Reviews for No Meeting Required: Strategies for Nongathered Ministry with Young People

The average rating for No Meeting Required: Strategies for Nongathered Ministry with Young People based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2016-01-03 00:00:00 David Preaus The Liturgical Movement of the early 20th century doesn't seem to get much attention but many aspects of the liturgy as performed in the Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran & many other churches that we take for granted are a result of this movement. Benedictine monasticism, with its rich and liturgical tradition was and is very much involved with it. Much of the origin can be traced to the German monastic revival of the 19th century when abbeys such as Maria Laach & Beuron revitalized the liturgy as they picked up the pieces left by Napoleon's tour of Europe. Virgil Michel, a monk of St. John's, Collegeville, MN was so deeply involved in a leadership position that the book is tantamount to a study of the life & thought of Michel, actually among the very best. Like the Liturgical Movement as a whole, he has been mostly unjustly neglected & I appreciate his being brought to light. Michel was sent to Europe by his abbot, Alcuin Deutsch, himself a contributor to the Liturgical Movement. There, Michel met Lambert Bauduin, a Belgian priest who pioneered many of the principles Michel championed through his inspiration. Back in the USA, with the help of others, such as H.A. Reinhold and Reynold Hillenbrand, he encouraged active lay participation in the liturgy by providing missals with vernacular translations and advocated doing the liturgy in the vernacular. He also enjoined a more focused liturgy that drew attention to the Sacrament on the altar. To education both clergy and laity, he founded the periodical "Orate Frates" which published articles on liturgical principles. Renewing liturgical music, including reviving plainsong, was an important part of the project which is also covered in this book. Bauduin was committed to dealing with the social issues of his day and this concern was also picked up by Michel. Michel was convinced that the liturgy should embody social justice so as to witness to social justice to the broader public. Among other things, this meant that members of all races should receive equal treatment, thus putting Michel well ahead of the curve in civil rights. Economic issues were also important to Michel and he worked closely with Dorothy Day and Catherine de Hueck in envisioning liturgy as a sign and a dynamic of social amelioration. This book is written clearly and concisely and should be easily readable for anyone interested in the subject.

Review # 2 was written on 2018-09-28 00:00:00 Roy Metcalf John L Allen, Jr. is a correspondent for the National Catholic Report and Vatican analyst for CNN and National Public Radio. He draws on his interviews and experience in reporting on the Catholic Church to tell the story of how Joe Ratzinger was elected to the papacy in April 2005 and became Pope Benedict XVI. I chose to read this book because of my desire to try to learn more about our current pope. I was disappointed. The book is not a chronological telling of Pope Benedict XVI's life and the first third of the book is devoted to a summary of Pope John Paul II's papacy and his final days, funeral and the papal election. There seemed to be a lot of the author interjecting himself into the story - "I was reporting on this" and "I was there to report on this" and "I was there to report on that", etc. I felt he brought forth good reasons as to why the College of Cardinals would choose him, but I didn't feel I'd learned more about the Pope himself. At one point, he says something to the effect that he could into the details about some event or writing, but says he won't because that information is "common knowledge." I had no idea what he was talking about - perhaps it was something he'd written about earlier. If you are looking to learn more about Pope Benedict XVI - I don't' think this is the book you want to read. If you are looking for an apologist for Pope Benedict XVI - this is your book.