NAAL Newsletter
Spring 2007
- Letter from the President: Ruth Duck
- Exploring the Savannah Area
- From Paul Turner, Past President
- From the Delegate for Seminars: William (Bill) Kervin
- From the Delegate for Membership: Eileen Crowley
- From the Treasurer: Glenn Byer
- From the NAAL Secretary: Don LaSalle
- Job Opening
- North American Academy of Liturgy Business Meeting
Letter from the President
Dear Academy Members,
Savannah, Georgia, will be a fine place for our meeting January 3-6, 2008, as the Academy Committee learned when we met there in March. We were warmly welcomed by Savannah religious leaders such as Ms. Kathy Wortham at First African Baptist Church, a reservoir of moving stories, and Rabbi Arnold Belzer, a scholarly, jovial leader who has spent a lifetime engaged in interfaith dialogue and cooperation.
In January our opening ritual will happen at the Cathedral of St. Jean Baptiste, in a historic sanctuary blessed with exquisite artwork. Then breakfast, morning prayer, and the vice presidential address on Friday will take place in the third oldest synagogue in the U.S., Congregation Mickve Israel. Saturday breakfast, prayers, and plenary will find us at the First African Baptist Church; through Melva Costen’s dedicated efforts, Gullah people will sing, and a plenary speaker will set the music in historical and cultural contexts. Students from the Savannah College of Art and Design will create artworks that will serve our worship and meetings for years to come, due to contacts made by Crawford Murphy (a church architect and new member of NAAL). We will, of course, spend precious time in our seminar groups; and we have made some small schedule changes that should make it easier to find time perusing the exhibits.
Savannah is fascinating because of its religious communities alone, but it is full of other glories and charms, as you will see through the colorful flyer Courtney Murtaugh has designed for this newsletter. There is much to see and do in close walking distance of the hotel (Hyatt Regency Savannah).
The Academy Committee changes every year. In January we said goodbye to Tom Schattauer and Ruth Langer, who have served so well in the past three years, while welcoming Judith Kubicki (Vice President) and Eileen Crowley (Delegate for Membership), who are already bringing good ideas and energy to our work together. We will be meeting in Evanston, IL, June 21-22. The agenda will include decisions about the Berakah and Diekmann Awards for our 2008 meeting. Please send your nominations for these awards to me at Ruth.Duck@garrett.edu. The Berakah Award is given annually to a member of NAAL in recognition of distinguished contribution to the field of liturgy. The Diekmann Award is given on occasion to someone who is not a member of the Academy for distinguished contribution to liturgy.
Clearly, this will be an exciting meeting. Please invite people whom you would like to see as our members; as you do, please consider ways to broaden the religious and cultural traditions represented among us. The deadline for completed visitor applications, which are sent to Past President Paul Turner (PaulTu@aol.com), is September 15th. We also want to remind you that a limited number of discounted rooms in the hotel will be available to retired persons on a first-come, first-served basis. Plan ahead to attend and to spend extra time in this fascinating area!
Ruth Duck
President, North American Academy of Liturgy
Exploring the Savannah Area
Following the Executive Committee meeting in March, four of us went on a two-hour trip to see birds and alligators at the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge, led by a guide from Wilderness Southeast, a nature exploration and education organization. Our guide helped us identify wildlife, spot alligators and unusual birds, and understand local ecology. Her knowledge, presentation, and skill in addressing both beginning and advanced birders were excellent.
Joyce Murlless, executive director of Wilderness Southeast (www.wilderness-southeast.org), has developed six possible explorations our academy might experience following our meeting next January. On Sunday, January 6, three options are available: a Blackwater Paddle trip that will be leisurely and suitable for novice and experienced paddlers alike; a trip to the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge; and a trip to Tybee Island, where we can observe the array of life in a tidal creek, explore sand dunes, and learn about marsh life. On Monday, January 7, we are offered trips to Wassaw Island National Wildlife Refuge by motorboat or to Williamson Island by pontoon boat. These trips will cost from $50 to $82 and last from three to six hours. All trips have a minimum and maximum number of participants, so we will need to sign up well in advance.
