Confessional Liturgical Institute in French—the first of its kind!

What is the ILLF?

L’Institut liturgique luthérien francophone (The Francophone Lutheran Liturgical Institute – ILLF) provides support in the French language to those responsible for teaching, researching, and carrying out pastoral work in areas pertaining to Lutheran liturgy. The ILLF equips pastors and church workers with a better understanding of the historic liturgy and also provides practical and educational resources—and may be useful to musicians, choir leaders, cantors, pastors, and laity in other ways as well.

This is the only Confessional Lutheran institute of this kind available entirely in French. Queries from new Lutherans around the world find answers at this Institute without walls. Recent inquiries of the Institute include the request for a Lutheran funeral rite from a Congolese congregation in the United States; a francophile from western Canada who wanted to know if a certain newly discovered and beloved hymn existed in French; and a pastor in Ivory Coast who needed a rite for the dedication of a church and marriage preparation materials.

“There is no central ‘Concordia Publishing House-like’ place and no francophone Lutheran library to go to for such information in French,” said ILLF Founder, Rev. Dr. David Somers. “The ILLF is an effort to remedy the undesirable necessity for improvisation, the use of non-Lutheran sources, or translation by providing solid Lutheran documentation already in French.”

The team behind the ILLF includes Director and Liturgical Advisor, Rev. Dr. David Saar, who also serves as pastor of St. John’s Lutheran Church (Mount Forest, Ontario); Vice Rector and Founder, Rev. Dr. David Somers, who serves as Lutheran Church–Canada’s Missionary-at-Large for French Ministries in Canada and serves as pastor of Église Luthérienne de l’Ascension (Montreal, Quebec); and Music Consultant, Cantor Phillip Magness, who also serves as a Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) missionary.

What’s New?

Studies on the history and theology of the Lutheran Liturgy (as well as liturgies themselves) are being offered to the general public for the first time—now available on an entirely free platform (currently available at lutheranchurchcanada.ca/institut-liturgique-lutherien-francophone).

Especially important is providing these materials in an easily accessible way for new francophone Lutherans. It is unfortunate that those in such dire need of Lutheran exposure are also those who have the least amount of resources available.

The ready availability of the ILLF content is valuable for several reasons:

1. By gathering the few French-language resources in one place, the likelihood of their being known and used increases significantly. The ‘hunt’ for these types of resources can otherwise be very daunting, and most don’t know where to begin.
2. Much of the documentation is out of print but now is available for anyone with internet anywhere to download and print locally.  
3. Even if the materials were available in print, shipping costs to Africa and Haiti are often greater than the cost of the materials themselves. 
4. New Lutherans do not share a common hymnody and tunes are often unknown. The Institute offers an ever-growing number of videos to listen to the hymns from the only French Lutheran Service Book and Hymnal: Lutheran Church–Canada (LCC)’s Liturgies et cantiques luthériens.

This documentation is especially crucial at this point in time as new Lutheran churches are being formed throughout francophone Africa with little or no prior exposure to Lutheranism. The need for a firm foundation in all aspects of Lutheran practice and teaching is critical!

Upcoming Events

L’Institut liturgique luthérien francophone invites you to a Liturgy Workshop (in French!) on May 17-20, 2023 in Montreal, Quebec. The impetus for the workshop is the ILLF’s publication of the new French African hymnal: Liturgies et cantiques luthériens – Édition africaine, and will be a catalyst for both launching this new hymnal and providing a comprehensive introduction to this new resource.

Registration for the Liturgy Workshop is $300, which includes meals and dorm room. Contact Rev. Dr. David Somers for details via email at ascensionqc@gmail.com.

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