This gem of a book is best described in the words of Peter Kwasniewski, who has written the Foreword for our newly reprinted edition:
“Quite simply, it’s the loveliest, most charming, and in many ways most clever introduction to the liturgical calendar I’ve ever come across. It is informed by a deep Catholic love for the seasons of the year, the feasting and fasting, the great holy days, the pageantry of the saints and their stories, the underlying rhythm that connects nature, culture, and sanctity.”
And that is precisely what Enid Chadwick manages to capture: not simply the feasts of the Church's year, but its rhythm and pattern. With remarkably little text, her captivating artwork leads children from Advent through Corpus Christi, while the saints fill the months in between. The result is a parade of Catholic life in which the mysteries of Our Lord, the seasons of the Church, and the lives of the saints all belong together.
Chadwick herself was a High Church Anglican, but the calendar she depicts corresponds remarkably closely to the traditional Catholic calendar. In his foreword, Kwasniewski explains the few differences for Catholic readers, while also drawing attention to the rich liturgical heritage the two traditions share.
Chadwick's illustrations are simple and immediately appealing to young children, yet packed with delightful details and surprisingly rich teaching for those who look more closely—making My Book of the Church's Year a book to pore over again and again.
See photos comparing our newly reprinted edition with the original book here on our blog!
6" x 9.5" Hardcover 52 pages
Customer Reviews
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My Book of the Church Year
Great to see this lovely and winsome book back in print. Suitable for Catholic and Anglo-Catholic tastes or really anyone who wants young people to learn the cycles of the church year and some of its saints. Fr Michael Peterson All Saints, Collingwood, Ontario
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Thank you for republishing this!
Thank you for republishing this! What a wonderful, beautiful book that could have been lost. It's a favorite in our family.
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My Book of the Church's Year
A wonderful book, and I also appreciate the thoughtful introduction.
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My Book of the Church’s Year
This book is lovely!
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My Book of the Church's Year
This book is gorgeous and a lovely overview of the Traditional Catholic Church Year! I loved it! The reason I give it only 4 stars is that we had to take scissors to King Edward, "martyr" for the Church of England (yes, the Church of England of murderous Queen Elizabeth I and Henry the VIII)! I believe that showing a "martyr" for a heretical (Anglican) church is deeply confusing to young souls. We kept the book for our youngest, having cut that half-page out, because of the beauty and resonance of all the other feast days and seasons with the Traditional Catholic calendar that we follow.
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This will be so handy
This will be so handy for teaching my children about the liturgical year
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A gem of a book
I had seen little snippets of Enid Chadwick's drawings all over the internet. Can you imagine my delight when I found this truly beautiful facsimile edition of her work, My Book of the Church's Year?! It is even better in person. Thank you St. Augustine Academy Press for making this gem available!!
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Wonderful book of the church year!
Nicely republished book with good color and quality paper. I bought this to use with my grandsons, and I am enjoying the nice color and illustrations. Thank you! I highly recommend this book of the church's year. It is very well done!
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Splendid!
Splendid!
