Words without Alloy

Paul Turner is pastor of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Kansas City, Missouri, and director of the Office of Divine Worship for the Diocese of Kansas City––St. Joseph. He holds a doctorate in sacred theology from Sant’ Anselmo in Rome. He is a former president of the North American Academy of Liturgy and a member of Societas Liturgica and the Catholic Academy of Liturgy. He is the author of numerous books published by Liturgical Press and a contributor to Give Us This Day. Most recently, he is the recipient of four awards from the 2025 Catholic Media Association Book Awards, including First Place for Author of the Year. Visit his website at https://paulturner.org.

• ContentsIntroduction ixI     Conception 1II    Sundays and Solemnities 43III   Weekdays 205IV   Concluding Observations 277V    Dossier 285

"Although we all make use of the Lectionary weekly if not daily, we had little understanding of how it came to be, until this fascinating new 'biography of the Lectionary' by Paul Turner. Herein we can explore how biblical and liturgical scholars collaborated to construct the church’s Lectionary for Mass following the mandates of the Second Vatican Council, how they brought from the Church’s storeroom both the ancient traditions of biblical readings for the church’s Sundays and feasts as well as new biblical insights to demonstrate how the living word of God unfolds the mystery of Christ throughout the liturgical year. Since the rich fare of Scripture provided by the post-conciliar Lectionary has brought immeasurable gifts to God’s people with its lavish presentation at the table of God’s word, this book is a captivating study for presiders, homilists, deacons, lectors, cantors, and all the faithful who feast on the banquet provided by the Liturgy of the Word."  Stephen J. Binz, biblical scholar, writer, and speaker at Bridge-B.com, author of Holy Land Pilgrimage