More often than not my undergraduate students repeat the cultural adage, “I am spiritual but not religious.” Increasingly they come from families that have not provided religious or spiritual formation. Yet, even those well steeped in Catholic education express little interest in Sunday worship.

And, what reasonable person can blame these young people? All too often Sunday Mass consists of little more than an opportunity to fulfill an obligation. Pierre Hegy’s methodological examination of Christian worship in a variety of churches helps on to identify the challenges as well as to imagine possibilities where the Sunday gathering could be a true “eucharistic celebration.”

Hegy’s conclusion identifies the needed balance between a theoretical method and mystagogy. He sees this as the purpose of his book. The guiding methodology consists of the interaction model of Randall Collins. While Collins did not specifically apply his method to religion, his eight variables provide essential insights for an assessment of worship and the communities who engage in that activity. Hegy employs the variables consistently in each chapter with appropriate adaptation for one or another community.

The reader will appreciate the variety of worship experiences explored in the text. Hegy examines various TV masses, worship at largely Anglo parishes, an African American church in Chicago, and the Zairean rite in present day Congo. While essentially concerned with Catholic worship, his study includes Evangelical and Pentecostal churches to help the reader imagine ways to connect ritual and spirit.

The African American church of St. Sabina’s describes the real tension between a charismatic pastor and archdiocesan structures; the tension of an oral culture and a written script. As with St. Sabina’s, the Zairean rite shows clear signs of the people’s closeness to one another and to God. As it should, the religious ritual helps the participant to grow in spirituality. The church structure in Kishasa, Congo, suggests a correlation between full, active participation in the structure of the church with clear, active participation in the liturgy.

In the concluding chapter Hegy provides a three-step process for parish liturgical self-evaluation. For pastors and ministers who seek liturgical engagement the process offers a solid tool for assessment and renewal. Hegy’s further observations on the Presider, the Choir, the Assembly, and the Homily spark the imagination for ways to enhance worship as mystagogy. Throughout the text the reader will experience the author’s passion for engaging and meaningful liturgy.

The author’s greatest strength lies in his sociological analysis. Additionally, he demonstrates a skillful knowledge of contemporary and classical liturgical theology. However, this reviewer would take exception to his references to ex opera operato in the celebration of the sacraments. Hegy contends that this theological principle lends support to the rather lifeless TV masses – often with only a celebrant and one lay reader. First, the daily television Masses seek to provide an opportunity for the homebound, and others who may not be able to get to church, to stay connected to the church’s worship. Certainly, these celebrations could, and sometimes do, have a fuller liturgical expression. However, they are not minimalist based on ex opera operato. This theological conviction has as its first concern the assurance that the faithful, through their participation, receive the grace of the sacrament even if the priest celebrates the sacrament unworthily or sloppily. Even the serious sin of the celebrating priest does not prevent the graciousness of God from moving in the lives of God’s people. While reflective of popular perspective, the author could give greater recognition to the limits of television broadcasting. Rather than forwarding a theological conviction – though it may be conveyed – a daily TV mass tends to rest on a conviction that “something is better than nothing.”

The first document to come from the Second Vatican Council addressed liturgical renewal. In many ways its application has been the most notable change in the Catholic Church for most of the faithful. As the Council members appreciated liturgical renewal has the capacity to renew the Church. Hegy’s text identifies the need for further liturgical renewal that simultaneously entails an ongoing renewal of church structures. His attention to liturgical mystagogy holds the promise of helping to bridge the gap between being spiritual but not religious. Seminary professors and the students, along with parish liturgists, directors of music, and pastors will benefit from a careful reading of this well-written and very accessible text.