Program Overview
Vienna, Salzburg and Prague (Summer) Program
The Vienna, Salzburg and Prague (Summer) program is a two-week summer travel program that explores the Catholic Mass and its musical tradition within some of Europe's most historically significant cultural centers.
Program Description
This Manhattan University faculty-led program examines the structure of the Roman Mass and the evolving role of sacred music in faith formation, preservation, and renewal. Using churches, abbeys, and concert halls as the classroom, students engage directly with the liturgical and musical heritage of Austria and Central Europe while considering how these traditions inform contemporary Catholic worship.
Courses & Credits
- RELS 256 / MUSC 260: Catholic Mass and Its Music (3 credits) This course fulfills three credits of the Catholic Studies requirement and examines the structure of the Roman Mass, the role of music in faith formation, and major historical reforms in the Catholic Church, including their causes, implementation, and results. Particular attention is given to the musical culture of the Church following the Second Vatican Council and its ongoing implications.
Logistics
Participants on this program will travel with a group of Manhattan University students and will be led by an MU faculty member. The program fee includes:
- Tuition
- Excursions and cultural visits
- Round-trip flights out of New York City
- Housing in shared rooms for the duration of the program
- Some meals
- International health insurance
Program Details
The course addresses issues of preservation and renewal, examining how the Council mandated both the safeguarding of the Church's treasury of sacred music and its adaptation to contemporary liturgical practice. Through lectures, site visits, and musical analysis, students gain insight into Catholicism's worldview, ethics, history, texts, and intercultural relationships, historically and in present practice. Students attend liturgies to observe standards of worship, attend concerts in Vienna, and visit significant musical sites such as Heiligenkreuz Abbey and Eisenstadt.