Contact: Deirdre Trabert Malacrea, RENEW International, 908-769-5400 ext 126

MEDIA ADVISORY, April 15, 2011 /Standard Newswire/ -- Catholic parishes and dioceses looking for effective ways to introduce the Third Edition of the Roman Missal can find them in new resources now available from RENEW International. RENEW International is well known for its innovative pastoral approaches for faith formation and spiritual renewal.

On November 27, 2011, the first Sunday of Advent, all Catholic parishes in the United States will adopt the Third Edition of the Roman Missal, the ritual text containing prayers and instructions for the celebration of the Mass. Lifting Up Our Hearts: Praying with the Third Edition of the Roman Missal takes advantage of this "teaching moment" to deepen Catholics' appreciation of the liturgy. Through prayerful reflection on the coming changes to the people's parts of the Mass, Catholics will be led to a deeper understanding of the meaning of the Mass.

RENEW International's Roman Missal resources are unique because they are used in the context of a six-week process of faith sharing in small groups of Catholic parishioners. Recognized as ideal places of adult faith formation, these "small Christian communities" of 8 to 12 persons will come together to explore the significance of the Mass in their lives.

"Lifting Up Our Hearts is about the new responses, but it's also about what happens at Mass and how it connects to what we do outside of church and beyond Sunday morning. This faith-sharing opportunity renews parishioners' spiritual lives by helping them see and share about the role their faith plays in everyday life," commented Sister Theresa Rickard, O.P., President and Executive Director of RENEW International.

This resource was written for RENEW International by Dr. Peter J. Zografos, noted liturgical theologian and presenter for the Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions. Most Reverend Arthur J. Serratelli, Bishop of Paterson and Chairman of the Committee on Divine Worship for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, wrote in the Foreword: "We are now given a special opportunity to deepen our appreciation of the gift of the liturgy itself. This is what Lifting Up Our Hearts does."

Each of the six sessions of the faith-sharing book addresses a different part of the Mass and includes a Scripture passage, reflections, prayer, song suggestions, and faith-sharing questions. Each participant's book includes a tear-out pew card with the people's new responses. The pew cards are also available separately in larger quantities for parishes. With the generous underwriting from the Lavelle Fund for the Blind, Inc., RENEW International is publishing a large-print edition of the Lifting Up Our Hearts faith-sharing book with a pew card for people with visual impairments.

RENEW International makes it easy to implement the changes in parishes with a variety of invitational tools and resources including music CDs, buttons, and customizable posters and flyers. Small community leaders may experience web-based training to learn more about Lifting Up Our Hearts and the resources available.

For more information or to order Lifting Up Our Hearts from RENEW International, please visit www.renewintl.org/missal.

About RENEW International
RENEW International, a canonically-recognized Catholic organization, fosters spiritual renewal in the Catholic tradition by empowering individuals and communities to encounter God in everyday life, deepen and share faith, and connect faith with action. For the past three decades, the organization has worked with dioceses, parishes, and campuses in 23 countries, and its materials have been translated and enculturated in more than 40 languages. RENEW International, based in Plainfield, New Jersey, can be found on the web at www.renewintl.org.