Anne McGowan’s research interests focus on the theological, historical, and ritual development of Christian worship practices and the ways in which these practices (as articulated in texts and celebrated in living contexts) invite and engage the full and active participation of all members of the Body of Christ and call them to live differently in the Church and in the world. The textual and dialogical engagement of liturgical matters among various Christian traditions, East and West, ancient and modern is a recurring theme in her scholarship. She also explores how sacramental rites and catechesis involve the sacramental awareness of children and recognize young people as capable of appropriating and enacting Christian faith at a level appropriate to their embodied existence and chronological and intellectual maturity.

Anne’s vocation as a liturgical scholar was kindled by her involvement in pastoral liturgical ministry, and the ongoing engagement of academic insights and practical application is an important component of her work. She enjoys introducing students to the rich heritage of the Christian liturgical tradition and engaging with them in critical reflection on texts and traditions, rituals and aesthetics.

Before joining the faculty at CTU in 2016, Anne was the inaugural postdoctoral associate in liturgical studies at the Yale Institute of Sacred Music (2011–2012), a postdoctoral teaching scholar in the department of theology at the University of Notre Dame, and an adjunct professor of theology teaching in the area of liturgical studies at St. John’s School of Theology and Seminary in Collegeville, Minnesota. Her professional memberships include the North American Academy of Liturgy, the Catholic Academy of Liturgy, the Catholic Theological Society of America, and the American Academy of Religion.