The Two Year Programme

The Institute of Pastoral Liturgy aims to form its graduates in a scientific understanding of the Mystery of Christ as celebrated in the Church, by enabling them to discover the celebrating Church, which lives and shows forth its true nature and mission in the liturgy. From the discovery and understanding gained on this course our graduates are able to promote, with a critical sense and with scientific method, the liturgical and pastoral action of the local churches.

The Course of Studies:

We begin by examining the Church's understanding of the liturgy in the light of Sacred Scripture and Tradition.
This understanding is deepened with the anthropological dimension (the religious and ritual experience of the human person) and the specific characteristics of the believer in the Church.
In this way a method for approaching specific liturgical themes is revealed which is in line with the spirit of Vatican II and its liturgical reform.
Finally, we make an analysis of the unchanging elements of the liturgical celebration of the Church and identify the more pastoral aspects of the liturgy.

The two year course centres on two criteria:

The scientific analysis of liturgical data studied historically and theologically.
This is done without loosing sight of the cultural and ecclesial circumstances of today's world.

The pastoral dimension which is the hallmark of the ILP is expressed in both the analysis of the liturgical celebration of the Church and in our understanding of the pastoral choices made and the underlying cultural factors of today.

Outline of the Corse

1^st Semester – A (year 1)

* General Introduction to the Liturgy
* Introduction to the Bible in the Liturgy
* Introduction to the Human Sciences
* Introduction to the Historical Study of the Liturgy
* Ancient and Medieval History of the Liturgy
* History of the Liturgical Paradigms
* Liturgical Books
* A Hermeneutic of Liturgical Texts
* Methodology

1^st Semester – B (Year 2)

* Modern and Contemporary History of the Liturgy
* A Hermeneutic of the Lectionary
* Sacraments: Christian Initiation
* Sacraments: Eucharist
* Sacraments: Penance
* Liturgy of the Hours
* Socio-cultural Context
* Seminar

2^nd Semester – C (Year 1+2)

* Theology and Liturgy
° Sacraments: Holy Orders (H)
° Theological Themes (H)
° The Reformed Liturgy (H)
° * Ritual, Phenomenology and Religious Experience (A)
° * Psychology: the Person and the Act of Celebration (A)
° Sociology and Religion (A)
° Anthropological Themes (A)
° Art and Liturgy
* Seminar

2^nd Semester – D (Year 1+2)

* Spirituality and Liturgy
° The Liturgical Year (H)
° The Euchology of the Early Church (H)
° Sacraments: Marriage (H)
° Oriental Liturgy (H)
° * Phenomenology, Religious Language and Liturgy (A)
° * Psychology: Rite and Person (A)
° Pastoral Action of the Church
° Music and Liturgy
* Seminar

Level of Studies

In the License Programme:

Over the two years a total of 48 credits is required (1 credit = 12 hours of lectures), with 3 seminars.
In the choice of courses the following has to be taken into account:
– 18 courses are obligatory (*): among the courses chosen there must be one course on Phenomenology and one on Psychology (*°). This makes a total of 20 courses, with a total of 40 credits.
– The remaining 8 credits come from 4 courses (each of 24 hours) among the optional courses (°); among the optional courses the choice of each course depends on the preferred direction of the student: either the storico-teologico-liturgico (S) or the antropologico-teologico-liturgico (A) directions.
The writing of the thesis.
The successful completion of the Final Exam.

Seminars

To obtain the degree of License as well as passing the exams one must participate in three seminars over the two years as well as the introductory course in Methodology.
The method of assessment for each seminar is decided upon by the professor.
At least one of the seminars must be graded on written work handed in by the student. There must be at least three students in each seminar.

Symposiums

There are three or four of these spread over the course of the academic year. A theme is chosen for these symposiums for each academic year. There is one residential symposium which crowns the academic activity of the institute for the year.
Participation in these symposia is obligatory as they are an integral part of the academic activity of the year.

Languages

A sufficient understanding of Latin, Greek and Hebrew is required. As well as this a sufficient competence in two modern foreign languages is a requirement: one of Latin origin and one of Anglo-Saxon origin.

Students who do not have this language proficiency must acquire it by the end of the first year.

Exams

For admission to an exam one must be enrolled in the programme and have attended at least two thirds of the classes. Exams are normally taken at the end of the course, but can be deferred to the next exam session. Exams in which the candidate is not successful may be repeated once only. In cases of exception the president and his council can decide to admit a student to an exam more than twice.

The Thesis and Final Exam examen comprehensivum.

To receive the grade of licence the student must present a thesis and be successful in the final exam.