12:635 MARY in the LITURGY

Spring Semester Elective (February - May 2007)
2 Graduate Credit Hours
Monday Afternoons  2:15 - 4:05
Saint Meinrad School of Theology
St. Meinrad, Indiana

Rev. Thomas Richstatter, O.F.M., S.T.D,
Professor of Sacramental / Liturgical Theology
Saint Meinrad School of Theology

Note:  If you have opened this syllabus a few days ago, I suggest that you click the "refresh" button at the top of your web browser so that you are sure that you are reading the most current version of this syllabus.

Course Description

This seminar studies the liturgical texts for the Marian celebrations in the current liturgical calendar, contemporary trends in Mariology, and the Church documents regarding devotion to the Blessed Mother in order to discover how these theological issues can be applied to one's personal piety and to the spiritual life of the parish.

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Assigned Reading

Bishops' Committee on the Liturgy.  Norms Governing Liturgical Calendars.  The Liturgy Documentary Series, Number 6.  Washington DC: Office of Publishing and Promotion Services, USCCB, 1984. Publication number 928-9.  $6.95 paper.  The first half of the text is available online at www.catholicliturgy.com 

Bishops' Committee on the Liturgy.  The Lectionary for Mass, Second Typical Edition. Introduction. The Liturgy Documentary Series Number 1.  Washington DC: Office of Publishing and Promotion Services, USCCB.  Publication number 5-245. ISBN 1-57455-245-7.  $6.95 paper.  The entire text is available online at www.catholicliturgy.com

Pope Paul VI,  Marialis Cultus, Apostolic Exhortation for the Right Ordering and Development of Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. (February 2, 1974)  Text available in English on the Vatican web site.

Elizabeth A. Johnson.  Truly Our Sister:  A Theology of Mary in the Communion of Saints.  The Continuum International Publishing Group Inc. 2003.  ISBN 0-8264-1473-7

View the New Line Cinema movie, The Nativity Story

James O'Toole (editor).  Habits of Devotion: Catholic Religious Practice in Twentieth-Century America (Cushwa Center) ISBN 0801442567.  Chapter 1 Joseph P. Chinnici, O.F.M. "The Catholic Community at Prayer, 1926-1976", pp 1-88; and Chapter 2, Paula M. Kane, "Marian Devotion Since 1940:  Continuity or Casualty?" pp 89-130.

Schedule of Topic and Assignments

Class #02,  Monday, February 12, 2007 – Mary and the Roman Calendar and the Lectionary 
Before class read:  Before class read "Norms Governing Liturgical Calendars" and "the Lectionary" and select all those places referring to Mary.  
Before class write:   Essay on the assigned readings.     
During class:   Presentation and discussion of the ANGEL postings.  We will put our lists together to make a "master list" and then make a list of all the Feasts of Mary in the Roman Calendar.  Overview of the Liturgical Year   Chapter y14 Time    Anamnesis   Event Feasts / Idea Feasts   Liturgical Days Honoring Mary   We will then spend some time reviewing and discussing our current devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. 

Class #03,  Monday, February 19, 2007 – Mary and the Christian 
Before class read:  Johnson Chapters 1-3 pages 1-70
Before class write:  Essay on the assigned readings.   
During class:   Presentation and discussion of the ANGEL postings. 

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Class #05,  Monday, March 5, 2007 – Mary and History 
Before class read:  Johnson Chapters 7-9 pages 137-208 
Before class write:    Essay on the assigned readings.   
During class:       Presentation and discussion of the ANGEL postings.   [Note:  The class will not meet on Monday, May 14, 2007.]

Class #07,  Monday, March 19, 2007 – Mary in the Gospels of Luke and John 
Before class read:  Johnson rest of Chapter 10 - The Dangerous Memory of Mary:  A Mosaic 247 - 304 (57 pages)
Before class write:   Essay on the assigned readings; or:  select a solemnity or feast or memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary which uses one of the passages discussed in the reading for today as the gospel text for the feast and write a homily for the feast which incorporates the exegesis of the gospel given by Johnson into the meaning of the feast for a contemporary congregation. 
During class:       Presentation and discussion of the ANGEL postings.   Discussion of Benedict XVI and Mary in Sacramentum Caritatis  especially paragraph 33. 

Monday, March 26, 2007 – no class -- Easter break
Monday, April 2, 2007 – no class -- Easter break
Monday, April 9, 2007 – no class -- Easter break

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Class #08,  Monday, April 16, 2007 – Popular Devotions in the United States 
Before class read: Joseph P. Chinnici, O.F.M., "The Catholic Community at Prayer, 1926-1976" in Habits. pp 1-88.
Before class write:   Essay on the assigned readings.   
During class:  Presentation and discussion of the ANGEL postings. 

