APLM Colloquium
A Priestly Offering: Intercessory Prayer in Christian Worship
The second Associated Parishes for Liturgy and Mission Colloquium took place on November 12, 2009, at Church Divinity School of the Pacific, Berkeley, CA. Featured speaker the Rev. Dr. Ruth Meyers spoke on the topic “A Priestly Offering: Intercessory Prayer in Christian Worship.” After a formal response by Dr. John Klentos, lively Q-and-A and conversation ensued. Click play to watch a video of the presentation online:

 

In July 2009, Dr. Meyers began serving as Hodges-Haynes Professor of Liturgics at Church Divinity School of the Pacific, after 14 years on the faculty of Seabury-Western Theological Seminary, Evanston, Illinois. Her publications include Continuing the Reformation: Re-Visioning Baptism in the Episcopal Church, Gleanings: Essays on Expansive Language with Prayers for Various Occasions (edited with Phoebe Pettingell), and numerous articles and book reviews. She was recently elected chair of the Episcopal Church’s Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music. A past president of North American Academy of Liturgy, Dr. Meyers has also served on the Steering Committee of the International Anglican Liturgical Consultation, in which she continues to be an active participant. Her current research focuses on the relationship of liturgy and mission.

Respondent John Klentos is Associate Professor of Eastern Orthodox Christian Studies, Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute, Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, California. Dr. Klentos, a graduate of the University of Notre Dame, has published several articles on Orthodox worship and theology. His research interests include the history of Byzantine liturgy and Orthodox Christian theology.

 

At the inaugural APLM Colloquium in November 2008, the Rev. Dr. Paul Bradshaw spoke on the topic “The Liturgical Movement: Gains and Losses.” The video of that first colloquium is embedded above. Dr. Bradshaw has taught at the University of Notre Dame since 1985 and is acknowledged as one of the foremost liturgical scholars not only in the Anglican Communion, but throughout the Christian world. He has also published extensively on the subject of Christian liturgy, having written or edited more than 20 books and over 90 essays or articles. His major books include Daily Prayer in the Early Church, The Search for the Origins of Christian Worship, and Eucharistic Origins.

Baptismal Theology

• APLM played an important role in the work of the most recent General Convention of the Episcopal Church, advancing an agenda based upon the implications of baptism’s centrality in the church’s life, ministry and mission, and responsive to major issues currently facing the Anglican Communion
• APLM and Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori are continuing to jointly sponsor a national consultation on the implications of baptismal theology as it is envisioned by the Book of Common Prayer (USA) and the Book of Alternative Services (Canada). These gatherings include liturgical scholars and practitioners, bishops, parish clergy and Christian educators representing the diversity of the Church. The aim of the consultation is to provide educational resources to equip people to fully implement in parish and diocesan life the baptismal vision long championed by APLM.

Inculturation of Liturgy
The most recent APLM Council was held May 6-11, 2009 at the Mexican American Cultural Center in San Antonio. One major focus of this meeting was inculturation with The Rev. James "Jake" Empereur, S.J. as a presenter. Jake is vicar and liturgist at the San Fernando Cathedral in San Antonio, Texas. He was for many years a professor of systematic and liturgical theology at the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley and the Graduate Theological Union.