Planning The Church Year

This guide for clergy, parish musicians, lay readers, and congregational representatives covers all the stages of organizing worship services for the entire year. Using The Book of Common Prayer and Hymnal 1982 as primary resources, it explores the rich variety of options-both time-honored traditions and accepted innovations. Times and seasons covered in depth include Advent, the Twelve Days of Christmas, Lent and Holy Week, Easter and the Great Fifty Days, and the Sundays after Epiphany and Pentecost. Planning the Church Year explains the preparations that make for meaningful holy days and special occasions, such as Lesser Feasts, Thanksgiving Day, Vigils, Michaelmas, All Saints’ Day, the bishop’s visitation, the Patronal and Dedication Festivals. Even summer Sundays can become “liturgical opportunities.” Details such as liturgical colors, music, and church decorations for each season and occasion make this the most complete handbook for those called to be at the heart of parish life and worship. Leonel L. Mitchell is an Episcopal priest and retired professor of Liturgics at Seabury-Western Seminary. He is the author of several books including Praying Shapes Believing, and The Meaning of Ritual, both available from Morehouse Publishing.