Shaping the Assembly

Alcuin Club Collection 98

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‘Church’ is a word with many meanings.   For Christians, the Church is all of us: the People of God.   Yet there are also many Churches, and they are differentiated from one another in so many ways:  regional, temporal, doctrinal.   In fact, the word ‘Church’ is so important to us that we often overlook the one variation that can be found everywhere: church – a building that starts with a little ‘c’.

The religious use of space is an important part of liturgy.   The Second Vatican Council paid particular attention to it, bringing in changes that affected the physical character of Catholic churches through the 1960s, 70s and beyond.   Yet it has been difficult for ordinary Christians to access high quality research on the religious use of space.   Up until now, the discussion has been largely restricted to the world of academics.

Shaping the Assembly brings together nineteen Christians – liturgists, pastors, architects, artists – from several Churches and from all over the world to try to answer the question of how space affects us in worship.

Looking at examples of churches from Japan, New Zealand, Australia, France, the United Kingdom, Ireland and the United States and including floorplans, before and after photographs, and architectural sketches, Shaping the Assembly brings a rich, ongoing conversation about liturgical renewal to Christians everywhere.

Thomas O’Loughlin (Editor) is Emeritus Professor of Historical Theology at the University of Nottingham.

He studied for his BA in Philosophy and Medieval History at University College Dublin, before going to Maynooth College for his BD (STB), then moving back to do an MPhil.  He holds a Diploma in Theology from Mater Dei in Dublin, and a Diploma in Pastoral Theology from All Hallows College, Dublin.

He began his career as a teacher at University College, Dublin and also taught at the Dominican Studium, Tallaght and the Milltown Institute of Theology and Philosophy. He was later a scholar at the School of Celtic Studies in the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies.   In 1997, he worked in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies in the University of Wales Lampeter, where he became the first Professor of Historical Theology in the University of Wales in February 2006. He joined the University of Nottingham in 2009. He is a priest of the Catholic diocese of Arundel and Brighton.