feast of Saint Joseph of Arimathea in the Maronite church: may his prayers be with us. For other legally free ebooks, you may access the List of Free eBooks (Arranged by Title) and the List of Free eBooks (Grouped by Subject).