This study represents a work of practical narrative theology which originates in the notable prominence of an ancient form of catechesis in a modern document, the General Directory for Catechesis (GDC), issued in 1997 by the Sacred Congregation for the Clergy in the Vatican. The GDC first mentions narratio explicitly in number 39 in the form of an imperative: "Catechesis, for its part, transmits the words and deeds of Revelation; it is obliged to proclaim and narrate them and, at the same time, to make clear the profound mysteries that they contain." It is under the weight of that obligation that this study came to be. Narratio, or the narration of salvation history, which was a standard part of the catechesis of the Church of the fourth and fifth centuries gave way to the exigencies of a changing Church in which the catechetical focus turned from adults, who needed a Judeo-Christian worldview to replace a Greco-Roman one, to children who had grown up in communities shaped by a Christian vision. This doctoral thesis proceeds by, first, surveying Roman Catholic magisterial teaching immediately preceding the issuance of the GDC to trace the roots of this apparent innovation within an institution which is otherwise noted for its conservatism. After establishing the context and character of the GDCs call for revival of narratio, this thesis examines the historical setting, rhetorical structure, and function of narratio in Augustine of Hippo's De catechizandis rudibus, and then its scriptural precursors in the two Testaments in order to discover how this narration functioned in the Jewish and Christian communities which practiced haggadic and anamnetic recitals of God's saving works as a means to the formation and maintenance of communal identity. This study seeks to establish that a positive response to the GDC's call is as much warranted by the evidence provided in the biblical and post-biblical Jewish and Christian practice of ritual/covenantal remembrance as by the Catholic magisterial imperative in the GDC. In this, it may aid to inform and direct such a positive response to the GDC for the revival of the catechetical narratio. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / D. Th. (Church History)

The present thesis examines the way in which two twelfth century authors, the Cistercian monks, Bernard of Clairvaux (1091-1153) and William of St. Thierry (c. 1080-1148), used Augustine (354-430) in the articulation of their mystical thought. The approach to this subject takes into account the fact that in the works of all these medieval authors the “mystical” element is inescapably entangled with their theological discourse and that an accurate understanding of their views on the soul’s direct encounter with God cannot be achieved without a discussion of their theology. This thesis posits that the cohesion of Bernard’s and William’s mystical thought lies in their appropriation of the guiding principle of Augustine’s mystical theology: “You made us for yourself and our heart is restless until it rests in you” (conf. 1.1.1), reflected in the subtle interplay of three main themes, namely (1) the creation of humanity in the image and likeness of God, which provides the grounds for the understanding of the soul’s search for direct contact with God; (2) love as a longing innate in every human being, which explores the means to attain immediacy with God; and (3) the soul’s direct encounter with God, which discusses the nature of the soul’s immediate experience of the divine presence that can only be achieved in lasting fullness at the end of time. This examination of Bernard’s and William’s use of Augustine is structured on the basis of these three core themes which form the scaffolding of their mystical thought. Investigating the specific methods of their reception of Augustine will highlight the originality and uniqueness of each of the two Cistercian authors, who while drawing on the same patristic source use it nevertheless in various ways, by focussing on different aspects of Augustine’s immense oeuvre and by arriving at distinct mystical programmes.

This thesis represents an important investigation into the much-neglected period of exile endured by many Royalists as a consequence of the violence and alienation of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms (1639-1651).Drawing from extensive archival research conducted in Britain, Ireland and Europe, this study expands upon existing literature on royalism, British and Irish interaction with Continental Europe and seventeenth-century mentalities more generally in order to illumine the unique issues faced by these exiles. Central to this study are the roles and experiences of the Irish element within Charles II’s exiled court. Recent studies focussed upon the place of Ireland within Europe and the North Atlantic are employed to assess such issues as confessional division, court culture, the impact of memory and the influence of conflicting European ideas upon the survival of the exiles and the course of the restoration cause. A thematic, rather than chronological structure is employed in order to develop these interpretations, allowing for an approach which emphasizes the place of individuals in relation to broader Royalist mentalities. Dominant figures include Murrough O’Brien, Lord Inchiquin (c. 1614-1674), Theobald, Lord Taaffe (d. 1677), John Bramhall (1594-1663), Church of Ireland bishop of Derry, Daniel O’Neill (c. 1612-1664), Father Peter Talbot (SJ) (c. 1618/20 – 1680) and James Butler, marquis of Ormond (1610-1688). Through investigation of Irish strands of royalism and the wider issues in which they were set in the course of civil war and exile, this thesis makes a powerful argument for the need to consider seventeenth-century ideas of allegiance and identity not only within a ‘Three Kingdoms’ approach, but Europe more generally. It also makes a compelling case for the centrality of Irish Royalists in the formation and implementation of policy during the exile period through their familiarity with and access to European centres of power and influence.

