Liturgical and Sacramental Theology (CT9102C)

Postgraduate, 24.0 points

Content

Recent scholarship has shown that 'liturgical theology' is distinct from a 'theology of liturgy' even though the terms are often used interchangeably. In a theology of the liturgy, the liturgy remains an object of theology whereas with liturgical theology the liturgy itself is the source of theology; it is the elucidation of the theological meaning of worship.

With due reference to the ancient maxim Lex orandi, lex credendi (the law for prayer is the law for faith) and to the notion of human symbolic ritual activity, this unit will explore some of the Catholic Church's liturgical and sacramental rites. It will also examine how liturgical theology is an independent theological discipline with its own special subject (the liturgical tradition of the Catholic Church) distinct from other methods and theological disciplines. The unit will demonstrate that the liturgy, of its very nature, is always expressive of the faith of the Church.

Unit code: CT9102C

Unit status: Approved (Major revision)

Points: 24.0

Unit level: Postgraduate Elective

Unit discipline: Systematic Theology

Delivery Mode: Face to Face

Proposing College: Catholic Theological College

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Learning outcomes

1.

Explain and defend the thesis that the liturgical assembly and its action - particularly the sacraments - serve as the “primary locus” for the Christian’s encounter with God

2.

Identify the ways that Christ’s paschal mystery is at the heart of liturgical and sacramental celebration.
3.

Use the liturgical and sacramental rites of the revised Roman rite and of other rites of the Church as theological sources
4.

Apply this knowledge to critically reflect on the celebration of the liturgy and the sacraments in the cultures in which they are likely to worship or minister
5.

Conduct systematic and critically rigorous theological research into some aspect of liturgical or general sacramental theology

Pedagogy

Lectures, Tutorials, Seminars

Indicative Bibliography

  • Chauvet, Louis-Marie. Symbol and Sacrament. Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 1995
  • Fagerberg, David W. Theologia Prima: What is Liturgical Theology? 2nd ed. Chicago: Hillenbrand Books, 2004.
  • Irwin, Kevin W. Context and Text: Method in Liturgical Theology. Revised edition. Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2018
  • Kavanagh, Aidan. On Liturgical Theology: The Hale Memorial Lectures of Seabury–Western Theological Seminary, 1981. New York: Pueblo, 1984.
  • Lathrop, Gordon W. Holy Things: A Liturgical Theology. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1993.
  • Martinez, German. Signs of Freedom: Theology of the Christian Sacraments. New York: Paulist Press, 2003
  • Power, David N.. Unsearchable Riches: The Symbolic Nature of Liturgy. New York: Pueblo Publishing, 1984.
  • Schmemann, Alexander. Introduction to Liturgical Theology. Translated by Ashleigh E. Moorhouse. Crestwood: St Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2003.
  • Vatican Council II. Sacrosanctum concilium. Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy. 4 December 1963. In The Liturgy Documents: A Parish Resource, 4th ed. Chicago: Liturgy Training Publications, 2004.
  • Vogel, Dwight W., ed. Primary Sources of Liturgical Theology: A Reader. Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2000.

Assessment

Type Description Word count Weight (%)
Essay

4,000-word project

 4500 70.0
Essay

2500-word essay

2500 30.0
Approvals

Unit approved for the University of Divinity by Maggie Kappelhoff on 19 Jul, 2021

Unit record last updated: 2021-07-19 13:39:46 +1000