EBOOK
Cultivating Soil and Soul
Twentieth-Century Catholic Agrarians Embrace The Liturgical Movement
Michael Woods(0)
About
Even before Vatican Council II, individuals like Virgil Michel and Catholic social movements like the National Catholic Rural Life Conference attempted to promote greater social justice by reconnecting rural life in the United States with the liturgical life of the church. Efforts to remedy this dislocation between agrarian life and church liturgy meshed the liturgical year with the rural agricultural cycle. The introduction of devotions, sacramentals, ritual, music, dance, poetry, and dramatic performances helped farmers rediscover the sacramental character of the soil and al the elements of agrarian life that emerge from it. Those interested in issues of social justice, sacramental engagement, and even the development of the vernacular in the liturgy will explore these and other topics in this unique archival investigation. Michael Woods, SJ, STD, is assistant professor of religious studies at Gonzaga University, teaching liturgical and sacramental theology. His interests focus on the relationship between liturgy and life, especially as they pertain to ecological sustainability. He is a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Related Subjects
Reviews
"This book represents a well-researched study of how two important movements in the life of the Church in this country not only intersected but supported one another."
Worship
"Michael Woods, SJ's book is a timely story of the holistic vision of the National Catholic Rural Life Conference and liturgical renewal before Vatican II. The agricultural vision was one of sustainability before that word became popular; the liturgical vision was unifying and inclusive, linking sustainability with sacramentality. Here a deepening spirituality is seen in its historical context. Wo
Brother David Andrews, CSC, Senior Representative: Food & Water Watch
"It is a good read for anyone, not just those involved somehow in rural pastoral/liturgical ministry. This, because it constantly reminds us how liturgy is to be lived and how the rhythm of the liturgical year parallels the natural rhythms of the seasons of the year. Beyond a historical commentary on liturgy, this book is also valuable for promoting a broader take on sacramentality."
Liturgical Ministry