Wednesday, October 10, 2007 3:00-4:00

The Tridentine Liturgy and Liturgical Reform: Critical Reflections on the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum
by Prof. Christian McConnell, PhD. (St. Michael’s College)


Benedict XVI’s Apostolic Letter Summorum Pontificum, promulgated July 7, 2007, gives new, wider provision for the celebration of the Roman liturgy according to the pre-Vatican-II (“Tridentine”) Missal of 1962 and other liturgical books. The liturgical reforms of 1970 remain the normative form of the Roman liturgy, but the side-by-side existence of the postconciliar liturgy and the “older use” raises more questions than answers about the nature of liturgical reform, legitimate liturgical diversity, liturgical accomodation of pastoral needs, and the operative ecclesiology expressed in the liturgy.

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

“Go Ye Therefore” and “This Do”: Towards a Revitalization of Evangelical Eucharistic Praxis
by Sean E. O’Leary, ThD (Emmanuel College)


Jesus Christ, at the close of Matthew’s gospel, is recorded as having charged his followers to “Go ye therefore into all the world and make disciples of all nations” (Mt. 28:18). Together with Mark’s “Go and preach the good news to every creature” (Mk. 16:15) the “Great Commission” is the primary tenet upon which the modern evangelical movement is founded, attested to by evangelicalism’s emphasis on tangible conversion experiences, frequently utilizing worship as a means to this end. However, the resulting discipleship and spirituality of such pragmatism are often disconnected from many of the riches of the historic Christian faith and its liturgical rites—specifically, in the context of this lecture, a theologically, biblically, and historically informed eucharistic praxis. What is one to make of the diminishing significance of the traditional sacraments in general, and the eucharist in particular, in evangelical worship? What is the status of Reformed eucharistic theology and praxis in contemporary evangelicalism? Does evangelicalism live up to its own criteria of the centrality of scripture on this question (i.e., the import of biblical texts traditionally associated with the institution of the eucharist and the praxis of table fellowship)? Evangelicalism’s own biblical hermeneutics and liturgical traditions demand a closer scrutiny of its eucharistic praxis.

December 5, 2007

The Beauty of the Ethiopian Qiddase (Eucharistic Liturgy)

by Mebratu K. Gebru, PhD Student (Emmanuel College)


As the Byzantine Orthodox Churches call it, the Divine Liturgy is “heaven on earth service.” This is very true for the Qiddase of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. Having Jewish, Coptic and Syrian roots, the Ethiopian Qiddase has undergone various developments which contributed to the splendor and exuberant beauty demonstrated in its celebration. The numerous Eucharistic anaphorae are also one of the factors for the richness of the Ethiopian Qiddase, and each anaphora is worth of an intensive scholarly study. Focusing on the pattern and peculiarities of the celebration of Ethiopian Qiddase, and on the meaningful symbolism of some of the acts in the celebration, this paper tries to show the liturgical beauty of Ethiopian Qiddase.