MC Workshop 2

Liturgy, Prayer and Contemplation
Fr. John Kaserow, MM

Liturgy and Prayer as mission?? In his book, Fr. Schroeder posits that centering our life on God draws us ‘into God’s boundary-crossing mission.” Our dismissal at Mass, our central prayer life in the church, is to “Go in peace the love and serve the Lord.” We are sent to mission outside the community of the parish at the end of every Mass. But in addition, we bring the outside into the community in prayer during the celebration of the Mass. In a similar way prayer and contemplation allow is to align our lives with God’s call. Like St Therese of Lisieux, proclaimed patroness of the missions by Pope Pius the XI and who never left her cloister in France, we are missionary through our prayer for the world.

Fr. John Kaserow is a Maryknoll missionary priest ordained May 24, 1969. He served as missionary in Taiwan and China with practical experience of Buddhism in Japan. Fr. Kaserow taught at Maryknoll Seminary and Maryknoll School of Theology (New York) for ten years, past president and academic dean of Maryknoll School of Theology. He is currently an adjuct professor of Mission Studies at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.

Fr. Kaserow has expertise in: Liturgy, Ritual, and Sacramental Life; Asian Religions and Traditions (Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, and Hinduism); History of Christianity in Asia; Inter-Religious Theory and Practice; Inter-Religious Prayer and Dialogue.

BA in Philosophy (Maryknoll Seminary); MA in Liturgy (University of Notre Dame); MTH (Maryknoll Seminary); PHD in History of Theology and History of Religions (University of St. Michael’s College, Toronto, Ontario).