Advent Books

Advent Books
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NEW!
Advent Tear Off Daily Reflections
Parishioners will spend a moment each day during Advent seeing what God is doing now in their lives. With daily Scripture, reflection, prayer and action idea Advent: A Season to See will lead readers to see Jesus with fresh eyes. Use the magnet back and hang it on your refrigerator for convenience. Then tear one page off each day and share it with a friend or co-worker. (Item #83155) $1.29/pack

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Advent-ures Family Activity Devotions for Advent
Packed with meaningful ideas for your family's Advent waiting days, ADVENT•ures is a devotional booklet, an Advent wreath centerpiece and a sheet of daily stickers to add to the centerpiece. You will find both traditional and nontraditional Advent symbols--one for every day--along with a Scripture reference, devotion, prayer and activity. Priced so every family or child in your parish can receive one. Cutting is required on the wreath only. (Item #83159) $1.35

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A Place for Christmas: Advent Devotions and Sticker Fun
Follow Daniel Dove in these daily devotions as he flies from Nazareth to the hill country, through the streets and hills of Bethlehem and to the Bethlehem stable. Use the accompanying stand-up landscapes for your table centerpiece and add a sticker each day to help tell the story of the Savior's birth. Each devotion also includes a Scripture reading and a prayer. (Item #83157) $1.35

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What Shall We Name Him? Advent Mobile That Grows Through Advent
Give families a fun activity for the season with this What Shall We Name Him? Advent Mobile. Whether used on its own, or to reinforce the lessons learned from the family devotional, Advent Chain or window calendar of the same title, this growing Advent "project" includes brief devotions based on the many names of Jesus. A Bible reading is suggested for each day, as well. Bright, colorful cardstock. Cutting is required. String not included. Cardstock. 11" x 17" (Item #83163) $0.69

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We Want to See Jesus: An Advent Coloring Book
A perfect way to introduce Advent to the preschool crowd, this coloring book is filled with delightful rhymes, simple puzzles and pictures to color. Priced so that all preschoolers and everyone else who loves to color--in Sunday school, day school or after-school programs--can all delight in hours of fun. (Item #83161) $1.09

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Which Way Is Christmas? An Advent Book with Devotions, Rhymes and Seek and Find Picture Puzzles
Camels, donkeys, and sheep are joined by cars, trucks, and airplanes in this colorful devotion book that leads children on a search for the baby Jesus. Kids will love to scan the beautiful Seek-and-Find photographs for the hidden objects that point to the Bethlehem manger. This book is sure to provide hours of fun and devotion for the children of your congregation. (Item #83156) $1.39

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Winter's Wisdom: Advent 2009
" God waits for us. . . to notice the myriad ways in which God is with us, always." From the introdution by Sallie Latkovich, CSJ, as she explores they many ways God is waiting for us. Join her and the 36 other writers who so generously contribute their reflections and challenges to these annual booklets. We continue to be grateful for their thoughtful reflections that "break open" the Scriptures. Come, journey with us. (Item #82828) $5.25

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The Meaning is in the Waiting: The Spirit of Advent
by Paula Gooder
Advent is about learning to love the waiting…Waiting is the primary lesson of Advent, says Paula Gooder. In the company of the biblical characters with whom the candles on the Advent wreath are traditionally associated, she helps us to discover very different kinds of waiting:

* Abraham and Sarah—who waited a lifetime for the fulfillment of God’s promises.
* The Hebrew prophets—who waited for God’s intervention, both longed for and feared.
* John the Baptist—whose ministry marked the end of one era and anticipated the new.
* Mary—whose life was shaped by waiting and by events beyond her control.

The Meaning Is in the Waiting is arranged for daily reading in the hectic run-up to Christmas. This thoughtful book will enable you to grow more fully into a way of being that is expectant rather than urgent, more focused on God’s presence right now than on some imagined future. You will venture on this journey in companionship with the God who waits with us. 137 pages, Paperback (Item #87579) $14.99

Advent Reflections: Come, Lord Jesus!
by Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan
Would you like to take a break from the fast pace of your real-world holiday preparation and enter a sacred space of joyful anticipation of the coming of Christ at Christmas? Now you can -- with the help of Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan.