Photo courtesy of Wilderness Southeast
From Paul Turner, Past President
Please encourage potential visitors to contact me concerning our next meeting. Let me remind you that visitors’ credentials are to be given those who will likely hold all the qualifications for membership within a few years http://naal-liturgy.org/membership/#criteria .
We have a loosely defined category of “guests”. Some people who are neither members nor visitors may come for an event in the context of our meeting.
Thank you for returning your evaluation forms. We received 67 of them. The city of Toronto and the Park Hyatt Hotel scored very high (95%, 96%). The hotel bedrooms got a 99% approval rating, whereas the rooms for plenary sessions scored 82%. It was a little tight in there.
Of the prayer services, the Epiphany morning prayer organized by the local committee got the strongest affirmation (90%). The strongest criticism came on the opening rite (60%): People thought the jazz musicians and the food were great, but it was hard to get there, the music did not involve enough singing by everyone, and the reception area was too crowded. Several people missed having personal testimony for the deceased.
The seminar groups all got strong marks (93%), and so did the sidebar discussions (93%). The plenary addresses all scored well (79%, 81%, 95%), as did the banquet (94%).
It seemed to some that we had fewer exhibitors (we did), and it seemed to the exhibitors they had fewer sales (they did). The Academy Committee thinks the latter influences the former, so we are planning more exhibit time in the schedule next year to make it easier for you to shop.
The entire Academy Committee reviewed these evaluations, and we are using them to introduce other improvements on next year’s schedule. The offsite places of worship we’d like to visit are all within a 15-minute walk. There is ample space for plenary sessions in a room separate from the banquet room. The planning committee for the gathering rite has noted your concerns.
Thanks to all who gave us your opinions!
From the Delegate for Seminars: William (Bill) Kervin
A trinity of things for your consideration:
1. The deadline for Seminar information: October 15, 2007. Once again, we are planning for Twenty-one seminars in Savannah in 2008. Seminar Conveners are asked to submit to me their seminar’s agenda (i.e., a list of specific papers or presentations to be made and/or a brief description of topics to be considered) by October 15, 2007 for publication in the Academy program, in addition to any changes to their seminar Mission Statement/Description. Given the logistics of planning for Savannah, this deadline will have to be strictly observed. After Oct. 15, further updates will be made on the website only and will not appear in the printed program.
2. AV and other requirements. We will be making every effort to accommodate all of the Seminars in the hotel itself using our full allotment of meeting rooms and suites. Thus, Seminar Conveners will also need to indicate, by Oct. 15, their expectations regarding numbers and any other needs (e.g., screens for projection use, etc.). Building on the success of last meeting, all seminars are being asked to help us save audio-visual costs by providing their own projectors. (We saved around $3,000 last year; we now own a collection of extension cords and power bars for our own use; a hotel-rented projector would cost us at least $500 in Savannah). All Seminar presenters are asked to be in touch with your Convener to coordinate any such needs. Do not hesitate to let me know if I can help in this regard.
3. Contact information. Finally, keeping accurate contact information remains on ongoing challenge. Seminar conveners are asked to keep me informed of any changes to their contact information as we prepare for the 2008 meeting.
With thanks for your constructive suggestions, collegial cooperation and continued contributions to the work of the Academy.
William (“Bill”) Kervin, Delegate for Seminars
Emmanuel College, Toronto
416-585-4546
From the Delegate for Membership: Eileen Crowley
Visitors who have attended two NAAL meetings are eligible to apply for membership. Please encourage visitors from your seminar group and others whom you may know to begin the application process as soon as possible. Information and forms can be found on the NAAL website: http://www.naal-liturgy.org/membership/ .
