WLP's Roman Missal Wins First Place Award

Friday greetings from a very proud associate publisher here at World Library Publications. Yesterday, the first annual "Excellence in Publishing" awards were presented at the 2012 Religious Booksellers Trade Exhibit in Saint Charles, Illinois. Here is a portion of the press release, with a bit of highlighting by yours truly:


Association of Catholic Publishers

News Release
May 31, 2012
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Therese Brown, tbrown@cbpa.org

Women, Liturgical Press, Loyola Press Dominate 2012 “Excellence in Publishing Awards”
All Is Grace Is “Excellence in Publishing” Book of the Year
Roman Missals from Magnificat, World Library Publications Receive Top Award

BALTIMORE, MD — Women took half of the six first place awards and seven of the second and third place awards at the 2012 Excellence in Publishing Awards given out today by the Association of Catholic Publishers at the 2012 Religious Booksellers Trade Exhibit (RBTE) in St. Charles, IL. The goal of these awards is to recognize the best in Catholic publishing.
Liturgical Press, Collegeville, MN, came away with six awards including two first places in Theology and Scripture. Loyola Press, Chicago, IL, received four awards in three different categories, Resources for Ministry, Inspirational, and Prayer & Spirituality. Three awards went to Pauline Books & Media and two to Orbis Books, including “Book of the Year” for All Is Grace, a biography of Dorothy Day by Jim Forest.
In the special category for the new Roman Missal, Third Edition, first place went to both Magnificat and World Library Publications with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops receiving third place. Roman Missals were judged on their artwork, general layout, and music engraving.

I was honored to receive the award on behalf of the team here at WLP. Being recognized by the association with the first place prize for WLP's Roman Missal was one of the proudest moments for me and for all of us here at WLP. Years of planning, editing, music engraving, and production produced a fine and noble book. We were honored and humbled by this award.
 
What a week for WLP!
 
Gotta sing. Gotta pray.

New Translation Thursday: A Happy and Proud Day for WLP

"New Translation Thursday" greetings to all.

Yesterday was a long and exciting day at RBTE (Religious Booksellers Trade Exhibit) in Saint Charles, Illinois, about an hour west of Chicago. This gathering provides opportunities for publishers and manufacturers of religious goods to share their resources with religious bookstore owners from around the world.

One of the highlights yesterday was the bestowal of the Association of Catholic Publisher's lifetime achievement award upon Mary Prete, former general manager of WLP and now Vice-president for Parish Servcies for the J.S. Paluch Company. Mary will be retiring from Paluch at the end of June. Hard to think of the sense of "retirement" for such a spirited leader and evangelist. We sure will miss Mary's presence here. Here is a photo I snapped at the event yesterday:

Last night, there was a signing event during the gathering. Three of WLP's finest were present to sign their latest offerings.

Alan Hommerding's newest book, Following Jesus Every Day: Gospel Meditations for Daily Living, is the product of Alan's having spent the great ninety days reflecting on a different Gospel passage each day.

He offers that passage to the reader, then a brief reflection, a prayer, and a "Gospel Vision of the Prophets" verse, that makes a connection to the theme in the given Gospel passage. This is a book that could provide a wonderful foundation for a personal retreat or for a focused daily prayer session. I could see it used quite effectively in RCIA settings. Here is the author at the signing:

You can see that Alan has already received a "perfect 10" for his book!

Also present was Brian Flynn, one of WLP's newest recording artists and composers. Brian appears pretty regularly on EWTN's "Life on the Rock" series. He was present to sing some of his songs at the evening dinner and also signed his new CD Born Again. Click on the title and take a listen to some of his songs, a mixture of liturgical and devotional pieces.

A fuzzy photo with a happy Brian:

Rounding out the collection of WLP talent was Brother Mickey McGrath, whose stunning new Saved by Beauty: A Spiritual Journey with Dorothy Day, was a favorite among the participants.

Mickey's work is well known throughout the Catholic world. He later gave a presentation about the book, which, as always, opened the eyes of my heart to this remarkable woman. Here is Mickey happily signing his book:

After having reflected on the experience of yesterday, and this being "New Translation Thursday," I thought about the ways that we have helped, and continue to help, Catholics pray. We have helped with the new translation by providing beautiful missals and helpful worship resources. We have also provided what I believe to be the finest set of musical settings for the Mass. But what struck me last night was the other ways we have helped the singing and praying Church. Alan's book is a great example of a group of resources that help Catholics in their every-day prayer lives. Brian's music assists Catholics in their struggle to find ways of expressing a deeper love for the Lord. And Mickey's books provide a spiritual path through his beautiful artwork.

It was a proud day for all of us here at WLP and J.S. Paluch. Congratulations to Mary Prete, Alan Hommerding, Brian Flynn, and Mickey McGrath.

Gotta sing. Gotta pray. (And all of these folks have helped me to do just that!)

Saskatoon's New Cathedral of the Holy Family

Wednesday greetings from Chicago, where it is sunny, cool, and very dry.

Thanks so much to my friend Catherine, who helped us all with yesterday's comment regarding posture as related in the Canadian GIRM.

Speaking of Canada, I was so looking forward to seeing the brand new cathedral in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan over the weekend. It was dedicated on Sunday, May 13. There was a funeral of my good friend, Msgr. Michael Koch (who was a founder of the North American Forum on the Catechumenate, as well as a pioneer and prophet with regard to the implementation of the RCIA in Western Canada), scheduled early that first week at the cathedral. Unfortunately, one of the stained glass panels came crashing to the cathedral floor the day after the dedication and the cathedral has been closed since. Monsignor Mike's funeral had to be relocated to Holy Spirit Church in Saskatoon.

