GERMANY
Liturgical Booklet for the Year of the Holy Spirit

Last 30 November, the start of the second year of preparation for the Jubilee, the German Episcopal Conference published a booklet of 182 pages, the fifth in the series «The path towards the Holy Year 2000». The book is a liturgical aid for this second year and is entitled «The Spirit of God in the world». It is introduced by the auxiliary bishop Mans. Jochen Jaschke, the Episcopal Conference's representative for the Jubilee of the year 2000. The text is divided in 16 chapters. It opens with the John Paul II's prayer for the second year of preparation for the Holy Year, followed by three invocations to the Holy Spirit of the Byzantine liturgy by Saint Simeone, who died in 1022, and by Saint Augustin.

The long second chapter is dedicated to the presence of the Holy Spirit in the liturgy. Symbols (water, fire) are used to indicate the Spirit, or its action (salt, oil, bread and wine of the eucharistic consecration). Words follow, silence, baptism, confirmation, communion, marriage, priestly ordination, confession, the unction of the sick, and then a section on the presence of the Third Person of the Holy Trinity of the liturgical year. The following chapters address the time of Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, the Baptism of Jesus, the time of Lent, the Pascal Triduum, the Pascal time a the rest of the liturgical year. The following festivities are highlighted: the Annunciation to Mary (25 March), Saints Peter and Paul (29 June), the Assumption (15 August). To conclude there are suggestions on votive Masses for 1998, liturgies of the word on the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, on prayer before the Holiest external to the Mass and on the recitation of the Rosary.