Assessment

Reflection Papers 40% + Take Home Exam 60%

Module Aims

This module will introduce learners to the liturgy of the Christian Church. Beginning with the scriptural foundations of Christian liturgy, the course will explore its historical development and theological grounding. Particular attention will be paid to the ritual nature of liturgical celebration, the role of public prayer in the life of the Church and an introduction to the Sacraments of Christian Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist.

Indicative Syllabus

• Getting started: Expectations, Outlines and Assessments.
• Defining liturgy, worship and ritual?
• The origins and development of Christian liturgy. What is a Rite?
• From Jerusalem to Rome: The growth of a Rite.
• The Age of Constantine.
• Medieval Christianity and its celebrations.
• Crisis, Division and Reform: The Reformations.
• The Council of Trent.
• The Liturgical Movement.
• The liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council.
• Reading the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy.
• The Sacraments of Christian Initiation.
• Liturgy in Space and Time.
• The cult of the saints.
• Contemporary Concerns and liturgical developments.

Learning Outcomes

• — (Comprehension): understand key liturgical concepts.
• — (Comprehension): understand the complexities behind the principal liturgical developments throughout the history of the Church.
• — (Evaluate): appraise the relationship between liturgical tradition and pastoral care in answering the needs of Christians during the course of Church history.
• — (Synthesis): extrapolate from the experience of the liturgical traditions of the Church relevant perspectives by which to consider similar issues today.
• — (Application): employ the resources of the Christian liturgy in a coherent manner to better understand the interrelationship of worship and liturgy and their relevance for other theological disciplines.
• — (Affective): demonstrate an appreciation of the diversity of theological views and religious practices within Christianity and how this translates to religious experience today, thus being better prepared to engage ecumenical and interreligious dialogues.

Bibliography

• — Louis Bouyer, Liturgical Piety (Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 1953).
• — Rita Ferrone, Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium (Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 2007).
• — Keith Pecklers, Worship: A Primer in Christian Ritual (Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 2003).
• — Keith F. Pecklers, Liturgy: The Illustrated History (Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press; Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2012).
• — Melanie C. Ross and Mark A. Lampart, Historical Foundations of Worship: Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant Perspectives (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2022).