Institute for Liturgical Formation
Summer 2026 Courses
Session 1: June 29-July 10
The Sacraments of Initiation
with Fr. Dennis Gill
The Church sees a parallel between the sacraments of initiation and the stages of a person’s natural existence: natural birth corresponds to a supernatural birth in baptism; growth relates to supernatural maturity in confirmation; and man’s natural need for sustenance parallels his supernatural desire for the Eucharist. Together, these sacraments of initiation incorporate recipients into the Church, that is, into Christ. This course examines the unique character of each initiation sacrament in the Church’s tradition, and also considers their unity as the primary means of membership and life in the Church. Their respective ritual texts are studied to understand how the Church celebrates baptism, confirmation, and the Eucharist today.
Liturgical Time: The Calendar and Divine Office
with Prof. Chris Carstens
All created things have been restored beneath the headship of Christ and therefore find a place in the liturgical celebration of his Paschal Mystery, from wood to wax, music to visual art—and even time. Unique among liturgical symbols—for who can see or hear time?—the cycles of the year, week, and day combine to reveal Christ in the present moment. Discover how the liturgical calendar, the marking of holy days, and the Liturgy of the Hours are among the most privileged means to encounter Christ.
Session 2: July 13-24
Liturgical History: from the Last Supper through the Liturgical Movement
with Fr. Donald Anstoetter
The fundamental action where Christ instituted the liturgy and sacraments occurs upon the cross, was anticipated at the Last Supper, and continues by the hands of the apostles and their successors. Through centuries and across continents, the fundamental expression of the Mass and other liturgical celebrations have remained constant, even while ritual forms have changed to allow the faithful of any given age access to Christ. The 20th century’s Liturgical Movement culminated in the Second Vatican Council’s Sacrosanctum Concilium and brought about significant changes in the celebration of Mass and other rites. This course traces the history of the liturgy through the ages so that liturgical leaders can implement today’s rites according to the Church’s own hermeneutic of reform and renewal.
Sacraments of Healing and of Service
with Dr. Owen Vyner
Illness requires a physician. So also in the supernatural life of faith do human beings visit the divine physician in the sacrament of Penance for healing of regular sins and, when in danger of death from sickness or old age, they find comfort from Christ the Redeemer in the Anointing of the Sick. The Church’s funeral rites mark not only the end of earthly existence, but the Passover into eternal life. Still other sacraments supply service to the Church and her members: the sacraments of Matrimony and of Holy Orders grow and lead the Mystical Body of Christ. Each of these manifestations of Christ, our healer and head, take the form of sacramental rites. These four sacraments will be examined in their theological, historical, and current expressions in the Church’s current books.
Meet Our Esteemed Faculty
Our Professors
Fr. Dennis Gill
Father Dennis Gill, ordained a priest May 21, 1983 for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, currently serves as the Rector of the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul (and the Shrine of Saint Katharine Drexel) and the Director of the Office for Divine Worship. He is additionally the Parochial Administrator of Saint Agnes-Saint John Nepomucene Parish and Saint Andrew Lithuanian Parish, both in Philadelphia.
He served as parochial vicar at Nativity of Our Lord Parish, Warminster, and at Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish, Southampton. Father Gill completed his graduate studies in the Sacred Liturgy at the Catholic University of America in Washington DC and the Pontifical Liturgical Institute of Saint Anselmo in Rome. After graduate studies he served a five-year term as the Director of Liturgy at the Pontifical North American College in Vatican City State. He is presently an adjunct professor of Sacred Liturgy at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary in Ambler, Pennsylvania, and the Institute for Liturgical Formation at Christendom College in Front Royal, Virginia. He lectures on the Sacred Liturgy throughout the country and has published books and articles on the Sacred Liturgy. His most recent book is Ars Celebrandi: Serving the Mystery of Christ in the Eucharist (Our Sunday Visitor, 2024).
Christopher Carstens
Christopher Carstens is director of the Office for Sacred Worship in the Diocese of La Crosse, Wisconsin and is co-founder and convener of the Institute for Liturgical Formation at Christendom College. He is editor of the Adoremus Bulletin and one of the voices on the Becoming God podcast. He is author of Principles of Sacred Liturgy: Forming a Sacramental Vision (Hillenbrand, 2020), A Devotional Journey into the Easter Mystery (Sophia 2020), A Devotional Journey into the Mass (Sophia, 2017), as well as co-author, with Douglas Martis, of Mystical Body, Mystical Voice (LTP, 2011). He lives in Soldiers Grove, Wisconsin, with his wife and children.
Dr. Owen Vyner
Owen Vyner is Associate Professor of Theology at Christendom College. He received a Doctorate and Master’s degree from the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family (Australia) and a Licentiate in Sacramental Theology from the Liturgical Institute (Mundelein). His publications include book chapters in edited volumes and articles in Antiphon: A Journal for Liturgical Renewal and Anthropotes. He has just completed a manuscript on Penance and Anointing of the Sick.
Fr. Donald Anstoetter
Father Donald Anstoetter is a priest of the Archdiocese of St. Louis. He serves as the Director of Worship, Assistant Professor of Sacramental-Liturgical Theology, and Propaedeutic Formator at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in St. Louis. He holds a doctorate in sacred theology (S.T.D.) from the Liturgical Institute—University of Saint Mary of the Lake, IL. He is the author of The Beauty of the Liturgy: Ars Celebrandi and the Thomistic Aesthetics of Jacques Maritain.