Make this holy season unique with this practical, accessible spiritual guide. With four manageable themes for each week of Advent, these reflections focus on "The Three Comings of Jesus," "St. John the Baptist," "St. Joseph: A Man Forgotten," and "Our Blessed Mother Mary" -- all the while using contemporary stories to illustrate the lessons we can learn from these holy lives. Give yourself an early gift, as Archbishop Dolan leads you through refreshing and insightful meditations to make the most of this Advent season. (Item #87800) $6.95

Advent Family Prayers
Perfect for uniting families in prayers of thanks and inspiration, this double-sided, table-tent prayer card offers families a wonderful opportunity to spend quality time of devotion together while celebrating the arrival of Jesus. This prayer card commemorates the reason God sent Jesus to earth, and in doing so, reveals the warmth and love that God freely gives to us all.

Size: 14" x 8-1/2"; fold to 3-1/2" x 8-1/2"; double-sided. (Item #81335) $1.50

The Magnificat Advent Companion
Advent is the sacred season of anticipation and expectation in which we prepare for the coming of our blessed Savior. To live Advent is to live in an awareness of a Presence that changes our lives. The Magnificat Advent Companion is a rich spiritual guide that will accompany you daily through the 4 weeks of this holy season. It provides original daily reflections based on the Scriptures of the Mass for each day of Advent written by some of the finest Catholic writers in the world. In addition, it offers superb essays, devotions, prayers, and other liturgical and spiritual aids to guide and enrich the reader's experience of Advent. This invaluable booklet will bring you ever closer to the Infant King. 85 pages; Paperback (Item #88854) $3.95

Prepare Him Room: Advent for Busy Christians
This collection of 14 reflections, based on the scriptural birth narratives and applied to contemporary life, empower busy Christians to re-focus on the true meaning of the Advent season. Written by popular author Mary Latela, these gentle meditations are aimed at helping readers recall and reconnect with Jesus through the Christmas story.
A wonderful personal companion for the Advent season and a marvelous way to awaken the Christmas spirit in your home! (Item #81333) $5.95

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Living the Days of Advent and the Christmas Season 2009
This collection of daily reflections–a perennial favorite of our readers–is an ideal way to prepare for Advent. Instead of being a month of increasing stress, with the help of this book Advent can be a quiet season reflection on the miracle that God has come to us, will come, and is already with us now. For each day the author includes a selection from scripture or the divine office, a brief meditation, and a prayer. Together they help the hassles and trivialities of the season fall away to reveal the real and unchanging meaning beneath. Provides a page a day uncovering the rich meanings of the scriptures and Feasts of these two seasons. Features:--handy tear-out, page-a-day format.--runs from the First Sunday of Advent to the Baptism of the Lord, noting feast days and holy days.--simple, evocative line drawings. Paperback. (Item #84722) $3.95

NEW!
Absolutely Advent! 2009
No time of year is more exciting for children than the weeks and days leading up to Christmas. Now Absolutely Advent! can give them a new understanding of what the expectation and excitement, the celebration and joy are all about.

Absolutely Advent! helps children enter more fully into the real spirit of this special Church season − even as they are distracted by Christmas commercials, music, and decorations.

A page a day, November 30 through December 24, provides young readers with a paraphrase or quote from the day's Gospel, a brief exploration about what that message means for them today, and a game, puzzle, or activity to reinforce the learning.

In the primary edition, Levi the Lamb returns for another year with his adventures in verse. The Jesse tree - a favorite Advent activity - is a weekly feature in this year's intermediate edition. It's a fun way to learn about Jesus' ancestors and the role they played in our salvation history.

You'll want all children in your program to have a copy of this engaging new book. Deeply discounted pricing is available for larger quantities. 32 page, 6"x9"

Primary Grades (Item #87261) $8.95
Grades 4-8 (Item #87260) $8.95

MORE ADVENT BOOKS- CLICK HERE!

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Daybreaks: Daily Reflections on the Readings
Advent and Christmas
Well-known writer and preacher on social-justice issues Father John Kavanaugh will lead readers on an Advent journey reflecting on the needs of God's created world and our responsibilities to our fellow human beings, who are members of the Body of Christ. Every day of Advent is a prayerful opportunity for spiritual growth with Daybreaks, a thought-provoking collection of fresh, lively Advent prayers and reflections that link the gospel to everyday life.

