2025 Association of Catholic Publishers tied for Second Place Award, Resources for Liturgy 2025 Catholic Media Association First Place Award, Reference ― Academic Studies In Sacred Times , Paul Turner offers a practical guide on the General Roman Calendar and Table of Liturgical Days that explains how it came to be and why these celebrations matter.   “May a funeral take place on a Sunday?” “Why do we celebrate the saints on certain days?” “What happens when the liturgical calendars clash?” These are some of the countless questions that priests, deacons, and liturgists may have about the relative weight of days in the liturgical calendar. In Sacred Times , Paul Turner offers a practical commentary on the General Roman Calendar and the Table of Liturgical Days that explains what the calendar honors, how it came to be, and why these celebrations matter.   The Liturgical Year guides the faithful through a participation in the key moments of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ―from Advent and Christmas to Lent and Easter. Presented in an accessible format, Sacred Times explains contemporary use in the light of previous practice and the vision of the Second Vatican Council. It outlines how the General Roman Calendar celebrates key saints with special days throughout the year and explains how the Table of Liturgical Days orders these observances to clarify which ones takes priorities over the others. Sacred Times also includes an alphabetical list of days and additional reference tools, making this a handy volume for every reader.  "The revision of the liturgical calendar was key to the reform of the liturgy following the Second Vatican Council not only in providing a foundation for the work on the Missal, Lectionary, and Liturgy of the Hours but also in expressing a renewed theology of time centered on the Paschal Mystery. Fr. Paul Turner, with his customary diligence, is a knowledgeable guide to the work of revision. This, however, is not just a work of historical research it also provides a guide to the current liturgical year, calendar, and days of special prayer highlighting the origins and history of each celebration which will be a helpful resource to all who plan and prepare liturgy." Martin Foster, Director, Liturgy Office, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales Published On: 2024-07-25 "In Sacred Times , Fr. Turner has provided an indispensable resource for understanding many of the ins and outs of the General Instructions of the Liturgy of the Hours and the Roman Missal, in particular the General Roman Calendar and the Table of Liturgical Days. He meticulously examines, for example, how one navigates the celebration of consecutive solemnities and anticipated (Saturday) masses. In the reform of the liturgy, Turner reveals some of the tensions, at times, between the revisers of the liturgy, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and various popes. Readers will find Turner's discussion on making the Roman calendar truly universal and not a "Mediterranean calendar," why certain saints were included or excluded from the General Calendar, and how the Roman Rite came very close to losing Ash Wednesday fascinating indeed." Rev. Peter D. Rocca, CSC, General Editor, Paulist Press Ordo Published On: 2024-07-30 "Once again, Fr. Paul Turner invites his readers to break open the rites of the church with care.  Sacred Times unpacks the logic of the reformed General Roman Calendar, highlighting its emphasis upon the paschal mystery as the heart of liturgical year, and explaining the pastoral and theological reasoning regarding everything from the Proper of Saints to the celebration of vigil masses. Replete with references and helpful indices, this volume offers clear distinctions and principles for those in professional church ministry as they prepare for worship, and a welcome compendium of sources for academics and students of liturgical and pastoral studies." Katharine E. Harmon, Project Director, Obsculta Preaching Initiative, School of Theology and Seminary, Saint John’s University   Published On: 2024-07-31 "Paul Turner’s Sacred Times is an extraordinary resource for anyone with a question about or interest in the liturgical year. It should be on every priest or liturgical minister’s bookshelf. Not merely supplying information, in a conversational tone Turner takes the reader behind the scenes to discussions and decisions that have been made in developing the liturgical calendar, providing annotations to original documents. Every day is sacred in this volume, and the reader learns the origin of every saint’s feast. A final chapter on the table of liturgical days explains the ranks of feasts which can often be confusing." Julia Upton, RSM, PhD, retired distinguished professor of theology, St. John’s University, New York   Published On: 2024-08-07 "Even those who have often traversed the Liturgical Year as revised by Vatican II will find new informatio