Le 4 novembre 1847, Mgr de Bruillard, évêque de Grenoble, institue une commission d'enquête destinée à préparer le jugement doctrinal qu'il doit porter sur l'apparition alléguée de la Vierge Marie à La Salette le 19 septembre 1846. S'il ne fait en cela que reprendre les règles classiques de l'Eglise en matière de discernement des esprits, il innove en définissant de façon rigoureuse le cadre canonique dans lequel doit s'exercer ce discernement, selon une procédure calquée pour partie sur celle préconisée en matière de canonisations par le De servorum Dei beatificatione et de beatorum canonizatione (1734-1738) de Prospero Lambertini, futur pape Benoît XIV. Pour exemplaire que se veuille cette procédure – adoptée par un nombre croissant d'évêques concernés par des faits d'apparitions dans leurs diocèses –, pour efficace qu'elle se révèle, elle se heurte rapidement à divers obstacles montrant ses limites, obstacles dont les moindres ne sont pas, au XXe siècle jusqu'au concile Vatican II, les interventions de plus en plus fréquentes du Saint Office auprès des évêques. Après Vatican II, une plus grande latitude sera laissée aux évêques, mais les répercussions au niveau mondial de certaines mariophanies amèneront la Congrégation pour la doctrine de la foi à édicter en 1978 des Normes générales, véritable feuille de route destinée aux évêques. Ces Normes seront néanmoins rendues bientôt inapplicables à cause de l'émergence de nouveaux types de mariophanies, dont la matrice est le “phénomène Medjugorje” (1981) : qualifiée d'apparition de rupture, cette mariophanie pose, par ses implications non seulement religieuses, mais également sociétales et même politiques, la question de la réaction de l'institution ecclésiale face à des faits et des attitudes qui, tout en se réclamant de l'Église, prétendent se soustraire pour partie à son jugement sous le prétexte d'une plus libre et immédiate insertion dans l'histoire actuelle des hommes, et où l'efficacité temporelle du phénomène le dispute à son authenticité spirituelle et à sa fonction ecclésiale, au risque de constituer le principal critère de jugement de la mariophanie. / On the 4th of November 1847, Msgr de Bruillard, the Bishop of Grenoble, sets up a commis-sion of inquiry aimed at clearing the way for the doctrinal judgment he will have to pass on the alleged apparition of the Virgin Mary at La Salette on the 19th of September 1846. In doing so is merely applying once again the usual rules of the Church in matters pertaining to the discernment of spirits, but he actually does innovate by rigorously definiting the canonical framework within which this judgment must be exercised, following – in matters regarding the question of canonization – a procedure which, to some extent, faithfully reflected the one already favoured by the De servorum Dei beatificatione et de beatorum canonizatione (1734-1738) by Prospero Lambertini (the future pope Benedict XIV). Even though it aims to serve as a model (adopted by a growing number of bishops having to come to terms with events of apparitions in their dioceses), and however efficient it proves to be, this type of procedure soon meets with a variety of obstacles exposing its own limitations : among these obstacles one could not minimize the increasingly frequent interference of the Holy Office in its dealings with the bishops, before the Second Vatican Council. After the Council, the bishops are given more leeway, but the repercussions – on a world scale – of certain mariophanies will induce the Congregation for the Doctrine of the faith to edict in 1978 a set of general Norms, offering the bishops the guiding lines of a roadmap. Nevertheless, these norms will soon become inapplicable, in the face of newly emerging types of mariophanies, whose primary source is the 'Medjugorje case' (1981). Because of its implications – not just religious, but political and societal as well – this mariophany has been dubbed the breaking point apparition, raising the question of how the ecclesiastical Institution should respond to facts and attitudes which, while pretending to speak in the name of the Church, claim the right to disregard part of her decisions, by using as an excuse the need for a more open-minded and a more immediate involvement in the history of mankind – as it appears nowadays ; so much so that, conflicting with the judgments on the authenticity of the case and its relevance for the Church, the claimed fruitfulness of the event runs the risk og beeing viewed as the principal criterion for a judgment on the phenomenon itself.

