Year of Faith lecture series continues; next classes will cover liturgical rites

The Vatican

+ Enlarge

SALT LAKE CITY — In celebration of the Year of Faith and the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council, the Cathedral of the Madeleine will continue its adult education lecture series in February and March.

Pope Benedict XVI declared the Year of Faith to start on Oct. 11, 2012 and conclude Nov. 24, 2013. Oct. 11, 2012 marked the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council and also the 20th anniversary of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

The three pillars of the Year of Faith are: to learn about the faith, celebrate the faith liturgically and live the faith through works of charity. During the Year of Faith, Catholics are asked to study and reflect on the documents of Vatican II and the catechism so they can deepen their knowledge of the faith.

The series of lectures being offered are in response to the Holy Father’s call to focus on the faith.

"We wanted to offer the opportunities to members of the Cathedral parish and people from throughout the diocese," said Gregory Glenn, the cathedral’s liturgy and music director, who will continue teaching the classes. "The classes have been organized around the three pillars of the Year of Faith."

Shortly after the Year of Faith opened, Glenn and Father Eleazar Silva, the Cathedral’s parochial vicar, presented a series of classes on the major documents of Vatican II.

"Bishop Wester has talked to us about deepening our faith and we have been asked to look at the particular teachings of the Second Vatican Council," Glenn said.

The new series will look more intensely at liturgical celebrations. The Jan. 29 class will look at the Introductory Rites of the Liturgy of the Word, and Feb. 5 will concentrate on the Rites of Communion and the Concluding Rites.

"The purpose for gathering for the explanation of these rites is specifically to look at the structure of our prayer and also to talk about how we can enhance our spirituality," said Glenn. "We will look at how we can pray more effectively and take part more effectively in these prayers and deepen our liturgical spirituality. The Mass is the source and summit of all of the Christian life."

The third set of classes will take place during the season of Lent. "On the Tuesdays in Lent, we will gather for a rather intense study of Paul’s Letter to the Romans," said Glenn. "For example, Paul’s letter to the Church in Rome is a masterpiece on faith. It is a tremendous exploration of faith and it also exhorts us to put our faith into action. We will also look at some ways that we can witness to our faith as derived from Paul’s letters."

Kufre Ekpenyong was among those who attended the first series of lectures; he is looking forward to attending the second series, he said.

"I really enjoyed the classes and it was exciting for us since my friends and I are of the Latter-day Saints religion, and we don’t know a lot about the Catholic religion," he said. "It was interesting to hear in a positive way how Vatican II affected the lives of people in the Church and what they had to say about being Catholic today."

Colleen Gudreau, a Cathedral of the Madeleine parishioner, said, "Glenn brings the documents to life and reminds us that it is not enough to merely read the documents; we must live the faith they express."

The classes, which are free and open to the public, begin at 7 p.m.