From the Treasurer: Glenn Byer
As we move towards the end of the budget year, I want you to know that we are continuing to work on ways to save you money when travelling to the Annual Meeting. We should have the information on Savannah out soon, and I want to thank Courtney for all the work she has done to save money without scrimping on the event. It should be a wonderful meeting in an interesting city. We like to budget in such a way that we meet our goals and charge you as little as possible for our annual meeting. At the same time, the meeting needs to pay for itself, and we have taken a longer view, not just on a year by year basis. In expensive years we have subsidized the meeting fee a bit, in other years, we add to our reserves from the meeting fees; in this way the fee doesn't vary as widely and you are better able to plan the use of any stipends you might receive for this purpose.
Please remember to submit your dues. There are still a number who have not paid their dues for this year, and a few who need to pay for two years' worth of dues. I will send out one more reminder to you all, but if you can save me the effort, that would be most appreciated. I can process MasterCard or Visa as well as checks. While we are in a good place financially, it is really important that we pay our dues in order to keep things on a solid basis.
Many thanks to all who have sent notes and greetings with their payments. The work of Treasurer has been made more rewarding by your appreciation for what I have done. As I mentioned at the Annual Meeting, this should be my last year as your Treasurer. If you think you might have an interest in running for the office, please feel free to contact me; I would be more than glad to talk to you about what is involved.
From the NAAL Secretary: Don LaSalle
Roster Update. Thanks to those of you who have sent in your updated contact information. Keeping the roster information current helps us to get information to you in a timely manner. It will also enable us to send you the next issue of Proceedings. If you have not sent in your updated information, it is not too late. You can send it to me at donlasalle@fastmail.fm. I will use this information to put together a membership directory for distribution to NAAL members.
Planning Your Budget for the Savannah Meeting. Here is some advance information for those of you who have to submit a conference budget. The NAAL rate for rooms at the Hyatt Regency Savannah is $119 for a single room, $129 for a double room, and $25 for additional persons. These rates will be available to us for January 1 – 7, 2008. Reservations have to be made before December 11, 2007. The registration fee will be decided at the June Academy Committee Meeting. I will pass this information on to you after that meeting.
Retired Members Take Note. The new hotel contract, which begins with the Savannah meeting, provides 10 rooms at a discounted rate for retired members ($99 plus tax). These rooms will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Please contact me if you are interested in this offer (donlasalle@fastmail.fm). I will keep track of the first ten retired members who request the discount, and we will arrange the reservation for you.
The Minutes of the 2007 NAAL Business Meeting are included below. They will also be made available on the NAAL website.
Job Opening
The Diocese of Grand Rapids is seeking a full-time Director of the Office for Worship within the Pastoral Services Division. The director will act as advisor on liturgical matters to the bishop, clergy, and parishes, and will work in concert with diocesan commissions that support and enable expressions of faith. The Office for Worship is responsible for implementing liturgical norms and promoting and supporting the liturgical life of the diocese. The Rite of Election, Chrism Mass, ordinations, church dedications, clergy funerals, and all liturgies at which the bishop presides are planned through this office. The person in this role will direct the work of the diocesan Church Art and Architecture Commission. The director will be responsible for establishing relationships with diocesan music and liturgy leaders, and for planning educational opportunities.
The diocese is located in the lower peninsula of Michigan along the western lakeshore, and serves over 170,000 Catholics in the 102 parishes and missions in an 11 county area. The Cathedral of Saint Andrew, located in downtown Grand Rapids, serves Bishop Walter A. Hurley and the people of the diocese.
The candidate must be a practicing Catholic and possess high energy and strong ability to organize structures and sustain working relationships. A masters degree in liturgy or a related field is necessary. Practical experience in liturgy and in collaborative leadership at a diocesan or national level is a strong value. Compensation is based on educational level achieved and previous experience. Send resume, other pertinent information and a list of any publications, c/o Dr. Patricia J. Hughes, director, Pastoral Services Division, Diocese of Grand Rapids, 660 Burton St. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49507 or in PDF to phughes@dioceseofgrandrapids.org.