Funded by Nellis Air Force Base (NAFB), my thesis research and analysis examined Native American knowledge of heritage foods and how diminished access to food resources has affected Native American identity and health. NAFB manages the Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR), land and air space in southern Nevada, which includes Native American ancestral lands. During a research period of 3 months in the spring/summer of 2012, I interviewed members of Native American nations culturally affiliated with ancestral lands on the NTTR, the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah (PITU) and the Bishop Paiute Tribe. My research included participant observation and 31 interviews with tribal members considered knowledge holders by tribal leaders. In dialogue with the literature of the anthropology of food, political economy, and Critical Medical Anthropology, my analysis focused on the role of heritage foods in everyday consumption, taking into account the economic, social, environmental, and political factors influencing heritage foods access and diet. My work explored the effects of structural forces and rapid changes in diet and social conditions on Native American health. I found shifts in concepts of food-related identity across ethnic groups, tribes, ages, and genders. I also found evidence of collective efforts to improve diet-related health at tribal and community levels. Through the applied aspects of my research, participants and their families had the opportunity to share recipes and food dishes containing heritage foods as a way to promote human health and knowledge transmission.

La present tesi vol explicar la implantació de la Reforma Catòlica en una sèrie de parròquies rurals dels bisbats de Girona (valls de Ridaura, Bas, Hostoles i Amer) i Vic (El Collsacabra i les valls de Susqueda i Sau), entre 1587 i 1800, des dels bisbes posttrentins Jaume Caçador i Pedro Jaime als il·lustrats Tomàs de Lorenzana i Francisco de Veyan. La documentació principal són les sèries de les visites pastorals conservades a l'Arxiu Diocesà de Girona i l'Arxiu Episcopal de Vic; paral·lelament, s'ha reforçat amb documentació parroquial (llibres sagramentals, consuetes, llibres d'obra i confraries), protocols notarials (notaries de Rupit, Sant Feliu de Pallerols, El Mallol i Amer) i impresos episcopals. Els manaments de les visites pastorals s'han contrastat, amb semblances i diferències, amb els decrets del concili de Trento, de les constitucions provincials tarraconenses i les sinodals gironines i vigatanes, i amb les evidències artístiques, arquitectòniques i arqueològiques. Tots ells han servit per demostrar la lentitud en la implantació del programa tridentí, que s'assoleix, de fet, amb força retard (ben entrat el segle XVIII). / The present thesis tries to explain the implantation of the Catholic Reform in a few rural parish churches in the bishoprics of Girona (Valleys of Ridaura, Bas, Hostoles and Amer) and Vic (El Collsacabra and Valleys of Susqueda and Sau), from 1587 to 1800, from the post-Trent bishops Jaume Caçador and Pedro Jaime to Illustrated Tomàs de Lorenzana and Francisco de Veyan. The main sources of information are the pastoral bishop visits. These series are well preserved in the Arxiu Diocesà de Girona and the Arxiu Episcopal de Vic. We also have added some other documents: parish registers, notary books (from Rupit, Sant Feliu de Pallerols, El Mallol i Amer) and bishop printed material. We have contrasted the orders from the bishops visits with the decrees from the Council of Trent, the Constitutions of the Tarraconense Province and the Synodal Constitutions of Girona and Vic, and the artistic, architectural and archaeological evidences. All of them have shown the slow pace and the delay of the enterprise.

