The Second Vatican Council committed the Catholic Church to the service of the world when it defined the church to be missionary by nature and a sacrament pointing to and making Christ present to all. Such a vision of the church informed the restoration of the permanent diaconate within the ministerial life of the church—a vocation and participation in Holy Orders endowed precisely with the charism of service. Deacons are called and ordained to serve in the areas of sacrament, word, and charity. This work considers the place and role of deacons in the life of the contemporary church through the lens of the ecclesiological reforms of the Second Vatican Council. Via their preaching, teaching, and sacramental ministry, deacons are uniquely gifted and positioned to empower the lay faithful and advance the church’s engagement with the world, commitment to ecumenism and interreligious dialogue, promotion of peace, and championing of human dignity.

"Deacons and the Church presents a popular narrative history of the Order of the Diaconate in the Catholic Church from its dawn on the biblical scene in the Acts of the Apostles (with Saints Stephen and Philip), through the "golden age" of deacons in the fifth century. With the emergence of the "cultic priesthood," the diaconate as a unique and discrete member of the clergy declined into a transitional role - but never disappeared. Indeed, Dr. Cummings points out that the most popular saint (after Mary), Francis of Assisi, was a deacon - as were Saints Lawrence and Ephrem, all of whom are offered here as models of "Deacons for Deacons."" "The Second Vatican Council restored the Order of Deacon to a "full and permanent" membership in the clergy, along with priests and bishops. Now thirty thousand deacons serve the Church throughout the world and remain the fastest-growing clerical rank within the Latin Church. Deacon Cummings reflects on how this surge in the membership of the Order of Deacons will affect the Church in the years to come."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

This Companion will assist the reader in apprehending a coherent and synthetic interpretation of the teaching of Vatican II.

In 1962 a group of Catholic leaders traveled to Rome, charged by Pope John XXIII with the task of making the gospel of Christ relevant in a modern world. The Second Vatican Council transformed the lives of Catholics through sweeping reforms -- yet its effect on the daily lives of practicing Catholics has never been fully understood. In this illuminating study, religious historian Colleen McDannell presents new insight into Vatican II by shifting the framework of its analysis: from men to women, from urban to suburban, from theory to practice. Using the story of her Catholic mother's life as a narrative thread, McDannell presents in The Spirit of Vatican II a refreshingly positive portrayal of the state of modern Catholicism -- and a testament to the lasting effects of its liberalization.

"The essays collected in this book aim to give the reader an overview of the theological and pastoral nature of the diaconate and thus to clarify the fundamental identity of the deacon, for those who are discerning such a call as aspirants and those who are already candidates for the office." --From Introduction.

Vatican II was the first council in the story of Catholic Christianity to deserve being labeled intercontinental and intercultural. What has been its impact? How should one describe and evaluate its reception by Catholics and its wider follow-up among others? How should this twenty-first council be heard, received, and lived as we move further ahead into the twenty-first century? What perspectives does it offer for the future to those who seek to assimilate it creatively? As a leading theologian, the author uses a highly personal approach in answering these and many other questions, which makes for a compulsively readable book that illuminates the workings of the Church. Living Vatican II explores the liturgical renewal after Vatican II, the reception of the Council's moral teaching, the impact of Vatican II on theology, and the work of some key institutions in Rome and elsewhere toward implementing the teaching and decisions of this council. Finally, the book offers insightful suggestions about the future of the Church. Book jacket.

For the first time, this volume takes a global and comparative approach to the lived local history of Vatican II.

Develops a vision of the distinctive ministerial identity of deacons that is theologically rigorous and practically useful, combining two complementary images: "icon of Christ the servant" and "minister of the threshold."

Taken together, these questions explore the role of deacons in the contemporary church, the formation of deacons, what it is like to live as a deacon, and the role of deacons as ministers of the word, the liturgy, and as apostolic leaders in service.

To commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the restoration of the diaconate as a permanent and stable order of ministry in the United States, the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University undertook a contemporary study of the diaconate in the United States. Building on studies completed in 1981 and 1995 as well as annual research that CARA has conducted for the USCCB since 2005, CARA designed a comprehensive study of deacons, their wives, diaconate directors, and bishops to explore all aspects of this ministry. This book explores trends in the diaconate as well as current and emerging opportunities and challenges in the ministry. Deacons and their wives, diaconate directors, and bishops share insights about how those trends impact diaconal ministry today and into the future.