TH53701,
Boston College
Bruce T.
Morrill, S.J., Associate Professor, Department of Theology
This
course
is an exploration of the theology of the Church's liturgical and
pastoral
practices of initiating adults, children, and infants. Through
readings,
lectures, video presentations, discussions, and ritual practice we (1)
study
the history of Christian initiation, (2) inquire about practices of
initiation
in relation to theologies of the church, sacraments, and human person,
and
(3) explore the role of ministers and the entire faith community in the
various
rites. We also turn, at times, to the social sciences for
insights
into the pastoral processes of initiating people into the life of
Christ
in the Church.
Course
Syllabus
Click on this sub directory to
view the syllabus for the latest offering of this course, which
includes a list of texts, course requirements, and the weekly schedule
of classes.
Student
Papers
Most students in this course
choose to write three papers on topics provided by the professor.
The latter is proud to present samples of some of the best of the
students' work, chosen for quality of content and style. All of
these papers earned either an A or an A-, meeting admirably the goals
of the respective assignments. Here follow descriptions of the
three assignments and links to the students' papers.
First
Paper: A Study of Fourth Century Mystagogical Homilies
In his essay, "Faith and
Sacraments in the Conversion Process," Mark Searle identifies the
following issue for the contemporary catechumenate:
[T]here seems to be some uncertainty abroad as to the role of the ritual elements in the catechumenate. To put the problem bluntly: if the catechumens are already living by faith, experiencing the saving power of God in their lives and confessing their faith in word and action, what do the sacraments add? (Conversion and the Catechumenate, ed. R. Duggan, Paulist, 1984, p. 77).
How would one of the fourth century pastors--Cyril of Jerusalem, Ambrose of Milan, John Chrysostom, or Theodore of Mopsuestia--answer this question? In all of their churches, the catechumens came through extended periods of formation (upwards of many years) through celebrations of the Word, instruction in the Creed (Christian doctrine), and explanations of the ethical living of the Christian life. With all of that already happening in the lives of the neophytes, what was the purpose of the sacramental celebration of initiation? The task of this paper is to choose the mystagogical homilies of one of those four pastors and to explain on the basis of the text how that pastor would answer the question: What do the Church's ritual sacraments contribute to the process of Christian conversion-initiation?
Citations of the mystagogical
homilies in the following two student papers are taken from Edward
Yarnold, The Awe-Inspiring Rites of Initiation: The Origins of the
R.C.I.A., 2nd ed. (The Liturgical Press, 1994).
Second
Paper: Church, Sacrament, and Ministry in the RCIA
One of the goals of this course
is to discover how the Rites of Initiation manifest a renewed and
vigorous theology of sacrament, Church, and ministry. The task
for this paper is to perform a study of the Rite of Christian
Initiation of Adults which focuses upon one
or more of these theological concepts. On the basis of the
official text, as well as secondary literature (assigned course
readings and other bibliographical sources you choose), show how the
RCIA sheds light upon how we can profitably understand today what the
Church is, or what Christian
ministry is about, or the meaning and purpose of the Church's
sacraments
and liturgy.
Third
Paper: A Pastoral Program for Sacramental Initiation
The M.A. and M.Ed. programs of
the IREPM share a common "Option A" for the Master's Synthesis
Project. This option entails three essays, the third of which is
the "Pastoral Program Question." Please review this question in
the Synthesis Project Guidelines (p. 12). Your task is "to
demonstrate a practical sense of how best to implement" either the Rite
of Baptism for Children, the Rite of Confirmation, or a celebration of
first communion in a "concrete program." Restrict yourself to the
length stipulated for Question Three of the Synthesis Project, namely,
approximately five double spaced pages plus notes and appendices.