The diploma thesis is divided into two basic topics, in which it deals in a brief outline with the origin and development of confessional and ecclesiastical law in general and with development and mutual relation between confessional and ecclesiastical law in the territory of Czech lands since the arrival of the Cyril and Methodius until the establishment of the Czechoslovak Church. Further on it presents the timeline of sources of the "First" Constitution of the Czechoslovak Church (Ústava Církve československé). These sources are divided into the periods before and after the establishment of the Czechoslovak Church. The first period started with the Reform Program of František Náhlovský (Reformní program Františka Náhlovského) of 1848 followed by The Přerov Reform Program (Přerovský reformní program) of 1906, The Proposition of the Union of the Czech Catholic Clergy on the Renewal of the Catholic Church in the Czechoslovak Republic (Návrh Jednoty čsl. katolického duchovenstva na obnovu církve katolické v Republice československé) of 1919, Memorandum of the Delegation to Rome (Memorandum delegace do Říma) of 1919, Program of Platform Focus (Program Ohniska) of 1919 and Program of Reforms (Program reforem) in the Right of the Nation of 1920. The second period after the establishment of the...

This study represents a work of practical narrative theology which originates in the notable prominence of an ancient form of catechesis in a modern document, the General Directory for Catechesis (GDC), issued in 1997 by the Sacred Congregation for the Clergy in the Vatican. The GDC first mentions narratio explicitly in number 39 in the form of an imperative: "Catechesis, for its part, transmits the words and deeds of Revelation; it is obliged to proclaim and narrate them and, at the same time, to make clear the profound mysteries that they contain." It is under the weight of that obligation that this study came to be. Narratio, or the narration of salvation history, which was a standard part of the catechesis of the Church of the fourth and fifth centuries gave way to the exigencies of a changing Church in which the catechetical focus turned from adults, who needed a Judeo-Christian worldview to replace a Greco-Roman one, to children who had grown up in communities shaped by a Christian vision. This doctoral thesis proceeds by, first, surveying Roman Catholic magisterial teaching immediately preceding the issuance of the GDC to trace the roots of this apparent innovation within an institution which is otherwise noted for its conservatism. After establishing the context and character of the GDCs call for revival of narratio, this thesis examines the historical setting, rhetorical structure, and function of narratio in Augustine of Hippo's De catechizandis rudibus, and then its scriptural precursors in the two Testaments in order to discover how this narration functioned in the Jewish and Christian communities which practiced haggadic and anamnetic recitals of God's saving works as a means to the formation and maintenance of communal identity. This study seeks to establish that a positive response to the GDC's call is as much warranted by the evidence provided in the biblical and post-biblical Jewish and Christian practice of ritual/covenantal remembrance as by the Catholic magisterial imperative in the GDC. In this, it may aid to inform and direct such a positive response to the GDC for the revival of the catechetical narratio. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / D. Th. (Church History)

In my thesis I tried to look into the issue of state property settlement with churches. This issue stirs public opinion in our society since the mid-nineties. The first chapter endeavours to discover the fundamental principles of the performance of the church in the past. Covering from property acquisition, through its management to the semantic role of property in general. Last but not least, it tries to describe the economic situation of the largest church in Czech Republic - Roman Catholic. The second part seeks to describe the events of nationalization of church property in February 1948, under the applicable legislation from that period. It also gives some insight into other forms of expropriation. The third chapter explore insight into the legislative process of state property settlement with churches and discusses the pros and cons of the problem in general. The fourth and fifth chapter deals with the theoretical question of valuation, valuation methods or valuation regulations. The final section summarizes the control mechanisms, which will protect the recovered property from depreciation in value.

Lorsque cette province quitta l’orbite française après une capitulation des troupes royales devant les armées impériales de Charles-Quint, la question de la représentation du territoire fut posée immédiatement. Les Etats de Tournai-Tournaisis naquirent de ce besoin en s’émancipant progressivement tant du Magistrat de Tournai que de l’office de bailliage dont ils reprirent certaines prérogatives. Bénéficiaires d’octrois des souverains espagnols, les Etats s’organisèrent autour de leur assemblée régulièrement convoquée à partir de 1556. Ils étaient présidés de droit par l’évêque ou son délégué. / When this province left the French orbit after a capitulation of the royal troops to the imperial armies of Charles V, the question of the representation to the territory was laid immediately. States Tournai-Tournaisis born of this need gradually emancipating both Magistrate Tournai as office bailiwick they regained some prerogatives. Award recipients of the Spanish sovereigns, States organized around their meeting duly convened from 1556. They were presided over by the Bishop of law or his delegate.