Professor Clare Johnson

B.Mus Hons (Melb), B.Theol Hons (MCD), A.Mus.A (AMEB), MA Theol (CTU, Chicago), Ph.D. (Notre Dame, USA), GCHE (ACU).

Clare V. Johnson is Professor of Liturgical Studies and Sacramental Theology in the Faculty of Theology and Philosophy, and founding Director of the ACU Centre for Liturgy (2015 - ).  She taught at Notre Dame (USA) from 2000-2005 and the University of Notre Dame Australia from 2005-2009.  She has published numerous refereed journal articles and book chapters and she is editor of Ars Liturgiae: Worship, Aesthetics and Praxis - Essays in Honor of Nathan D. Mitchell (Chicago: LTP, 2003), contributing co-editor of Vatican II: Reception and Implementation in the Australian Church (Mulgrave VIC: Garrett, 2012), and contributing editor and adapter of the Australian versions of Celebrating the Lectionary Years A/B/C (Mulgrave: Garratt, 2019, 2020, 2021). She designed and implemented the Liturgical Studies concentrations in ACU's GCTS/GDTS (Liturgy) and MTS (Liturgy) courses.  She has supervised the research of numerous masters and doctoral students. She was a member of the National Liturgical Council advising the Australian Bishops' Commission on the Liturgy (2009-2018) and presently serves as Chair of the National Liturgical Music Council (2016 - ) and is a consultant to the BCL (2018 - ). As Director of the ACU Centre for Liturgy she is a regular presenter of workshops, pastoral formation days, short courses, public lectures, and online training programs across Australia, and she consults and collaborates with parishes, dioceses, Catholic education offices, Catholic cemeteries and other Catholic organisations on liturgical and sacramental matters. She also regularly arranges and directs major liturgical celebrations for ACU.

Recent Publications

"Sacraments and the Bible." Liturgy and Life Study Bible. Collegeville: Liturgical, 2023.

Celebrating the Lectionary Year C. Mulgrave: Garratt, 2021. (Australian adaptation and contributing editor).

Celebrating the Lectionary Year B. Mulgrave: Garratt, 2020. (Australian adaptation and contributing editor).

Celebrating the Lectionary Year A. Mulgrave: Garratt, 2019. (Australian adaptation and contributing editor).

"Women's Modes of Liturgical Participation." Still Listening to the Spirit. Social Justice Secretariat and Office for the Participation of Women. Canberra: Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, 2019.

The Faces of Mercy.  CD/DVD live performance, co-authored text with Michael Campbell, music by George Palmer, artwork by Nikki Borghese, poetry by Kevin Brophy. Sydney: Archdiocese of Sydney, 2016.

"From Organic Growth to Liturgico-Plasticity: Re-conceptualizing the Process of Liturgical Reform." Theological Studies 76/1 (March 2015): 87-111.

"Portals to Transcendence." At the Heart of the Liturgy.  Eds. Maxwell E. Johnson, Timothy P. O'Malley and Demetrio S. Yokum.  Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2014, 87-98.

"Liturgical Intelligibility in Sacrosanctum Concilium." Vatican Council II: Reforming Liturgy. Eds. Carmel Pilcher, David Orr and Elizabeth Harrington.  Adelaide: ATF Press, 2013, 43-60.

"Transcending Text: Liturgy as medium of evangelisation 50 years after Vatican II." Australian Journal of Liturgy 13/1 (May, 2013): 100-117.

"At the Crossroads of Change: Theological Ramifications of Liturgical Translation." Lutheran Theological Journal 45/1 (May 2011): 51-59.

"Managing Liturgical Change."  Australian Journal of Liturgy 12/2 (2010): 60-75.

"Bridging the Cartesian Chasm: A Radical Empiricist Perspective on Liturgical Inculturation." Studia Liturgica 40 (2010): 208-223.

Selected Publications

"A Deep and Vast Renewal of the Church's Inmost Life." Vatican II: Reception and Implementation in the Australian Church.  Eds. Neil Ormerod, Ormond Rush, David Pascoe, Clare Johnson and Joel Hodge.  Mulgrave VIC: Garrett, 2012, 20-46.

"Embracing Local Ecology in Liturgical Expression." Liturgy 27/2 (2012): 31-39.

"Relating Liturgical Time to 'Place-Time': The Spatio-Temporal Dislocation of the Liturgical Year in Australia." Christian Worship in Australia. Eds. Stephen Burns and Anita Monro.  Strathfield NSW: St. Pauls, 2009, 33-45.

"Grounding the Timeless in Place: Exploring the influence of the physical environment on liturgical conceptions of time." Australian Journal of Liturgy 12/1 (May 2009): 84-107.

"Researching Ritual Practice." Studia Liturgica 35/2 (Fall 2005): 204-220.

"Inculturating the Easter Feast in Southeast Australia." Worship 78:2 (March 2004): 98-117.

"Ritual Music's Therapeutic Potential." Pastoral Music 24:3 (February-March 2000): 13, 15, 17.

Liturgy, Sacramental Theology, Liturgical Music

Liturgical inculturation, liturgical time, liturgical music, liturgy and environmental/geographic psychology, liturgical intelligibility and translation, Australian liturgical history, sacramental theology, theology of childhood, theological anthropology and Christian initiation, the thought of Karl Rahner.

Liturgical Studies, Sacramental Theology, Introductory Theology, Liturgical Music

• Member of the North American Academy of Liturgy 
• Member of the Catholic Academy of Liturgy
• Member of Societas Liturgica
• Member of the Australian Academy of Liturgy
• Member of the Australian Catholic Theological Association
• Member of the Australian Pastoral Musicians Network