DO907EE The Theology of Liturgy
This course provides an introduction to the history, theology, and praxis of the Liturgy of the Catholic Church, and explores the function of the Liturgy as an integral component of the Christian mission. Using theological and legislative documents of the Church’s Magisterium, as well as relevant secondary and scholarly materials, the course will explore fundamental anthropological, theological, legal, and historical foundations which underlie the Church’s liturgical tradition and practice.
Course Syllabus
Course Description
This course provides an introduction to the history, theology, and praxis of the Liturgy of the Catholic Church, and explores the function of the Liturgy as an integral component of the Christian mission. Using theological and legislative documents of the Church’s Magisterium, as well as relevant secondary and scholarly materials, the course will explore fundamental anthropological, theological, legal, and historical foundations which underlie the Church’s liturgical tradition and practice.
Learning Objectives
Participants in the course will become conversant with:
- What Liturgy is, how it is rooted in Divine Revelation, and how it is expressed in the Church
- How and why the Liturgy of the Church has developed organically and in continuity with tradition
- Basic signs, symbols, and structures of Liturgy, including architecture and Sacred Music
- The fundamental elements of the most significant liturgical experiences of the Church, including Holy Mass and the Divine Office
- The central role of the Liturgy in the spirituality of the ordained
Required Texts
- Ecclesiastical Documents (available online):
- The Catechism of the Catholic Church
- The Code of Canon Law
- General Instruction of the Roman Missal
- General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours
- Sacrosanctum Concilium (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy)
- Musicam Sacram (Instruction on Music in the Liturgy)
- Vicesimus Quintus Annus
- Letter Of His Holiness Benedict XVI to the Bishops on the Occasion of the Publication of the Apostolic Letter “Motu Proprio Data” Summorum Pontificum on the Use of the Roman Liturgy Prior to the Reform Of 1970
Secondary Required Reading:
- Dalmais, Irénée Henri, et al. Principles of the Liturgy. The Church at Prayer: An Introduction to Liturgy, edited by Aimé Georges Martimort, 1. Translated by Matthew J. O’Connell. Collegeville: The Liturgical Press, 1987.
- Ratzinger, Joseph (Benedict XVI). The Spirit of the Liturgy. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2000.