Pastoral liturgy has been at the heart of Gil Ostdiek’s efforts in liturgy for over 50 years, in teaching, adult education workshops, and writing. What he finds most intriguing are the non-verbal power of liturgical rites and liturgical space, and the spiritual meaning linking liturgy and life. Years of translating the rites into English for the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL) have also honed a love for well-crafted and memorable language in our prayers. Work in liturgy has also led Gil into the related fields of ritual studies, liturgical architecture, and catechesis, especially mystagogy for adult faith formation. Most recently, as the forms of ministry have mushroomed and become increasingly specialized, he has been using the Emmaus story as a model for weaving these ministries together into an integrated care for Christ’s followers on their journey.
Gil, a founding CTU faculty member, is a past president of the North American Academy of Liturgy (NAAL). He has received a number of awards for his contribution to pastoral liturgy: the 1998 Michael Mathis Award from the Notre Dame Center for Pastoral liturgy, the 2007 Award from the Georgetown Center for Liturgy, the 2014 Berakah Award from NAAL, and two awards in 2016 from the Association of Catholic Publishers and the Catholic Press Association. Colleagues also published a volume of essays in his honor: Finding Voice to Give God Praise: Essays in the Many Languages of the Liturgy. Kathleen Hughes, ed. (Liturgical Press, 1998).
Gilbert Ostdiek, OFM
Achievements
- Mystagogy of the Eucharist: A Resource for Faith Formation (Liturgical Press, 2015).
- Catechesis for Liturgy: A Program for Parish Involvement (Pastoral Press, 1986).
- “Varieties of Ritual and Spirituality.” Plural Spiritualities: North American Experiences. Robert J. Schreiter, ed., 153-176 (Center for Research in Values and Philosophy, 2015), co-authored with Richard Fragomeni.
- “The History of the Vernaculars and the Role of Translation.” A Commentary on the Order of Mass of the Roman Missal. Edward Foley, ed., 35-72 (Liturgical Press, 2011), co-authored with Keith Pecklers.
- “Concelebrated Mass.” A Commentary on the General Instruction of the Roman Missal. Edward Foley, Nathan D. Mitchell, Joanne M. Pierce, eds., 279-309 (Liturgical Press, 2007), coauthored with Andrew Ciferni.
- “Liturgical Spirituality: Deriving the True Christian Spirit.” Liturgical Ministry 14 (Fall 2005): 205-215.
- “Let the Poet Speak.@ Ars Liturgiae: Worship, Aesthetics and Praxis. Essays in Honor of Nathan D. Mitchell. Claire V. Johnson, ed. 115-133 (Liturgy Training Publications, 2003).
- “Liturgy as Catechesis for Life,” The Living Light 37/4 (Summer 2001): 45-54.
- “Liturgical Translation: Some Reflections.” The Voice of the Church (USCCB, 2001), 17-48.
- “Principles of Translation in the Revised Sacramentary.” Liturgy for the New Millennium. Mark R. Francis and Keith F. Pecklers, eds., 17-34 (Liturgical Press, 2000).
- “Crafting English Prayer Texts: The ICEL Revision of the Sacramentary.” Studia Liturgica 26/1 (1996): 128-139.