Class #09,  Monday, April 23, 2007 – Mary and Popular Devotion 
Before class read:   Pope Paul VI, Apostolic Exhortation for the Right Ordering and Development of Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Marialis Cultus, February 2, 1974.   Paula M. Kane, "Marian Devotion Since 1940:  Continuity or Casualty?"  Chapter 2 in  Habits, pp 89-130.  [If you have time, read the section on Mary in the Directory on Popular Piety]
Before class write:   Essay on the assigned readings.
During class:   Presentation and discussion of the ANGEL postings. 

Class #10,  Monday, April 30, 2007 – Mary and the Magisterium 
Before class read:  Constitution on the Church, Chapter 8:  De Beata Maria Virgine Deipara in Mysterio Christi et Ecclesiam.  ["The Role of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, in the Mystery of Christ and in the Mystery of the Church" -- Translated as:  "On Mary"].   If you have an "index of the Council documents" look at the list of the principal references to Mary in the 16 documents of the Second Vatican Council.
Before class write:    Essay on the assigned readings.    
During class:   Presentation and discussion of the ANGEL postings.

Saturday, May 12, 2007 – Graduation Day

Monday, May 14, 2007 – no class – Professor at ANGEL Teachers Conference in Indianapolis

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Course Objectives

This course studies:

1.  The Roman Calendar, Missal, Lectionary, and Liturgy of the Hours with regard to the Solemnities, Feasts, and Memorials of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
2.  The historical context in which Mary lived.

3.  The biblical texts which refer to Mary.

4.  Current statements of the Magisterium of the Catholic Church regarding Mary.

5.  The history and current state of Marian devotion in the United States.

The course prepares one to:

1.  Develop an authentic devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
2.  Prepare and plan liturgical celebrations honoring Mary.
3.  Be able to teach accurately about Mary.

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Course Method and Strategies

1. Participants in this course are expected to have a personal computer or access to a computer; the ability to access websites and download and print files; the ability to send and receive e-mail; and the ability to post essays and enter into discussion on ANGEL.

2.  This is a graduate seminar.  Participants are expected to read the materials listed in this syllabus and to review the lecture notes (which are given as hyperlinks in the syllabus). 

3.  Before midnight of the day preceding the class period each student is to reflect on the assigned reading as indicated in this syllabus and to post a 300-500 word reflection paper on ANGEL. Or:  Post a 300-500 word comment on the posting of another participant. Note:  the word count is approximate.  The point is that you say something  meaningful.    These postings will be evaluated according to the following scale:

OK (B-)  A 300  word essay related to some aspect of the assigned reading which indicates that you have read at least some of the assignment and have thought about it.

Good (B)  A 300-500 word essay which summarizes the reading in a way that indicates that you have read the assignment and have understood what you have read.

Better (B+ / A-)  A 300-500 word essay which demonstrates that you have read the assignment and have understood what you have read and have made some steps to integrate the reading into your previous knowledge and pastoral experience.  This posting will include material "beyond" what is contained in the assigned reading. 

Best (A)   A 300-500 word essay which demonstrates that you have read the assignment and have understood what you have read and that you are able to critique and evaluate the reading by integrating it with your previous courses, reading, and pastoral experience and can present those conclusions in such a way informs and holds the interest of the other participants. This posting will include material "beyond" what is contained in the assigned reading and which will enable the other participants to experience the readings in a ministerial context. 

The posting for classes 2 through class 11 will each count for 8% of the final grade. The posting for the final class will count for 10% of the final grade.  Class participation will count for 10 % of the final grade.  (10 postings at 8% = 80%; 80+10+10 = 100%)  Grades and comments will be posted in the ANGEL grade book.  The ANGEL grade book lists your grades numerically; the School Bulletin states that 95 (and above) = A; 94 = A-; 93 = B+; 92 (and lower) =B. [.5 is rounded up] 

4. During the class period each participant will read their posting and receive comments on it from the professor and the other participants in the course.  Each participant is expected to actively participate in the group work, oral presentations, discussions, etc. which will comprise the class time.

5.  Absences from class for reasons other than illness are to have the prior approval of the professor. 

6.  It is helpful, and indeed important, to read one another's postings; in this course, it is my intention for each of the participants to present their posting orally during the class meeting.  Your postings are presumed to be your original thought unless you indicate otherwise.  When quoting someone give the source of the quote and indicate by quotation marks where the quotation begins and ends.  Each participant is expect to be familiar with the "Statement on Plagiarism" in the Saint Meinrad Student Handbook.

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Participants

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© Copyright: Tom Richstatter, Franciscan Province of St. John the Baptist, Cincinnati Ohio, Order of Friars Minor. All Rights Reserved.  This page was created by Fr. Thomas Richstatter, O.F.M.  Every effort has been, and is being made, to acknowledge sources when the ideas are not my own.  Any failure to comply with the United States Copyright Act (Title 17, United States Code) will be corrected immediately should I become aware of it.  This site was updated on 06/20/07.  Your comments on this site are welcome at webmaster2@tomrichstatter.org.