Course on ‘Christian Civilization’

BRANCHVILLE  Last Saturday, Father Philip-Michael Tangorra, pastor of Our Lady Queen of Peace (OLQP) Parish here, held a group of 30 parishioners in rapt attention as he presented a class about the First Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D. He said that this, the first ecumenical council in Church history, ushered in a new era by uniting a divided Church with a universal proclamation, which reaffirmed that “Jesus is true God and true man.”

That class on the morning of Sept. 12 — the first session of the recently restarted “Christian Civilization” course at OLQP since the state-mandated lockdown to slow the spread of COVID-19 on March 16 — also helped signal a new era of sorts for the Sussex County parish. This month, the rural parish joins many parishes across the Diocese in re-opening up their formation programs and other outreaches to as close to normal as possible since the suspension of liturgical, formation and social activities amid the pandemic. While reopening, they continue to follow social distancing protocols, limiting the number of people in enclosed spaces and wearing face masks by state edict.

“Queen of Peace is happy to be back, returning with modifications for safety,” said Father Tangorra before the first class of the restarted “Christian Civilization” series, which began in January. “Of course we understand the caution and concern of people, especially those with children, who may be nervous about returning. We have compassion for their feelings. We want them to feel safe and comfortable. We will continue to livestream our Masses so they can participate at home,” he said.

Once the state lifted its ban on public worship, the Diocese permitted parishes to reopen for the public celebration of Mass and the Sacraments, starting June 13–14, which is the Solemnity of Corpus Christi. A few weeks before, 60 directors of religious education programs in parishes in the Diocese began discussing when and how they might restart their programs after months of a statewide lockdown during a May 28 Zoom online video-conference of the diocesan Cate­chetical Leaders Association. Most parishes have chosen to reopen their religious education programs in one of three ways: with live sessions, videoconferencing or a hybrid of both.

So far, OLQP has resumed Masses, including a new outdoor Mass that began earlier in the pandemic, and the Sacraments. This fall, the parish will resume its live Bible study, religious education classes with a remote option for students, the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults program and the Catholic Zoomers youth ministry, said the pastor who resumed his “Christian Civilization” course on Sept. 12 in the parish hall by exploring the First Council of Nicaea.

The parish will start a local Catholic home-schooling co-op for more than 15 families who will gather at the church once a week with social interaction for participating children and instruction in music, art, science and theology. OLQP will hold an Outdoor Family Movie Night with the film “Overcomer” on Sunday, Sept. 20 at 7 p.m. at the church with a rain date of Sunday, Sept. 27. Participants need to bring lawn chairs and/or blankets, Father Tangorra said.

“The movie night will help some of the faithful get slowly re-acclimated to the parish, seeing that it’s safe here — socially distanced and under God’s fresh air,” said Father Tangorra, emphasizing that OLQP continued to operate its food pantry throughout the pandemic.

In January, Father Tangorra developed and started the “Christian Civilization” series, which examines “the doctrine and dogma of the Church and the development of Catholicism and liturgy organically through culture.” Sessions were held on Saturdays from 9 to 10 a.m. — a schedule that resumed going forward on Sept. 12, said the priest, who earned a licentiate in canon law from Catholic University in Washington, D.C.

“The purpose of the course is to leave you with an impression of our faith and history [as a Church] and of Christian civilization so that you can share it by evangelizing in the parish and in your own faith journey. These impressions also can inspire the way you pray and worship,” Father Tangorra told participants.

For the first half of each class, Father Tangorra gives participants a lesson in Church history and then immerses them in the culture of the faith — its music, art and architecture — in the second half. Having formally studied music at Westminster Choir College in Princeton, he even has given them a primer about how to sing Georgian chant. The earlier series focused on the beginnings of the Church — the earthly ministry of Jesus, his death and Resurrection, Pentecost and the Apostles’ mission to evangelize the Gospel and establish churches around the known world at the time, the priest said.

During last Saturday’s class, the pastor continued his study with the First Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D. Emperor Constantine, who tolerated Christianity, called for and presided over the gathering — unusual for a Roman ruler — so that a rather divided Church could iron out its conflicts. This was caused chiefly by a heresy propagated by Arians that Jesus was not a divine being but only a human one. The council came together to codify Church teaching that “Jesus is true God and true man” in the Nicene Creed that we recite at Mass today, Father Tangorra said.

In the class, the priest also noted that the First Council of Nicaea established distinct faith traditions in the cities of Rome, Alexandria and Antioch. For the cultural part of the session, he examined depictions of the Blessed Virgin Mary in early sacred art.

After the Sept. 12 session, Barbara Zarzycki, an OLQP catechist and member of its Respect Life ministry, praised the series because “after the Second Vatican Council, we often misunderstood what we were taught.

“The Church did not change its doctrine or dogma [which counters many common perceptions]. It has been the same for centuries. We still recite [our beliefs] in the Nicene Creed today,” Zarzycki said. “Father Phil brings such joy telling the story of Jesus and his Church,” she said.

Likewise, Noelle Bumberger, a member of OLQP’s choir, said she “loves the classes” and the gradual reopening of the parish.

“I’m happy that we now have the opportunity to get together again — to see people and talk with people,” Bumberger said.