Each page includes a list of readings for the day and a thought-provoking reflection designed to both challenge and comfort, helping readers connect the meditation with the Word of God whether or not they have the chance to attend daily Mass.

Anyone looking to enhance the beauty and depth of their prayer life and make the Advent season what it should be--a liberating, healing, and transforming experience--will cherish this faith-building prayer companion.

Father Kavanaugh teaches philosophy at Saint Louis University. He lectures on consumerism, spirituality, and the ethics of human dignity. His award-winning "Ethics Notebook" column in America magazine and nhis three-volume set, The Word, (Orbis) provide the material for these Daybreaks reflections.
(Item #84394) $1.25

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Waiting in Joyful Hope
Daily Reflections for Advent & Christmas, 2009
In the especially busy season of Advent and Christmas, Bishop Robert Morneau helps us pause and prepare spiritually for the coming of Christ. Waiting in Joyful Hope, though a little book, is a treasure of down-to-earth and yet deeply meaningful reflections that bring prayer and Scripture into everyday life in a thought-provoking and lasting way. Through Morneau’s insightful reflections on Scripture readings from the daily Mass, readers will grow in their understanding of the Word of God. Small enough to fit in a pocket or purse, this book is perfect for busy people who wish to enrich their personal prayer life during the seasons of Advent and Christmas. (Item #84009) $2.00

Every Day of Advent and Christmas:
A Book of Activities for Children
Children in grades 3, 4, & 5 will love the games, puzzles, mazes, and activities designed to help them focus on the themes and traditions of the Advent season. Packed with colorful illustrations, Every Day of Advent and Christmas includes an Advent calendar to help children focus day by day on the meaning of Advent and Christmas in a way they are sure to enjoy and remember.
32 page booklet; 8.5 x 11
Year A (Item #87489) $2.95
Year B (Item #87490) $3.95
Year C (Item #87605) $3.95

Living Advent Cycle C: A Daily Companion to the Lectionary
Living Advent is designed to engage readers in active and prayerful reflection during this important Church season. It includes commentaries on Readings I and II, the Responsorial Psalm, and the daily Gospel readings of Advent for Cycle C.
Suitable for both group and individual use, Living Advent is perfect for enriching the prayer experience. (Item #89932) $2.95

All Things New: The Promise of Advent, Christmas and the New Year
Wedding biblical texts to contemporary experiences, this book offers thoughts for reflections, prayer, spiritual reading and preaching during Advent and Christmas and into the New Year. Paperback. (Item #98824) $7.95

What Every Catholic Needs to Know about Advent and Christmas
by Kevin McGloin

Many Catholics — long-time active parishioners as well as newcomers — do not have an up-to-date understanding of the Advent and Christmas seasons. This little book can make a big difference. What Every Catholic Needs to Know about Advent and Christmas walks the average Catholic through the history of these seasons, their various rituals and their role in the liturgy. It includes prayers and activities Catholics can do with their own families at home. Great for liturgy committees, RCIA groups, adult study groups, or event he entire congregation. Bulk discounts are available. Paperback. 48 pages. 5.5"x8.5" (Item #80625) $6.95

Advent and Christmas Wisdom from Henri J. M. Nouwen
Daily Scripture and Prayers Together with Nouwen's Own Words
The inspiring words of Henri J. M. Nouwen guide the faithful on a spiritual journey through the Advent and Christmas season in this book of waiting, hope, anticipation, and celebration. Each day of the Advent season (28 in all, to accommodate the varying number of days in the season) and each day of Christmas (12 in all, ending with Jesus' baptism in the Jordan by John the Baptist) contain a pertinent excerpt from the writings of Father Nouwen, a related quotation from Scripture, a prayer for the day, and a suggested activity that offers a concrete response to mark the season.

