Liturgy Institute London

For a detailed and peaceful study of Liturgy

AL701: Architecture with Arts for Liturgy

Elective course for IL diploma

6 – 17 July 2026, weekdays

Image of Daniel McCarthy, OSBTaught by: Daniel McCarthy

The arrangement of a church for the celebration of liturgy both expresses outwardly the mystery at work in us inwardly and is constitutive of this experience.

Aims:

At the end of the course each student will be prepared:

  1. To articulate the principles of the Ritual Model for arranging churches
  2. To apply the Ritual Model to understand and assess any given church
  3. These include:
    • discussions during Vatican II involving the arrangement of churches
    • three pre-eminences and five dimensions from C. Valenziano
    • four interpretative keys
    • Roman and Ambrosian traditions.

 

3 hours daily with a break. Schedule to be determined: typically 9:45 – 12:45.

The course anticipates the student will spend 60 hours in personal reading and study.

Cost: £300

Location: Liturgy Institute London (at Ealing Abbey)
74 Castlebar Road Ealing London, W5 2DD, UK
Telephone: +44 (0)20 8194 2320
For further details or to register contact the Institute:
E-mail Clare Cogswell, the Registrar, at this linked E-mail address.
Location on Google Maps is found here.

Previous knowledge

This is a Master’s level introductory course. It is recommended that participants have a general familiarity with the Bible and the history of western civilization in the Christian period in order to understand the context of the documents examined. A basic ability to compose a written work is necessary before developing the specifics of academic writing. Analysis of liturgical texts assumes a working ability in Latin.

Content

The instructor will present the various components of the Ritual Model and illustrate them with images of churches mostly in Rome, the UK and the Kansas City area. Participants will articulate their understanding and assessment of an agreed-upon church according to the principles of the Ritual Model and propose design solutions. Or participants may design their own church and articulate their rationale as well as assessment of its strengths and limitations according to the principles of the Ritual Model.

Course Material

♦ McCarthy, D.P. – J.G. Leachman, Come Into the Light: Church interiors for the celebration of liturgy (Documenta rerum ecclesiasticarum instaurata, Liturgiam artibus provehens architectura : Architecture with arts Promoting Liturgy 1), Canterbury Press – The Tablet, Norwich 2016.

♦ McCarthy, D.P., Verbum ac Spiritus: duplici de munere praesidendi coetui orationemque dirigendi. Word and Spirit: On the double role of presiding in the assembly and directing the prayer, (Documenta rerum ecclesiasticarum instaurata, Liturgiam artibus provehens architectura : Architecture with Arts Promoting Liturgy 2) St. Michael’s Abbey Press, Farnborough (Hampshire) 2017.

♦ McCarthy, D.P., Eucharistic Amazement the Benedictine Way: Tradition, mission, evangelization – St. Benedict parish church – A symphony = Eucharistiae admiratio benedictina in via traditionis ut fiat symphonia Sancti Benedicti pro basilica evangelium ad annuntiandum, (Documenta rerum ecclesiasticarum instaurata, Liturgiam artibus provehens architectura : Architecture with Arts Promoting Liturgy 6) En Route Books and Media, St. Louis (Missouri) forthcoming.

♦ Students with a personal computer and a UK plug-in adapter will benefit more readily from online resources.

Recommended books (in Italian)

♦ De Blaauw, S., Cultus et decor: Liturgia e architettura nella Roma tardoantica e medievale, 2 vol. (Studi e Testi 355, 356), Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Città del Vaticano 1994.

♦ Valenziano, C., Architetti di chiese, Edizioni Dehoniane, Bologna 2005.

Anything written by these two authors is worthwhile, and many of their writings have been translated into English.

Description of learning activities

♦ Presentation of the principles of the Ritual Model for arranging churches

♦ Apply the Ritual Model when assessing a church

♦ Develop solutions to bring a named church to a greater synthesis.

Evaluation description

You may audit the course without taking the exam or receiving any mark for the course.

If you you need to submit a mark for the course for valuation toward a programme of study at KU Leuven or at the Pontifical Institute of Liturgy at Sant’Anselmo or another academic institution, the evaluation comprises the following assessment.

Examination type: written (50%), oral (50%).

When: Written preparation comprises two brief summaries, which are developed into a concluding essay of 5-7 pages with additional images handed in within a month of the final session. The oral exam is conducted during the final session.

Explanation: The student and instructor agree on a church for study. Students write two brief summaries, one presenting an understanding of the church according to the principles of the ritual Model, the other presenting solutions designed to bring the church to a greater synthesis. Based on oral feedback from the instructor, students revise their written work which they present in a final essay. Discussion questions ask the student to explain the principles integrated into the critical assessment of the church and the rationale for its development. The instructor asks questions that help the student come to a more satisfactory explanation of the prayer.

Criteria for evaluation: The student demonstrates a facility with the methods presented in class 1) to articulate the principles of the Ritual Model and 2) to use the Ritual Model as the basis for a critical appreciation of the church and 3) to develop a vision which brings the church into a greater synthesis. The essay is not intended to be a comprehensive study, but a demonstration of the principles learned in class. The essay is used to support the student in his or her oral presentation and discussion, and then becomes a written record of the student’s work. The discussion questions are both theoretical, concerning the student’s understanding of the principles presented in class, and applied, concerning the student’s ability to apply these methods to the critical assessment and development of a vision for a named church.

Second opportunity to sit the exam: Because this is an intensive summer course, the opportunity for a second exam is by appointment and depends upon the availability of the instructor.

Note: Students must be over 18 years of age.

This course has been designed to be taken alone or in conjunction with AL702 Liturgical Theology and Art. Alternatively either of these two courses may be taken with L702 Liturgy in the West: History and Context a foundational cours of the programme of studies in liturgy.

If students enrol in two concurrent courses, they may wish to prepare for the intensive schedule by reading suggested texts before the course begins.

The instructor will arrange with the students to be available regularly for some time at the Institute and is also available by appointment.

Students and the public are invited to attend the annual St Bede Lecture, to be held at Ealing Abbey on Saturday afternoon 11 July at 2.30 PM.

Accommodation:

Non residential day students are welcome.

Limited accommodation is available through Ealing Abbey house for guests or other religious houses or nearby.

• Academic year: Summer 2026
• Language: English
• Difficulty: Master’s level-Introductory
• Duration: 26.0 hours
• Periodicity: Taught biennially in Block I

Page revised on 9 December 2025 by DM.