The Liturgical Year: What Does It Mean and Why Does It Matter?
Next Session: Aug 26, 2024
For most Christians, we listen to Sacred Scripture in the context of the Church's liturgical year. From Advent through the Feast of Christ the King, we contemplate and participate in the mystery of Christ's life, death, and resurrection. But what is the liturgical year, and why does it matter? In this course, students will first be introduced to the prophetic nature of liturgical time, especially in the context of a culture obsessed with speed, productivity, and efficiency. We will then explore the feast and seasons of the Liturgical Year including Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, and feasts of Mary and all the saints. At the end of the course, students will be able to understand the history of the liturgical year, why it is essential for contemplating the mystery of Christ, and how to share the good news of salvation through the liturgical year in the context of liturgical catechesis.
Course Content
Unit 1: The Liturgical Year and the Medicine of Festivity
Unit 2: Advent: The Three-Fold Coming of Christ
Unit 3: Christmas, The Mystery of God Becoming Human
Unit 4: Lent, Longing for Union with the Beloved
Unit 5: Easter, the Mystery of the Resurrected Lord
Unit 6: Mary and All the Saints
Course Format
- Seven weeks in duration; first week for orientation.
- Up to 20 students in each course.
- Video lectures with text transcripts available.
- Supplemental readings are provided to encourage further exploration, internet links provided for all readings.
- Written assignments (200-250) required.
- Facilitator-moderated weekly Zoom sessions with participants.
Participation Requirements
- Watch or read the lecture for each unit.
- Read assigned texts; keep notes, questions, and comments for class discussions.
- Answer weekly discussion question.
- Respond to weekly unit assignment.
- Attend weekly Zoom for each unit. If you cannot attend, you can still meet the participation requirements.
- Complete the course evaluation.
Time Expectations
4 to 6 hours per week, depending on your learning style and schedule.
Course Certificate
An electronic certificate of completion awarding 35 contact hours will be available in course when completing all course requirements.
Dr. Timothy O'Malley
Timothy P. O'Malley is the director of education at the McGrath Institute for Church Life and academic director of the Notre Dame Center for Liturgy. He holds a concurrent appointment in the Department of Theology at the University of Notre Dame.
He received his undergraduate degree at the University of Notre Dame majoring in theology and philosophy. His M.T.S. is in liturgical studies also from the University of Notre Dame. And he completed a doctorate at Boston College in theology and education, focusing on an Augustinian approach to liturgical formation.
He researches and teaches at Notre Dame in the areas of liturgical-sacramental theology, marriage and family, catechesis, and spirituality. He is the author of a number of books, most recently Off the Hook: God, Love, Dating, and Marriage in a Hookup World (Ave Maria Press, 2018) and Lift Up Your Hearts: Liturgical Formation in the RCIA (Liturgical Press, 2019). He is currently working on a multi-volume work on the history of liturgical formation beginning with St. Augustine.
Dr. O'Malley is married and has two children. He is originally from Knoxville, TN.