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Benedicta Riepp: An Analysis Of Structural Elements In Her Life, Mary L. Parks Jan 2024

Benedicta Riepp: An Analysis Of Structural Elements In Her Life, Mary L. Parks

Obsculta

Mother Benedicta Riepp struggled at a great personal cost for autonomy on behalf of North American Benedictine women. Her efforts ultimately led to the reshaping of the Benedictine tradition for women in the United States. This paper analyzes some of the most significant structural elements in Mother Benedicta’s life.


Paul And Gender: Early Reception And Modern Implications, Phoebe Carstens Jan 2024

Paul And Gender: Early Reception And Modern Implications, Phoebe Carstens

Obsculta

Within Paul’s letters, there is a wealth of theological and ministerial material with a variety of implications and interpretations—what Paul seems to say about the position of women in the Church is the object of much debate. This piece highlights the ways in which Paul displays an openness to greater involvement of women in the Christian movement and a breaking of traditional female gender roles, yet simultaneously upholds rigid boundaries of marked gender distinction, thus mirroring a current stance of the Church today.


Sunday Celebration In The Absence Of A Priest And Women's Role In Presiding, Kristyn Demers Jan 2024

Sunday Celebration In The Absence Of A Priest And Women's Role In Presiding, Kristyn Demers

Obsculta

This essay explores instances of Sunday celebrations in the absence of a priest, specifically within the rural context where the effects of the priesthood shortage are felt most strongly. Additionally, this paper examines the role that women play in the church, especially the rural church, and calls for the church to respond by creating more equitable roles for women within church leadership and ministry.


Junia The Apostle: History And Future Of Women In The Church, Hannah Miers Jan 2024

Junia The Apostle: History And Future Of Women In The Church, Hannah Miers

Obsculta

The piece sheds light on the identity of the individual mentioned as Junia in Paul's writings to the Romans. Numerous sources, spanning from the Patristics to contemporary academia, shed further insight into her life and character. The more significant question for our times becomes why Junia is less well-known and how she exemplifies a change (though slow) in the Roman Catholic Church's perspective on women.


Contributor Biographies Jan 2024

Contributor Biographies

Obsculta

No abstract provided.


Two Churches, One Vision: Sacred Architecture As A Reflection Of Benedictine Values And Liturgical Reform, Katheryn Wethli May 2023

Two Churches, One Vision: Sacred Architecture As A Reflection Of Benedictine Values And Liturgical Reform, Katheryn Wethli

Obsculta

This piece compares the architecture of the worshipping spaces of Saint Benedict's Monastery's Sacred Heart Chapel and Saint John's Abbey Church; presenting how the worshiping spaces uplift their monastic communities’ Benedictine values and demonstrate their monastic call towards evangelizing the Gospel in the modern world, highlighting the liturgical reforms of the mid-20th century.


Isaiah 7:10-25: The Climax Of The Messianic Expectation, Thong K. Tran May 2023

Isaiah 7:10-25: The Climax Of The Messianic Expectation, Thong K. Tran

Obsculta

Is there a man called Messiah who was promised by God? Did he come? Or will he come? Isaiah gave the most straightforward prophecy — Isaiah 7:10-25 — about him. Since then, a lot of efforts have been made to figure out "Who is he?" However, to acknowledge Jesus as the only fulfillment of the messianic expectation, a possibly correct interpretation is not enough. One also needs a leap of faith.


Eucharist, Kenosis & Ignatius Of Antioch's Johannine Ecclesiology, Jayan Koshy Apr 2022

Eucharist, Kenosis & Ignatius Of Antioch's Johannine Ecclesiology, Jayan Koshy

Obsculta

An anti-hierarchical ethos has been assumed in John’s Gospel by much modern biblical scholarship. The Johannine community functions, especially for non-episcopal communions, as an emblem of “flat” ecclesiology in the early Church, defying the Synoptic emphasis on apostolic ministry. However, recent scholarship destabilizes this consensus, drawing on figures associated with John in early tradition to present alternative Johannine ecclesiologies. Andrew Byers, for instance, seeks to harmonize Ignatius of Antioch’s high theology of the episcopacy with the theology of John’s Gospel. Building on Byers’ work, this essay argues that the Johannine tradition is not only compatible with Ignatius, but even supplies …


Pope Francis' Leadership In The Time Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Hang T.H. Nguyen Op Apr 2022

Pope Francis' Leadership In The Time Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Hang T.H. Nguyen Op

Obsculta

The essay writes about the influences of the COVID-19 pandemic to human existence in various aspects, particularly Christian faith. In the darkness and hardship of life, believers and non-believers need the help of good leaders so that they can overcome the crisis, but not lose their faith in God. In order to achieve this purpose, the leaders both in the Church and in the world need to acquire some qualities. What are qualities of a good leader? The essay is an attempt to answer this question by reflection on Pope Francis’ leadership. According to Orobator, Pope Francis is good leader …