North American Academy of Liturgy Business Meeting
January 6, 2007
Park Hyatt Toronto
1. Call to Order. Paul Turner called the meeting to order. He announced that he had appointed John Baldovin as parliamentarian for the meeting.
2. Approval of Agenda. Paul asked if there were any additions or amendments to the agenda. None were forthcoming, and Paul declared the agenda approved.
3. Approval of Minutes of 2005 Business Meeting, Louisville. The minutes from the previous NAAL Business meeting were distributed. Paul asked for additions or corrections to the minutes. None were given, and the minutes were approved as printed.
4. Registration of Proxies. The president called for any additional proxies to be registered with the secretary. Don LaSalle read the list of voting proxies which he had already received.
5. Report of Delegate for Membership. Delegate for Membership Ruth Langer called forth the candidates for membership. The following candidates were already nominated and seconded by the Membership Committee: Deok-Weon Ahn, Rychie Breidenstein, Dennis Chriszt, Helmut Hoping, Catherine Kapikian, D. Jay Koyle, C. Crawford Murphy, Stephanie Perdew, Veronica Rosier, Stephen Sauer, Rodica Stoicoiu, Michael Woods.
The candidates were presented for membership, and the motion was carried by acclamation of the NAAL members. Paul and Ruth presented the new members with certificates of membership.
Paul expressed the Academy’s gratitude to Ruth and to Eileen Crowley and Ed Phillips, who served on the Membership Committee. He thanked Ruth for her consistent good judgment during her tenure as Delegate for Membership.
6. Report of Past Past President concerning Nominations. Doris Donnelly was not able to be present due to illness. In her stead, Martha Moore-Keish from the Nominating Committee presented the candidates for Vice President, Delegate for Membership and Secretary.
Paul asked if there were any further nominations for Vice President from the floor. None were proposed. Paul declared the nominations closed. Ballots for Vice President were distributed. Judith Kubicki was elected Vice President on the first ballot. Paul congratulated Judith on her election.
Paul asked for nominations from the floor for the office of Delegate for Membership. No further nominations were made, and Paul declared the nominations closed. The ballots were distributed. Eileen Crowley was elected Delegate for Membership on first ballot. Paul congratulated Eileen on her election.
Paul asked if there were further nominations from the floor for the office of Secretary. None were submitted. Gordon Lathrop made a motion to re-elect Don LaSalle as Secretary by acclamation. The motion was seconded by Ron Anderson. The applause of the membership signified their agreement, and Don was re-elected as Secretary.
7. Secretary’s Report. Don encouraged members to be open to serve as secretary in the future, since the job is made much easier with the help of administrative assistant Courtney Murtaugh.
Don stated that he is in the process of a major updating of the roster. He asked members to return the roster update form before they leave the meeting. When the roster is updated, an electronic copy of the roster will be sent to members.
He urged members to update their contact information whenever it changes. Accurate e-mail addresses are especially critical since most of the communication of NAAL business is now done through email.
Don gave an update on the progress of the web page. There was some difficulty getting information updated during the fall, and the web hosting service has not been reliable. We are looking into an alternative web hosting service. Courtney and Don will take over posting new information on the web site after the Toronto meeting. Don also reminded members of the need for more photos for the web site. Photos of NAAL members or other photos of liturgical celebrations in different traditions would be particularly helpful. Administrative assistant Courtney Murtaugh’s contact information will also be posted on the web site.
Paul thanked Don for his service as secretary.
8. Treasurer’s Report. Glenn Byer reviewed the financial report of the last fiscal year which had been distributed to the members. He also commented on the finances of the annual meeting. Glenn noted that the appropriate tax forms have been submitted in the State of Indiana. He said that the financial report was submitted to the Academy Committee and was accepted by the committee. Glenn also informed the membership that an informal review of NAAL finances was made during the past year, and the accounts were found to be in good order. He observed that Past President Tom Schattauer and President Paul Turner have brought in contributions to the annual meetings.
