Dear Friends,

Welcome to another year of Pastoral Liturgy®! We hope that you find that we are continuing to address the needs of the varied ministries involved in liturgical preparation and catechesis.

This year we are returning to a department that we omitted from the magazine in 2008. Early last year, a customer voiced a concern that the reproducible article for church bulletins was no longer a part of Pastoral Liturgy®. The reproducible is now downloadable from our Web site, www.Pastoral Liturgy.org. Kristopher Seaman, the associate director for the Office of Worship for the diocese of Gary, Indiana, will be the author of the articles. For the January/February issue he addresses the query "Why Do We Bless Ourselves When We Enter the Worship Space?"

Since during 2009 we are celebrating the forty-fifth anniversary of the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, each issue will feature a study on the Constitution. Rita Ferrone is the author of this issue's segment, "Why Should We Study the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy?" For the March issue, she will write on "The Spirituality of the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy." (Also in the March issue, Anthony Ruff, OSB, will review Ferrone's book, Liturgy: Sacrosanctum Concilium, published in 2007 by Paulist Press.) Thomas Scirghi, SJ, and Bruce Morrill, SJ, will be the authors of the subsequent articles on Sacrosanctum Concilium, addressing noble simplicity, active participation, the relationship of word and sacrament, and mission. Download the articles from www.PastoralLiturgy.org for gathering with the members of your liturgy commission and fellow parishioners to study the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy.

Our author for the "Liturgical Environment" articles, Mary Patricia Storms, writes in this issue about the importance of reflecting on the scriptures of the Triduum before preparing the environment. By seeking parishioners to perform specific tasks for the Triduum liturgies, such as tending the fire for the Easter Vigil, members of the committee are more able to attend to their part in a prayerful manner. Storms is the author of Guide to the Liturgical Environment, to be published by Liturgy Training Publications. You will notice in this issue that the Liturgical Environment article has been shortened by half a page. Shortening that article allows room for the Liturgical Catechesis article by Suzanne Lewis to return to a full page.

Our features will be varied. For the May issue, Paul Turner will focus on preparing the wedding liturgy. In future issues, Darren Henson will write on the funeral liturgy and the Rite of Penance, and Stephen Palanca on special liturgies and devotions throughout the year. Carol Frenning will examine how the determination is made to restore or renovate cathedrals and basilicas.

A quick perusal of Pastoral Liturgy® will show that the other writers and departments that you have enjoyed in the past remain. Lisa Calderone-Stewart, EdD, will continue to write the "Youth and Liturgy" article; Lisa A. Biedenbach the article on "Holy Men and Women"; and Jerome Hall, SJ, the "Preparing for Sunday" study of the scriptures and readings.

As you go about your busy ministerial lives, please take time for reflection. To effectively minister, prayer must be at the center of our lives. As a guide, you might consider the words in Mark's account of the Gospel on the feast of the Baptism of the Lord: "This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the Gospel."

Bishop Joseph N. Perry
Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago

Using the liturgy as its source, Pastoral Liturgy® has been intentionally designed to be of service to the whole parish with resources for leaders and parishioners, those who are just beginning to learn about liturgy, and those who are seasoned volunteers and professionals.

The six 32-page, full-color issues follow the course of the liturgical year to provide guidance for liturgy preparation, faith formation, liturgical art and architecture, and the many areas of parish ministry that flow from the liturgy to witness the Gospel and build the kingdom of God.

Pastors, parish staffs, liturgy committees, catechists, musicians, architects, and everyone seeking to learn more about how the liturgy forms and informs all of parish life will find this resource a valuable support to understanding the liturgy more fully and incorporating it as the source for all they do. That's why Pastoral Liturgy® magazine is the liturgy magazine for the whole parish!