Spend part of your summer in Vienna, Salzburg, and Prague exploring the Catholic Mass and its musical tradition within some of Europe’s most historically significant cultural centers. This Manhattan University faculty-led program examines the structure of the Roman Mass and the evolving role of sacred music in faith formation, preservation, and renewal. Using churches, abbeys, and concert halls as the classroom, students engage directly with the liturgical and musical heritage of Austria and Central Europe while considering how these traditions inform contemporary Catholic worship.
Dates Offered
This is two-week summer travel program.
Courses & Credits
- RELS 256 / MUSC 260: Catholic Mass and Its Music (3 credits)
This course fulfills three credits of the Catholic Studies requirement and examines the structure of the Roman Mass, the role of music in faith formation, and major historical reforms in the Catholic Church, including their causes, implementation, and results. Particular attention is given to the musical culture of the Church following the Second Vatican Council and its ongoing implications.
With Vienna, Salzburg, and Prague serving as class locations, students explore how the Mass has been inculturated within Austrian and broader European contexts. A central question of the course considers what musical models European churches can offer to the American Church and beyond. Students attend liturgies to observe standards of worship, attend concerts in Vienna, and visit significant musical sites such as Heiligenkreuz Abbey and Eisenstadt.
The course addresses issues of preservation and renewal, examining how the Council mandated both the safeguarding of the Church’s treasury of sacred music and its adaptation to contemporary liturgical practice. Through lectures, site visits, and musical analysis, students gain insight into Catholicism’s worldview, ethics, history, texts, and intercultural relationships, historically and in present practice.
Logistics
Participants on this program will travel with a group of Manhattan University students and will be led by an MU faculty member. Tuition, excursions and cultural visits, round-trip flights out of New York City, housing in shared rooms for the duration of the program, some meals, and international health insurance are included in the program fee.
Learn More
Interested in this program and looking to learn more about academics, cost, financial aid, housing, travel, and student life? Email studyabroad@manhattan.edu to set up a time to meet with an advisor and have all of your questions answered!