At any rate, I had waited for years to see this new cathedral, mostly because of my love for the people of the Diocese of Saskatoon. Unfortunately, I had to settle for the view from the parking lot. Here is one photo I took, at around dusk:

Saskatchewan's motto is "Land of Living Skies," certainly evidenced in this photo. Saskatoon is set in the midst of the great Canadian prairie and is a gem of a place. The stained glass windows reflect the skies of the prairie. I was privileged to receive a book, written by Saskatoon's Bishop Donald Bolen and the artist/designer of the windows, Sarah Hall. The bishop was kind enough to sign the book for me:

The book is splendid; I need to spend much more time with it.

Here is another shot of the exterior. If you look closely enough, you can see the plywood in five places on the tower (just above the street light), where apparently exists the trouble with the glass panels. The crane was in place to assist with the repairs.

So, I will have to delay a tour of the interior to a future time.

If you are ever in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, be sure to visit Canada's newest cathedral.

Gotta sing. Gotta pray.

New Translation Tuesday: A Question for My Canadian Friends

"New Translation Tuesday" greetings from Chicago. After having traversed Europe and much of North America over the past three weeks, I have finally landed "home" here in Chicago. I am very grateful for the gift of the past three weeks, which were a marvelous mixture of ministry and leisure time.

I was excited a few minutes ago when we received our newly designed series of WLP Ceremonial Binders. We decided to use the simply cross that adorns our new We Celebrate Hymnal; we wanted to offer parishes an alternative to our more ornate binders. Here's a snapshot I took a few minutes ago:

They look and feel wonderful and are most appropriate for the liturgy.

I wanted to share my "new translation" experience from the Diocese of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in Canada this past weekend. I heard a few of my friends grumbling about the new translation when I first arrived. They were also complaining about the change in posture during the Eucharistic Prayer, as well as all the noise and commotion it causes. I really had no idea what these folks were talking about, until I attended Mass on Saturday morning.

Shortly before the insitution narrative of the Eucharistic Prayer, the celebrant looked out and gave us the gesture, signaling for us to kneel. So the various kneelers were put down to accommodate our gesture; it was then that I figured out what my friends had been complaining about. So we kneeled throughout the institution narrative, then all stood up for the rest of the prayer.

It was pretty jarring for me, and I am sure that there is good reason why the Canadian bishops (or perhaps just this diocesan bishop) chose to introduce this practice. If I am not mistaken, it is common in Europe. To me, it seemed noisy, distracting, and eroded the unity of the Eucharistic Prayer.

Canadian followers of this blog, please help me out here by offering your comments.

Gotta sing. Gotta pray.

Saint Louis to Saskatchewan

Hello folks. Greetings from Lambert field here in Saint Louis. Waiting for a standby flight to Chicago. Wick turnaround for me as I have an early morning flight that will take me to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in western Canada. I am presenting a two day conference on the RCIA there. My great grandfather Henri Galipeau was born there. still not sure how he ended up in Massachusetts. I love the people of Western Canada and am greatly looking forward to my time there. Gotta sing. Gotta pray.

Leadership

Wednesday greetings from beautiful Saint Louis Missouri.

I am here leading prayer and music for the leadership conference of SSM Healthcare, a large Catholic Healthcare system here in the Midwest. I have been leading prayer for these leadership conferences for many years. The people of SSM Healthcare have provided a foundation for exemplary leadership training for their employees for decades. Even though I am "only the musician" at these leadership conferences, I have been inspired as a leader in my own area of ministry and service through attending these conferences. When I became associate publisher at WLP, I was overwhelmed by what lay ahead. I am not trained in business practices and financial and accounting matters. When I worried about my new job as leader of this publishing company, what gave me solace and inspiration, especially during those many sleepless nights, was envisioning the faces of the managers and team members of World Library Publications. I see myself primarily as their customer service representative. I am there to serve the managers and employees. This is a philosophy that I believe has served our company well as we embrace new and innovative ways to serve the needs of the singing, praying, and initiating Church. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve SSM Healthcare, because the principles and ideals espoused and practiced in this Catholic Healthcare System I have been able to "borrow" (or steal, as the case may be) to implement in my own leadership role at World Library Publications and the J.S. Paluch Company.

I envision each of our managers and each and every one of our employees as a leader. Oftentimes, it is difficult for employees to envision themselves as leaders. "I just to what I am told to do," some say. Or, "I know my tasks and I accomplish them." But I believe that working in an environment that will ultimately produce music and resources that will eventually bring people closer to God means that none of us can have a laissez-faire attitude toward our work and ministry. I also believe that this extends to all of you, readers of this blog, who minister and work in the Church. Each one of us has the capacity to be a leader; to be one who looks at our every day tasks and asks the critical question: How can I accomplish what I do in a way that will more effectively people closer to the living God? This may mean sharpening our musical skills. This may mean always being open to innovative ways to use technology to further our mission, be it a corporate or personal mission. It means inspiring others to think outside of a "silo" mentality to find new ways to work together to accomplish common goals.

This may all seem like mumbo-jumbo, especially during those times when the tasks we perform often seem perfunctory or even boring. But I believe that using the gifts we were given freely by God to the best of our abilities makes us leaders who can do our work in breathtakingly inspiring ways, both for those who will ultimately be served by us, as well as those who work with us.

Well, thanks for listening to me today. Do you envision yourself as a leader?

Gotta sing. Gotta pray.

Back Home

Greetings on this beautiful Monday. I am back in the United States after two wonderful weeks away.

Feeling the jet lag pretty severely today. I am flying to Saint Louis later today to help with the music at a conference there, then it is off to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan on Friday morning to give a two-day RCIA conference.

More as the week continues.

Gotta sing. Gotta pray.