Christ, Be Our Light: An Epiphany Encounter, Marie T. Racine Osb Jul 2021

Christ, Be Our Light: An Epiphany Encounter, Marie T. Racine Osb

Obsculta

Can hymn singing during liturgy affect the worshipping community’s life in the world? This paper proposes that singing the hymn Christ, Be Our Light by Bernadette Farrell during the liturgy of the Feast of the Epiphany can help transform the hearts of the worshipping community and compel its members to the social action highlighted in the hymn. An examination of the theology of the Feast through the lens of its proper prayers, a theological and literary analysis of the lyrics and analysis of the musical setting of the hymn reveal a strong connection between hymn and Feast. A theology of …


In Defense Of Doubt(Ing Thomas), Meghan Stretar Jul 2021

In Defense Of Doubt(Ing Thomas), Meghan Stretar

Obsculta

Here is a fresh (somewhat satirical and sarcastic, New Yorker Shouts and Murmurs-inspired) interpretation about the importance of Thomas's doubt and a defense of having doubt in light of faith.


Petrine Ministry In The Catholic Church, John Toan Phan Jul 2021

Petrine Ministry In The Catholic Church, John Toan Phan

Obsculta

“Simon, Simon, behold Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat, but I have prayed that your own faith may not fail; and once you have turned back, you must strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:31-32). These words of Jesus to Simon reveal to us about Simon and his mission. Indeed, though Simon is weak and could be tempted, Jesus always prays for him so that he became a foundation of the Church: “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it” (Mt 16:18). In …


Traveling Together To Ward Off Fear: Lenten Reflections During The Coronavirus Pandemic, Laura Suhr Osb Jul 2021

Traveling Together To Ward Off Fear: Lenten Reflections During The Coronavirus Pandemic, Laura Suhr Osb

Obsculta

Reflections on life in a Benedictine Monastery provide insights into how the Benedictine way of life can help Christians during the trials and tribulations of the coronavirus pandemic. Humility, community living, and our inner attitudes can also deepen our experience of Lent.


We Come From The Same Body: Reflecting On The Feasibility Of Women's Participation In Liturgical Services From The Perspective Of Susan A. Ross’S Feminist Theology, And Reflecting On The Practice Of Relevant Theories In The Diocese Of Hong Kong, Wong Kwan Yau Jul 2021

We Come From The Same Body: Reflecting On The Feasibility Of Women's Participation In Liturgical Services From The Perspective Of Susan A. Ross’S Feminist Theology, And Reflecting On The Practice Of Relevant Theories In The Diocese Of Hong Kong, Wong Kwan Yau

Obsculta

In this paper, I discuss the relationship between feminism and women’s liturgical service in the church from three aspects. In the first part, I will give a general description about the development of women’s social status, hoping to show that how women have always struggling to survive and strive for reasonable treatment in societies dominated by men. In the second part, I will turn to the work of Susan A. Ross, a Catholic feminist theologian, and show how from a feminist perspective, women can serve the church with men with their unique circumstances and advantages, and at the same time, …


Right Seeing: Means And End In Patristic Monastic Lives, Jason Horstman Jul 2021

Right Seeing: Means And End In Patristic Monastic Lives, Jason Horstman

Obsculta

Right seeing is a central motif in the biographical Lives of Saints Antony and Macrina. ‘Right seeing’, used here to signify the alignment of one’s vision with truth, is manifest variously as ‘the discernment of spirits’, as firmly hopeful trust in the revelation of the divine, and as perceiving the world from the divine perspective. Manifest in these ways, right seeing is both a guide for ascetic training the telos of which is union with God, and it is the fruit of that very union with God unto which askesis aspires.


Mitre And Sword: Fighting Norman Bishops And Clergy, Timothy R. Martin May 2020

Mitre And Sword: Fighting Norman Bishops And Clergy, Timothy R. Martin

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This thesis examines Norman bishops and abbots, either as armed combatants, or commanders of military forces in Normandy, and later in England after 1066. Focusing primarily on the roles of bishops, other accounts of martial feats by other Norman clergy are also examined. The use of justified force and later the sanctioned use of violence by secular clergy is explored to better understand the rational perceived by the clergy when acting as ‘soldiers of God. These accounts of Norman bishops participating in combat show a natural progression of a tradition that was discouraged by reformers but embraced by secular rulers.


Loops, Jessika Satori May 2020

Loops, Jessika Satori

Obsculta

Imagine God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, Mother Mary and a few of the saints in modern corporate attire placed in a modern corporate setting. The protagonist is waiting for the outcome of today’s discussion by the Holy Ones.


Contributor Bios, Obsculta Editors May 2020

Contributor Bios, Obsculta Editors

Obsculta

No abstract provided.


