by Kathleen M. Basi

Here's a treasure trove of exciting ideas that will enable your family to focus anew on preparing for the holy time of Advent and Christmas! With a fresh, lively set of suggestions that will attract young and old alike, Joy to the World will help lay the foundation for long-lasting family memories.

Joy to the World takes a three-pronged approach to the season:

1. The Advent calendar, where daily activities are organized into four categories of Service, Spiritual Growth, "Homebody," and Pure Fun
2. The Evening Ritual, incorporating the Advent wreath and the Jesse tree, and featuring simplified Scriptures that young children can readily understand
3. The "Good Deeds Manger," which puts the family's focus on preparing their hearts for the coming of Christ

• Binding: Paperback
  Pages: 80

Kate's introduction to liturgical music came at an early age, when she was a "choir baby" in her home parish in Moberly, Missouri. She began playing flute with the parish folk group in the 7th grade. While studying flute performance with Steven Geibel at the University of Missouri, she joined the music ministry at the local Newman Center, where she developed a deep love of liturgy and liturgical music.

After receiving a Master of Music from the University of Northern Iowa, where she studied with Dr. Angeleita Floyd, she returned to Columbia and served as liturgist for the local Life Teen program for a year, after which she took on the position of director of liturgy and music for Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Columbia, Missouri. She spent four years in that position before choosing to stay home with her children. She and her husband Christian remain deeply involved as volunteer musicians at OLL, leading the parish contemporary group with three "choir babies" of their own in tow.

Kate's articles about faith, family, and liturgy have appeared in several Catholic magazines, and she has also published octavos for assembly use.