Glenn pointed out that our registration in the Park Hyatt Toronto has exceeded our required room block by 105 rooms. This gives the Academy fourteen free nights of hotel rooms to use for future meetings.
He observed that payment of membership dues is down this year. He will send out a reminder to those who owe dues and will follow up with another reminder in May.
He reminded members that the Academy will be looking for candidates for treasurer next year. He encouraged those who have a capacity in this area and a willingness to serve in this role to contact Tom Schattauer who is chairing the nominations committee.
A question was asked about scholarships for the annual meeting. Glenn explained that all the money budgeted for scholarships this year was used for this purpose. Paul Turner explained the parameters used for determining who receives a scholarship, which amounts to $250 off the registration fee. Priority is given to those with a clear need, those who had not recently received a scholarship for the NAAL meeting, and those who will be presenting papers.
Paul thanked Glenn for his work as treasurer.
9. Report of Delegate for Seminars. Bill Kervin began by thanking Paul Turner for his leadership, previous Delegate for Seminars Jill Crainshaw for her wise counsel and comprehensive files, and Courtney Murtaugh for her help. He acknowledged the exemplary service of the local hotel staff, especially Roberta Blanko, coordinator of conference services.
Bill noted that 250 persons participated in seminars, and more than 100 presentations had been given. He asked the seminar conveners to stand. Bill and the NAAL membership expressed their appreciation of the work of the seminar conveners by applause. Bill pointed out that the conveners had saved the Academy over $3000 in audio-visual costs thanks to their efforts to find alternative sources for equipment.
Bill also thanked all the NAAL members for their understanding, cooperation, and patience in finding the locations for the seminars. He noted that conveners were invited to fill out a seminar evaluation tool. Bill will follow up on this evaluation with the conveners.
Paul expressed thanks to Bill for his many efforts to make this meeting a success.
10. Report of Editor of Proceedings. Joyce Ann Zimmerman observed that last year’s issue of Proceedings was the largest that has been published. Due to the large number of fine articles received, the editorial board decided to increase the size of the issue.
Joyce reminded members that Proceedings is a juried periodical. It is copyrighted and indexed in ATLA and in other abstracts. All Academy members and paying visitors receive a copy. Joyce stressed the importance of keeping mailing addresses current to avoid extra mailing expenses. She asked members to inform her if they don’t receive Proceedings by the end of August.
Joyce thanked the editorial board, and noted that JoAnne Pierce is ending a six year term on the board. She invited members who are interested in serving on the editorial board to contact her by May 1. Joyce is looking to keep an ecumenical balance on the board.
Joyce expressed thanks to Troy Messenger who takes care of a growing number of subscriptions.
Seminar conveners are asked to submit their summaries of seminar work by February 14. The due date for article manuscripts is also February 14. Articles submitted need to represent work done in the seminars.
Joyce noted that extra copies of Proceedings are not kept due to lack of storage space. Current copies are available at the registration table.
It was pointed out that the NAAL Archives has a complete set of Proceedings.
A question was posed about the possibility of obtaining a digital copy of Proceedings. Joyce responded that a pdf version could be made available though the archives or directly from Joyce.
Paul thanked Joyce and the editorial board for the service they render to the Academy.
11. Archivist’s Report. Ed Foley reported that the new facilities at CTU, where the NAAL archives are stored, will make the material more accessible. He noted that Gil Ostdiek donated his NAAL materials to the archives. These include valuable papers from the Scottsdale meeting. Ed expressed thanks to Gil for this gift. He encouraged members to send NAAL materials to the archives rather then throw them out. This allows for the possibility of filling in lacunae in the collection of documents. One of the particular needs is for copies of what common prayer was like in the early years of the Academy.