Advent and Christmas Wisdom is indeed an easy-to-use, daily program to celebrate the momentous arrival of the Christ Child and the joyous news of our salvation. It is also an ideal book for the individual seeking active participation in the season and a renewal of faith for the start of the liturgical year. (Item #84078) $9.95

Day by Day in Advent
Provides a scripture reading, reflection, and prayer for each day in Advent. This devotional makes each day's devotion become a link in an Advent word chain. The chain marks the passing of time as we wait for Christ's coming. Paperback. 32 pages. (Item #81844) $5.99

These Four Weeks of Advents
Although everyone understands Advent to be a time of preparation for Christmas, few understand that Advent is a time of change--a time when each person is called to change not only their own life, but also the lives of those around them. A sharp contrast is drawn between the rushed preparations for the material celebration of Christmas and the personal spiritual preparations that are the true hallmark of the season. Everyone who longs to welcome Jesus into his or her heart at Christmas will treasure These Four Weeks of Advent.
(Item #83321) $1.00

Advent Is for Children: Stories, Activities, Prayers
Through creative lessons, unique activities, games, and puzzles, this book gives children a better understanding of how and why they celebrate Advent. It helps kids remember that Christmas isn't all glitter and wrapping -- Christmas is about Christ! Ideal for classroom use. For grades 3-5. (Item #81258) $4.95

Advent with Saint Nicholas DVD
by Allison Berger
Customs from Around the World
Puzzled by the classic pre-Christmas rush, nine-year-old
Holly wonders about the spirit of Advent. She receives help
from an unexpected source when a surprise visitor appears and
helps her find the message and the meaning of Advent in
popular Advent/Christmas customs. (Item #95656) $19.95

Jesse Tree
Written to be used during an Advent prayer service involving children, Jesse Tree is a simple but powerful song linking the four weeks of Advent. For example, the first week tells the stories of Noah, Abraham, Jacob, and Joseph. Jesse Tree is a "cumulative song, like The Twelve Days of Christmas. Each refrain gets progressively longer, until, by the final week, the children are able to mentally "step back and see the whole amazing story of salvation. The song is intended to be used along with the presentation of symbols, which are placed on the Jesse Tree by the children.

The full score, used by the leader, keyboard player, and cantor, contains the full music: vocals, keyboard, guitar chord symbols, bass, flute, and handbells. (A separate edition is planned for guitar and bass, which will also include a simplified piano part ideal for a student. Separate parts will also be available for flute and handbells.) The full-score edition also contains introductory material about the different ways the song can be used, along with four complete Advent paraliturgies.

The Singers Edition contains the parts that are to be sung by the participants. (Cantor verses are found only in the full score.)

Jesse Tree is sure to enhance the joyful season of Advent for your children for years to come.

Full Score (Item #71547) $9.95

"Family Nights" Advent and Christmas Activity Book

This beautiful booklet by Terry and Mimi Reilly is an excellent tool families can use to celebrate Advent and strengthen loving bonds at home. It adds special meaning to the holiday season! 5" x 7". 32 pages. (Item #26616) $3.95

Celebrate Advent Pamphlet
This pamphlet gives the origin of the Advent wreath, as well as suggested ideas for scripture readings for candleholders designed with either 4 or 5 candles. (Item #88698) $0.75

The Family Advent Wreath
Blessings and Prayers
Jay Cormier
The history of the Advent wreath, its origin in pagan times and conversion to Christian use, construction and blessing of a wreath, how parents and children—or any group—may offer a three-minute prayer service during each week of Advent and on Christmas Eve—all this and more form the content of this leaflet. (Item #82047) $0.50

Biblical Meditations for Advent and the Christmas Seasons
A helpful guide for experiencing truths we celebrate during Advent and Christmas. Paperback. (Item #81978) $9.95

Advent and Christmas Wisdom from Padre Pio
Daily Scripture and Prayers Together With Saint Pio of Pietrelcina's Own Words
Padre Pio was one of the most beloved and intriguing holy men of the 20th century. In this book his own words lead readers to Christmas with a heightened sense of the sacred. Reflections for each day--from the first Sunday of Advent until the end of the Christmas season--begin with selections from letters and messages of Padre Pio, followed by Scripture, prayer, a suggestion for an appropriate seasonal activity, and blessings.

