Exploring Occasional Religious Practice
Listen in to a conversation between Kimberly Belcher ‘03 MA, ‘09 Ph.D., associate professor of theology, J. J. Wright ‘14 MSM, ‘17 DMA, Grammy® Award winner and Director of the Notre Dame Folk Choir, and Sarah Kathleen Johnson, a professor at Saint Paul University that explores her journey into liturgy and her recent book, Occasion Religious Practice: Valuing a Very Ordinary Religious Practice. Johnson explains how focusing on religious practices rather than beliefs can reveal the diversity present during religious events.
Experience the Episode
Presented by Department of Theology
Draw on centuries-old tradition of singing Psalms and Canticles in the Liturgy of the Hours to discover a conceptual framework for bringing your own experiences, ideas, and musical background into creative conversation with liturgy and prayer. Experience Rhythms of Faith—no musical experience required!
Listen in to a conversation between Kimberly Belcher ‘03 MA, ‘09 Ph.D., associate professor of theology, J. J. Wright ‘14 MSM, ‘17 DMA, Grammy® Award winner and Director of the Notre Dame Folk Choir, and Sarah Kathleen Johnson, a professor at Saint Paul University that explores her journey into liturgy and her recent book, Occasion Religious Practice: Valuing a Very Ordinary Religious Practice. Johnson shares insights from her research on occasional religious practices, particularly in the Anglican tradition in Toronto. She explains how focusing on religious practices rather than beliefs can reveal the diversity present during religious events. The conversation also delves into Johnson’s ongoing work on young people’s experiences in Christian worship, examining the affective and embodied dimensions of these experiences. Johnson emphasizes the importance of diversity and open dialogue in worship, regardless of one’s religious identity or level of belief. The episode concludes with a discussion on the nuances of terms like ‘liturgy’ and ‘worship’ and Johnson’s reflections on her favorite piece of liturgical music and choosing a tree as her spirit entity for its rootedness and connection to the natural world.
Meet the Speaker: Sarah Kathleen Johnson
Sarah Kathleen Johnson is Assistant Professor of Liturgy and Pastoral Theology, Director of Undergraduate Studies (BA, MTS, MDiv), and Director of Anglican Studies at Saint Paul University in Ottawa, Canada.
She is a practical theologian who studies Christian worship in the context of a changing North American religious landscape. Her research at the intersection of liturgical studies and sociology of religion employs qualitative methods that value everyday religious experience. Commitments to interrogating the relationship between liturgy and ethics and engaging ecumenically across Christian traditions ground her research, teaching, and church leadership.
Dr. Johnson is ordained for ministry in Mennonite Church Canada. She served as the president of the Canadian Theological Society (2023-2024).