The Second Vatican Council And The Culture Of Dialogue: The Role Of Christian-Muslim Dialogue In Saint John’S School Of Theology And Seminary, Janice Kristanti May 2020

The Second Vatican Council And The Culture Of Dialogue: The Role Of Christian-Muslim Dialogue In Saint John’S School Of Theology And Seminary, Janice Kristanti

Obsculta

In the light of an increased population of Muslim communities in the United States and the long history of animosity between Islam and West Christianity, the essay notes the necessity for Christian-Muslim dialogue for world peace. Using Saint John’s School of Theology and Seminary, Collegeville as the case study, the author explains the need for incorporating courses in Islam in Saint John’s School of Theology and Seminary’s curriculum. Interfaith theology would prepare the students to engage in interreligious dialogue and be agents for world peace.


Charity And Dialogue Towards Ecumenical And Inter-Religious Communion, Jason Horstman May 2020

Charity And Dialogue Towards Ecumenical And Inter-Religious Communion, Jason Horstman

Obsculta

How something is said matters as much as what is said. Open dialogue and charity in debate is vital for proper Christian conduct. Vatican II documents are put forward as a standard of conduct. The fallout between Rome and Luther in the early 16th c. is put forward as a cautionary tale showing the stakes of failure to engage in debate with open-mindedness and charity. Writings from Augustine are put forward as a model and exemplar for how to engage in debate.


Obsculta Mission And Vision, Obsculta Editors May 2019

Obsculta Mission And Vision, Obsculta Editors

Obsculta

No abstract provided.


1,000 Years Later: What Can We Learn From Saint Peter Damian’S Liber Gomorrhianus?, Robert Craven May 2019

1,000 Years Later: What Can We Learn From Saint Peter Damian’S Liber Gomorrhianus?, Robert Craven

Obsculta

No abstract provided.


Ideas To Disrupt: A Theology Of Ministry, Cindy Gonzalez May 2019

Ideas To Disrupt: A Theology Of Ministry, Cindy Gonzalez

Obsculta

A theology for ministry grounded on the call towards Woman Wisdom found in the Old Testament. Wisdom, in accordance to the book of Proverbs, leads the faithful closer to God. This theology of ministry makes a case for how only Wisdom may lead the faithful towards recognition of the need for radical inclusion in a world where social injustice continues to prevail.


Massingale's Prescriptive For Racism In The U.S. Catholic Church, Jessie Bazan May 2015

Massingale's Prescriptive For Racism In The U.S. Catholic Church, Jessie Bazan

Obsculta

Nearly every social issue plaguing the United States is impacted by racial bias, most often, against black Americans. Rev. Bryan Massingale, an internationally-recognized black Catholic theologian, has committed much of his ministerial work to advocating for racial justice and educating others about the urgent need for racial reconciliation within the Church. This paper uses Massingale’s holistic approach to explain how the USCCB could strengthen its understanding of racism, its support of black leadership, and its passion for opposing racisim both inside and outside the Church.


My Interaction With God, “I”, And Others, Adam Fitzpatrick Jul 2014

My Interaction With God, “I”, And Others, Adam Fitzpatrick

Obsculta

No abstract provided.


Virgin, Mother, Bride, Whore: The Ecclesiological Implications Of Feminine Imagery For The Christian Church, Christopher Ángel May 2013

Virgin, Mother, Bride, Whore: The Ecclesiological Implications Of Feminine Imagery For The Christian Church, Christopher Ángel

Obsculta

No abstract provided.


Filling The Spiritual Void: Liturgical Prayer That Nourishes Catholic Millennials, Rachelle Kramer May 2013

Filling The Spiritual Void: Liturgical Prayer That Nourishes Catholic Millennials, Rachelle Kramer

Obsculta

No abstract provided.


Something Old, Something New: In Search Of The New Monasticism, Julian Collette May 2010

Something Old, Something New: In Search Of The New Monasticism, Julian Collette

Obsculta

Julian Collette is a student of monastic studies and pastoral ministry. He has lived in various intentional communities such as New Camaldoli Hermitage in Big Sur, California, and an Ecovillage and Zen Buddhist Meditation Center in Massachusetts. In June 2011, as part of his academic program at Saint John’s Theology•Seminary, Julian will embark on a 14 month bicycle tour of the United Stated, visiting various intentional communities including those identified with the New Monasticism movement. Along the way he will conduct interviews which will be made available in a podcast. Julian’s journey can be followed by visiting: www.emerging-communities.com.


Tribute To Dietrich Reinhart, Osb, Dale Launderville Osb May 2009

Tribute To Dietrich Reinhart, Osb, Dale Launderville Osb

Obsculta

No abstract provided.


Where Two Or Three Are Gathered: Clustered Parishes Are Our Future, Kristi Bivens May 2008

Where Two Or Three Are Gathered: Clustered Parishes Are Our Future, Kristi Bivens

Obsculta

No abstract provided.