Complete the Church’s liturgical year with All Saints, All Souls, the great feasts of November, and a final meditation on eternity before Advent begins anew. Volume 15 of The Liturgical Year is Time After Pentecost, Book VI—the final volume of the monumental fifteen-volume series begun by Dom Prosper Guéranger. Covering the Church calendar from November 1 through November 30, this volume begins with two of the most profound days of the Catholic year: the triumphant celebration of All Saints’ Day and the solemn commemoration of All Souls’ Day. From there, it follows the saints and feasts of November until the Church arrives once again at the threshold of Advent. Readers will encounter: All Saints’ Day All Souls’ Day and the Church’s prayers for the faithful departed The Catholic doctrine and tradition surrounding prayer for the dead The Dedication of the Basilica of the Most Holy Savior St. Martin of Tours St. Martin I, Pope and Martyr St. Gertrude the Great The Dedication of the Basilicas of Sts. Peter and Paul The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary St. Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr St. Clement I, Pope and Martyr St. John of the Cross St. Catherine of Alexandria The Vigil of St. Andrew St. Andrew the Apostle The final days of the Church year and the approach of Advent The volume opens magnificently with All Saints’ Day, when the Church turns her gaze toward the countless souls already enjoying the vision of God in Heaven. The following day, All Souls’ Day, directs that same gaze toward the faithful departed still awaiting the fullness of heavenly glory and reminds Catholics of their duty of prayer and charity toward the dead. These opening feasts give Volume 15 a particularly powerful spiritual theme: the Four Last Things, the Communion of Saints, and the Christian’s final destination in eternity. As November continues, the reader encounters a remarkable procession of saints from throughout Church history—bishops, martyrs, mystics, popes, apostles, virgins, and religious—each presented through the prayers and worship of the traditional Catholic liturgy. Among them is St. Martin of Tours, one of the great missionary bishops of the early Western Church; St. Gertrude the Great, renowned for her profound mystical spirituality; St. Cecilia, the beloved virgin and martyr; and St. Catherine of Alexandria, whose courage and learning made her one of the most celebrated martyrs of Christian antiquity. The volume also gives special attention to the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the great Roman basilicas, revealing how the Church’s calendar preserves not only the lives of her saints but the history, sacred places, and traditions of Catholic civilization. Finally, on November 30, the series arrives at St. Andrew the Apostle. Dom Guéranger’s collaborators describe this feast as fittingly standing at the end of the old liturgical cycle or the beginning of the new one. The Cross that marked St. Andrew’s martyrdom becomes a fitting final image before the Church once again turns toward Advent and awaits the coming of Christ. In this way, Volume 15 does more than conclude another collection of saints’ days—it brings the entire liturgical journey full circle. Beginning with Advent in Volume 1, The Liturgical Year has carried the reader through the birth of Christ, Septuagesima, Lent, the Passion, Easter, the Ascension, Pentecost, and the long life of the Church afterward. Here, surrounded by the saints and remembering the faithful departed, the Christian year reaches its conclusion before beginning anew. Volume 15: Time After Pentecost VI is an especially fitting companion for Catholics during November—the month traditionally dedicated to the Holy Souls—and for anyone wishing to understand All Saints, All Souls, and the Church’s final preparation for the return of Advent. Series: The Liturgical Year, Volume 15 of 15Season: Time After Pentecost — Book VIPrimary Focus: November 1–30Major Feasts: All Saints, All Souls & St. AndrewFinal Volume of the 15-Volume Series