Advent and Christmas Wisdom is ideal for those who want to enter more deeply into the mystery of Christ's Incarnation as they prepare room in their hearts for his birth. During this joyous season readers can experience the special closeness to God that Padre Pio felt. 112-page paperback • 5-1/2 x 8-1/4 (Item #87386) $9.95

Advent and Christmas with Fulton Sheen
Beginning with the first day of Advent and continuing through the Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord, these selections from the immortal pen of Fulton J. Sheen encourage readers to explore the essence and promise of the season. Those looking to grow in their prayer life and become more attuned to the joy of Advent and Christmas will find a wonderful guide in this spiritual companion. (Item #84200) $9.95

Advent and Christmas with Thomas Merton
Reflections for each day of Advent and the Christmas season begin with a scriptural quotation and continue with a thought from the writings of Thomas Merton on a timely theme: the Incarnation, anticipation, angels, and many more. An appendix includes a suggested plan for using each days meditation as part of a morning or evening prayer. (Item #84368) $9.95

The Essential Advent and Christmas Handbook: A Daily Companion
This reader-friendly companion provides everything Catholics need for a richer experience of the Advent and Christmas seasons. Whether readers wish to follow a traditional, contemporary, or family program of devotion and prayer for Advent and Christmas, this all-in-one resource will be a treasured guidebook.

The Essential Advent and Christmas Handbook covers a wide range of topics including:
Morning and evening prayer services
A short history of Advent
The preparatory nature of Advent
Traditional hymns and symbols of Christmas
Traditional Christmas practices
A Christmas novena
Daily Christmas meditations
Family meal prayers for the holiday season
A glossary of key terms
(Item #84604) $14.95

A Coming Christ in Advent
Essays on the Gospel Narratives Preparing for the Birth of Jesus—Matthew 1 and Luke 1
Raymond E. Brown, S.S.
Father Brown reflects here not only on those annunciations of Jesus' forthcoming birth in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, but also on the beautiful canticles, the Magnificat and the Benedictus, and on the "origins of Jesus" as given in the first words of the New Testament. (Item #85019) $6.95

An Advent Sourcebook
compiled by Thomas O’Gorman
This classic sourcebook contains a rich assembly of texts, including scripture, poetry, hymns, homilies, letters, fiction, folklore and liturgy. Musicians and homilists will find a rich resource for their ministry. Others will find a prayer book to use through all the days of Advent, one that provides wisdom and inspiration for reflection and meditation. Along with A Christmas Sourcebook, this book makes a great gift for any individual or family. Printed on fine paper and specially bound to open fully for easy reading and display. Paperback, 6 x 9, 170 pages. (Item #92388) $18.00

My Catholic Advent and Christmas Activity Book
Jennifer Galvin's activity books for children have been enormously popular because, unlike other activity books, these are designed specifically to teach children about their Catholic faith. And her latest one does just that. She has put together entertaining word finds, crossword puzzles, color-by-number puzzles, and crack-the-code puzzles that will teach children about Advent and Christmas, all the while emphasizing the real meaning of the holiday. An added advantage is that the activities are tied to the lectionary for all three cycles. The activities are clever and challenging and are illustrated with charming, inviting art work. The sheets themselves are reproducible and are aimed at children from kindergarten through third grade.Highlights:--an attractive, reasonably priced book--reproducible pages--perfect for home, school, or church use--tied to all three cycles of the lectionary. Paperback. (Item #83788) $6.95

Stations of the Crib
In the tradition of the Stations of the Cross, Joseph Nassal leads us through 15 Stations of the Crib, a journey to the manger and the mission that lies beyond it. Drawn from the infancy narratives in Luke and Matthew, these poetic reflections are filled with stories, images and insights that entertain, enlighten and engage. Each Station illumines a different aspect of the story of Jesus’ birth, reflecting the reality of "God in our midst" at the different stations of our own life journeys. Leading us to our "down-to-earth God," Stations of the Crib reminds us how hope is born right here, right now, in each of our worlds, and challenges us — even in the face of turmoil, tragedy and terrorism — to embrace, celebrate and live out our call to Advent hope. Paperback. 144 pages. (Item #80813) $13.95

ALL THINGS NEW: The promise of Advent, Christmas and the New Year - by Gerald O'Collins, S.J. (Item #98824) $7.95 paperback