The years 1987 and 1990 saw the publication of two unprecedented and immediately popular reference works, The New Dictionary of Theology and The New Dictionary of Sacramental Worship. The present work, The New Dictionary of Catholic Spirituality, edited by Michael Downey, is intended as a companion to these, with a parallel aim and purpose. The NDCS is a collaborative attempt to take stock of the remarkable developments in the Church and the world since the Second Vatican Council, but with a specific focus on the reform and renewal of Catholic spirituality that the Council set in motion.