Paul expressed thanks to Ed for his work as archivist.
12. Report of Administrative Assistant. Paul introduced Courtney Murtaugh as administrative assistant and meeting planner for the Academy. He thanked Alan Barthel for his help in getting Courtney started in the task of hotel liaison. Courtney explained some of her background in liturgy. She is in the process of learning the history and the culture of NAAL. Courtney noted that she has developed good working relationships with the Academy Committee and with other members in the course of preparing for the meeting.
Paul thanked Courtney for her dedication to making this meeting run smoothly. He also thanked Alan for his work as hotel liaison, and he presented Alan with a gift as an expression of the Academy’s gratitude.
13. President’s Report. Paul Turner thanked the local committee whose efforts made this meeting an event to remember. He noted that hiring an administrative assistant during the past year was a positive move which will help the work of the Academy.
Paul reflected on our ability to pray together as members of an Academy with diverse traditions. He pointed out that, while we have learned how challenging it is to pray, we have become more skilled at this. Our prayer becomes more authentic as we learn who we are as a body, striving “to pray through the lenses of parts of our membership, and through our grasp of the whole.” Paul thanked those who led worship during the Academy meeting.
Diversity of membership continues to rank high as a dimension of our work, Paul noted. He reminded the Academy of Past President Tom Schattauer’s challenge to increase our racial and ethnic diversity, as well as the number of Orthodox and Jewish members of the Academy. Paul encouraged members to continue to invite a diverse group of new members to the Academy.
Paul reviewed efforts which have been made to make keep down the cost of participating in the annual meeting. These include offering the possibility of room sharing, giving students a $25 reduction in the registration fee, and seeking to increase the scholarship fund through donations from members. Next year, ten hotel rooms will be available at a reduced rate for retired members. We have strengthened our guidelines for awarding scholarships to the meeting, and we are pursuing new ways of seeking donations to lower costs.
For the future, the Academy Committee is looking for other means of increasing revenues. The Committee will review charges to exhibitors and the cost Proceedings subscriptions for libraries. It will consider asking schools to sponsor scholarships to the annual meeting.
Paul noted that Tom Schattauer will continue to work with Craig Dykstra of the Lilly Foundation on a proposal to organize a meeting with other groups who promote reflection on practical theology.
Paul expressed his thanks to the Academy Committee: to Tom Schattauer for his fine work and wise guidance as past president; to Doris Donnelly who, as Past Past President, has been the soul of encouragement and has set a standard of hospitality for the Academy to follow; to Glenn Byer and Don LaSalle, who have worked with competence as Treasurer and Secretary; to Ruth Langer and Bill Kervin, who have thrown themselves into their work with dedication as Delegates for Membership and for Seminars; and to Vice President Ruth Duck, for her excitement for the future of the Academy.
Paul concluded his report by stating that he considers it an honor to call himself a member of this Academy.
14. New Business. Paul asked if there was any new business.
Mark Stamm delivered a recommendation from the Christian Initiation Seminar that, for future meetings, pitchers of tap water be used rather then bottled water. Paul responded that he would bring the suggestion to the Academy Committee.
15. Announcements. Paul reminded Academy members that the next annual meeting will be in Savannah.
Ruth Duck talked about plans for the upcoming meeting. She expressed enthusiasm for Savannah as place for the NAAL meeting. It has a significant place in the history of Jewish, African-American and Methodist communities. She has already received good suggestions for worship, music and a plenary speaker. Ruth stated that she would welcome other ideas from the NAAL membership. She expressed thanks to Academy Committee and to all the members of the Academy.
Alan Barthel extended an invitation to attend the Societas Liturgica meeting in Palermo, Sicily, in August 2007. The theme will be “Liturgy in the Piazza.”
16. Adjournment. Jack McKenna made a motion to adjourn. The motion was seconded by Peter Fink, and it passed by acclamation.
Respectfully submitted,
Don LaSalle
NAAL Secretary