The “smells and bells” of the Mass have long drawn the faithful into a deeper encounter with the mystery of the Eucharist.

“The beauty of the liturgy is part of this mystery; it is a sublime expression of God's glory and, in a certain sense, a glimpse of heaven on earth,” Benedict XVI wrote in Sacramentum Caritatis.

In this spirit, Christendom College’s Graduate School of Theology has announced the launch of the Institute for Liturgical Formation, set to begin this summer. The institute’s mission, according to organizers, is “to form those responsible for preparing and executing liturgies in parishes and dioceses.” The inaugural program will be held June 30-July 25 on Christendom’s Front Royal, Virginia, campus.

Participants will take four courses over three summers, totaling 12 courses, to earn a master’s degree in theology with a concentration in sacred liturgy. While core classes may be taken remotely, the four-week summer coursework must be completed in person.

Organizers also hope to offer a graduate certificate in liturgy before the first three-year cycle is complete.

Courses, organizers note, “are taught by world-class scholars and are designed to give you a deep, practical understanding of liturgical practice.” 

Robert Matava, an associate professor at Christendom and dean of its graduate school, teamed up with Chris Carstens — director of the Office for Sacred Worship in the Diocese of La Crosse, Wisconsin, editor of Adoremus Bulletin and co-host of the Becoming God podcast — to spearhead the institute. 

The institute was founded for several reasons, Matava told the Register, chief among them being the Second Vatican Council’s call for a renewal of the Church’s liturgical life.

“In some ways, that renewal is a task still to be realized,” he said. “The work we’ll be doing at the institute will be a contribution to that effort.”

He added that the institute’s coursework is designed to be “academically and intellectually rigorous, but with a practical focus.”

The program is not limited to priests and religious, he noted, but is also open to laity involved in liturgy at the parish or diocesan level. It may also be of interest to those engaged in church art, architecture and music. 

Alexis Kutarna, a board member of the Society for Catholic Liturgy and head of school at Cathedral High School in Houston, believes there is a great need for well-formed Catholic leaders in parishes and institutions. 

She supports the institute, she told the Register, because it combines academic study with “the transformative power of the sacred liturgy in the heart of the human person.”

Kutarna, who is a possible future institute faculty member, also emphasized its “intellectually rigorous curriculum situated in a faithfully Catholic environment.” She concluded, “I firmly believe the institute will foster a deeper love of the sacred liturgy, a pastoral care for its preparation and a joy that radiates from immersion into the beauty of the sacred rites.”

 

 

The Curriculum

Summer 2025 courses include:

•  “Liturgical Participation and Spirituality” with Father Dennis Gill, rector and pastor of the Cathedral-Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Philadelphia and director of the Philadelphia archdiocesan Office for Divine Worship
• “Principles of Sacramental Theology” with Father Ryan Ruiz, a priest of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and dean of its School of Theology and associate professor of liturgy and sacraments
•  “Salvation, the Human Person and the Eucharistic Liturgy” with Norbertine Father Herman Joseph Johanneck, originally a priest for the Diocese of New Ulm, Minnesota, who served as its director of worship before entering the Southern California Norbertine community in 2022; and
• “Sacramentals and Popular Piety” with Chris Carstens.

Father Ruiz told the Register that while there are multiple programs in the U.S. dedicated to the study of the liturgy, “what I found appealing about the Institute for Liturgical Formation’s approach was its desire to connect the various dimensions of Christian formation — the human, intellectual, spiritual and pastoral — into the students’ deepening sense of the liturgy as the heart of their personal faith journey, as well as their corporate identity as members of the Mystical Body of Christ.”

He continued, “I am excited for the students of this program not only to encounter the mystery of God’s love for them through their study of the Church’s sacred rites and sacramental system, but, more importantly, to experience this mystery first-hand through their shared celebration of these rites in an atmosphere of beauty and reverence.”

Father Gill told the Register the institute will meet a “critical need” for clergy and laity “to provide a comprehensive understanding of the celebration of the sacred liturgy in all its aspects.  This understanding — the aim of genuine liturgical formation — reveals itself in the proper liturgical celebration of the mystery of Christ and a living out of this same mystery.”

He is excited to participate as a founding faculty member and has a “great hope for the blessing that it will be to the Church in the United States.” He added, “The vibrancy of the Church in her members and for her mission is directly linked to the authentic celebration of the faith in the sacred liturgy.”

While the institute is just launching its inaugural summer program, Matava hopes it will soon become “the premier program of sacramental and liturgical studies in the English-speaking world. We’re seeking the support and involvement of the finest people in the field today.”

He noted that while many involved in liturgy at the parish and diocesan level are well-intentioned, they often lack the formation needed to elevate the liturgy. 

Carstens noted that, in his 25 years of work in the liturgical field, he has frequently received calls from bishops and pastors searching for qualified liturgists — evidence of the need for formation programs like the one offered by the new institute. 

The institute’s launch also comes at an opportune time, following the U.S. bishops’ three-year Eucharistic Revival. “Eucharistic Revival is a liturgical and sacramental phenomenon,” Carstens explained.

He stressed that the institute’s curriculum will not be merely academic, but will seek to form leaders “who can make liturgies beautiful and reverent, orthodox and accessible to the men and women of today.”

He hopes that alumni will “respond to the real needs in the Church and help people to pray more fruitfully.”

“We’re excited to see the institute begin its work,” Matava added. “My hope and prayer will be that those who love the liturgy will come and that through education and experience may be able to participate in the liturgy more fully. This will enable participants to draw closer to Christ and enter more deeply into the mystery of salvation.”

Christendom College’s new president, George Harne, said the campus is eager to welcome the Institute for Liturgical Formation, calling it “an incredible opportunity at an important time, as the DNA of the college is ordered to restoring all things in Christ. At the heart of this is offering right worship to God, from which everything else flows.”

Academically, he told the Register, the college is known for its fidelity to the magisterium, commitment to the Catholic intellectual tradition and vibrant Catholic spirituality. 

Students, he added, also benefit from studying in Virginia’s “extraordinarily beautiful” Shenandoah Valley and worshiping in the college’s magnificent Christ the King Chapel, dedicated in 2023.

“The Institute for Liturgical Formation is opening at the right time, in the right place, with the right people, and we’re confident it will be a success,” Harne said. “We look forward to welcoming our first group of students.”

LEARN MORE

The program will accept up to 25 students for summer coursework. For more information, visit Graduate.Christendom.edu/the-institute-for-liturgical-formation.