Speaking of Liturgy

Women in the Liturgical Movement: shaping the liturgical life of the Church

Katharine Harmon reveals some of the women who were involved in the liturgical renewal since the 19th Century. Often missed in the narrative, she describes a number of women who sought to renew and shape the Church’s liturgy.  
Dr Katharine E. Harmon currently serves as project director of the Obsculta Preaching Initiative at Saint John's Seminary and School of Theology in Collegeville, Minnesota. She is the author of There Were Also Many Women There: Lay Women in the Liturgical Movement in the United States, 1926-1959 (Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2012) and Mary and the Liturgical Year: A Pastoral Resource (Chicago: Liturgy Training Publications, 2023), which received third place for best scholarly book in the 2024 Catholic Press Association awards. She resides in St. Joseph, Minnesota, with her husband and two children, and co-edits the blog, Pray Tell.

The Preacher as Prophet, Proclaimer and Poet

Archbishop Mark Coleridge reflects on the role of the preacher as a prophet, proclaimer and poet. Each of these aspects are crucially important and interrelated in the liturgical act.
Most Rev Mark Coleridge was ordained in Melbourne and served in parishes before studying Scripture at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome. He taught Scripture in Melbourne and was Master of Catholic Theological College. In late 1997, he was appointed to work in the Holy See’s Secretariat of State. He is currently Metropolitan Archbishop of Brisbane, Australia. From 2018 – 2022 he served as President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference.

How do we farewell the dead in the 21st Century?

Sam Wegner explores the uniqueness of the Christian funeral,  especially in relation to the lesser-known Funeral Vigil. 
Ms Samantha Wegner is a sessional academic at the ACU School of Theology. In 2017 she was awarded the ACU Centre for Liturgy’s Postgraduate Scholarship. Her continuing research explores the aesthetic and ethical aspects of Catholic liturgical rites surrounding death, as well as women in the Lectionary.   

After the Fire: Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris (in English)

Fr Gilles Drouin describes some of the liturgical issues associated with the restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris. 
Rev Dr Gilles Drouin is the Director of Institut Supérieur de Liturgie, at the Institut Catholique de Paris and advised the Archbishop of Paris on the restoration of Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral. He is President of the Societas Liturgica and a member of the Scientific Council of the Revue La Maison Dieu. His areas of research are the theology of liturgical space and the relationship between liturgy and politics.   

A la suite de l'Incendie: La rénovation de la cathédrale Notre Dame de Paris

Le Père Gilles Drouin nous décrit quelques considérations liturgiques, concernant la rénovation de la cathédrale Notre Dame de Paris
Le Père Gilles Drouin est le directeur de l'Institut Supérieur de Liturgie à l'Institut Catholique de Paris. Il a prêté conseil à l'Archevêque de Paris concernant la rénovation de la cathédrale Notre Dame de Paris. Il est le président de Societas Liturgica ainsi que membre du Comité scientifique de la Revue La Maison de Dieu. Ses domaines de recherches sont la théologie de l'espace liturgique et la relation liturgie et la politique.

Liturgy and Inculturation: towards an enriched local expression

Fr Mark Francis, CSV discusses recent Church documents that encourage a more enriched understanding of liturgy and enculturation. 
Rev Dr Mark Francis, CSV is a former Superior General of the Viatorians and currently the Provincial of the US Province. He holds a doctorate in liturgy from the Liturgical Institute of Sant’Anselmo in Rome and was President of the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago from 2013-2020.    A teacher and international speaker, he has published many articles and several books on liturgy and culture.  

The RCIA and its ripple effect

Rita Ferrone outlines the significance of the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults, the RCIA, and how it has a ripple effect beyond the catechumens in the parish. She offers encouragement to communities to be actively involved and committed to this gradual process of Christian initiation.
Ms Rita Ferrone is an internationally acclaimed writer and frequent speaker on issues of liturgy and church renewal. She is the author of several books about liturgy, and in the course of her career has worked extensively with the adult catechumenate. Her most recent book is a pastoral guide to Pope Francis's letter on liturgical formation, Desiderio Desideravi (Liturgical Press, 2023).  

Beauty and Liturgy: Expressing Sacred Realities

Simone Brosig discusses the significance of beauty and aesthetics in the liturgy She explores the ways embodied prayerful responses express sacred realities.  
Dr. Simone Brosig is the Pastoral Leader for Community Life and Worship in the Archdiocese of Adelaide, Australia. She was the Liturgy Consultant in the Diocese of Calgary, Canada from 2009 - 2020 and served as the Chair of the National Committee for Liturgy and the Sacraments (Canada) from 2016 - 2019.   

Attend as You Participate

Professor Clare Johnson asks ‘What does it mean to be fully present as we celebrate the liturgy?’
Professor Clare Johnson is the Director of the ACU Centre for Liturgy and ACU Professor of Liturgical Studies & Sacramental Theology. She chairs the National Liturgical Music Council, advising the Australian Catholic Bishops Commission for Liturgy.  

Ars celebrandi

Bishop Paul Bird, CSsR reflects on the art of celebration and how developing our knowledge and skills can enhance the way we celebrate the liturgy.
Most Rev Paul Bird, CSsR is a member and former Provincial of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorists) and Bishop of the Diocese of Ballarat (Victoria, Australia). He is a member of the Bishops Commission for Liturgy of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference.