James O'Regan

Creative and Analysis

Liturgy is a live event, the prayerful work of a community, that follows scripted behaviour. My academic and community work in liturgy continues to treat it as a dynamic phenomenon. To that end, I am developing a liturgical theology that uses live liturgy as its raw data. This data is in the form of streaming audio and video.

For communities wishing help in their liturgical life, I can offer analysis, workshops and creative suggestions in the following areas:

• building up proclamation skills for lectors via my workshop Proclamation - Incarnating the Word

• building up presidential and other leading ministerial skills in non-verbal communication via my workshop on Symbol Handling - Incarnating the Word

• building up presidential and other leading ministerial skills in presidential text via my workshop on Clarity: Presider Training in the Rites

• diagnosis and report on current liturgical practice; an example

• liturgical advice on new architecture and the renovataion of existing architecture

• limited free answers to liturgical questions

• on-line articles on liturgy:

  • Liturgical Diagnosis of a Parish
  • Extremely Necessary - Proceeding with the Renewal
  • Christmas - The Jesus Story Starts
  • Lenten Reconciliation Rite

• eBooks & ePamphlets

• Kids Pray the Darndest Things: Effective Liturgy available at Powell Books
• Liturgical Performance: A Performance Model for Liturgy Based on the Writings of Constantin Stanislavski, available at Powell Books
• Taxonomy of Liturgy and Theatre: Structural Similitude, in production, coming soon to Powell Books

See Liturgy Consultant Resume

Areas of research:

• Applied Liturgical Research Lab
• live liturgy
• presider formation - liturgical theology and training in the rites
• liturgical theology of proclamation and lector - heading to a new pneumatology
• application of monastic prayer (liturgy of the hours) to penitentiaries

How I work:

Consultation Process Initial meeting with Church, community or key personnel to assess needs Develop proposal including schedules and budgets Analysis Raw data interpretation and recommendations Provide required training and workshops Workshops in Liturgy The workshops explore ministerial word and ministerial action. They analyze texts and actions as performance tools since “.. there is hardly any proper use of material things that cannot thus be directed toward human sanctification and the praise of God.” (Documents on Liturgy, paragraph 61) The workshops look at liturgy as an event in time and space in a particular community. They are site-specific, involve hands-on rehearsal of different skills and gifts by the participants, and require a large block of time. Participants learn to think about liturgy on their feet. In Proclamation, participants experience the use and abuse of words in the liturgical space; what proclamation means theologically; that words to be spoken and words to be read silently are interpreted differently; and, the technology of proclamation with an analysis of breathing, voice and relaxation. In Symbol Handling, participants experience symbols, gestures and movement; symbol creation, management, use and abuse; the demands of symbol grammar; how to help symbols speak; and, how word and action compliment and contradict each other. The beneficial results of the workshops are immediate and tangible. The participants leave with greater skill in and knowledge of their liturgical ministry. These results can be seen and heard by the assembly. The proclamation workshop is limited to 15 participants. The symbol handling workshop is limited to 20 participants classified by ecclesiastical architecture. Both may have unlimited observers. The minimum number of hours is four. Rate $125 per hour (plus GST if applicable) plus expenses

jamesoregan.com

Actor / Writer / Producer / Creative / Liturgy

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