The Liturgical Year

by Prosper Guéranger

The Liturgical Year is a fifteen volume work describing the liturgical year of the Roman Catholic Church and was written by Dom Prosper Louis Pascal Guéranger, a French Benedictine priest and abbot of Solesmes. The series describes the liturgy of the Catholic Church throughout the liturgical year, including the Mass and the Divine Office. Also described is the historical development of the liturgy in both Western and Eastern traditions. Biographies of saints and their liturgies are given on their feast days.

Genres: Catholic, Religion, Theology, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Christianity

7000 pages, Hardcover

First published September 11, 1875

About the author

Dom Prosper Louis Pascal Guéranger, Servant of God, was a Benedictine priest, abbot of Solesmes Abbey (which he founded in the disused priory of Solesmes) and founder of the French Benedictine Congregation (now the Solesmes Congregation). Dom Guéranger was the author of The Liturgical Year, which covers every day of the Catholic Church's Liturgical Cycle in 15 volumes. He was well regarded by Pope Pius IX, and was a proponent of the dogmas of papal infallibility and the Immaculate Conception. Dom Guéranger is credited with reviving the Benedictine Order in France, and revitalizing the Tridentine Mass.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosper...

Reviews

[booklady]

I just discovered that the Sisters of Carmel offer the entire series in paperback here. Their description of it is so much better than mine. I will just list it as reference since I am marking each individual volume as 'currently' reading as I get to it or read, but I plan to continue to follow it next year as well. I canNOT recommend this series too much! Even though it does not follow our current Liturgical Year, it is a Pearl of lost Church History, Wisdom, devotional piety and information you won't find anywhere else. I have already learned so much about the pre-Vatican II church.

AND! You do not have to buy the series, although it would not be a waste of money, because each of the individual volumes are available for 2 or 3 dollars on Kindle. Check it out. At the moment you will need two because the Sunday readings are in one volume and the daily saints are in another.

[Kami S · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have not yet gotten through the whole year... Just started in Advent. This is a most amazing series!! The Catholic liturgical year is so rich and these books will help you live it more fully. There are prayers, the mass propers, commentaries, history and many meditations.(For everyday of the year!!) There are even stories of the saints in the back of each book. We read some to the kids when we have the time, it is not too deep for children... At least each year they should pick up more as their understanding develops. I have wanted forever to get this series, but the cost is definitely off-putting. I finally just did it. I'm so glad I did and wish I had done so many years ago! Just an fyi... Angelus Press runs a 20-40% off sale at the beginning of Advent and lent! (I missed the lenten sale by 2 days when I bought this set🙄😩... But it's so worth it, I've gotten over it lol)..

[Zach de Walsingham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finished my one year project of reading all 15 volumes of Dom Guéranger's Liturgical Year. Written originally in French in the 1800's, Dom Gueranger restored the first Benedictine monastery in France after the French revolution, (which had suppressed them all), and he laid the groundwork for bringing back the beauties of the manuscripts of first millennium Gregorian chant through his other project at the Abbey of Solesmes (See: https://www.solesmes.com/history).

I started this last Advent, and finishing today, it covered the history of why we celebrate all the major feast days, when they were started, as well as differences between East and West for some. It also covered many major Saints, and many of the Psalm Antiphons and hymns of the various Vespers and Matins readings from the Divine Office. This really makes me appreciate the Order of Saint Benedict all the more. I also learned while reading it that St. Thérèse of Lisieux listened to this (in French) as a child before she became a Carmelite.

[The Alien Observer]

I am currently reading the series as references for my Christmas Book which I am writing. It is a very rich series!