The Second Vatican Council (1962–65) called for the renewal of all religious institutes in the Catholic Church. The Congregation of the Holy Spirit (Spiritans) responded initially under the leadership of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Different interpretations of Vatican II caused divisions culminating in Lefebvre’s departure from the congregation. From this difficult starting-point the Spiritans sought to redefine themselves in creative fidelity to their founding intention, the spirit of Vatican II, and the “signs of the times.” Spiritan Life and Mission since Vatican II recounts this journey of renewal in three parts: the Spiritan world before Vatican II and the election of Archbishop Lefebvre as superior general in 1962; the “ad experimentum” period culminating with a new rule of life in 1986; and the implementation of this new rule as interpreted through inter-congregational discourse, particularly the general chapters of 1992, 1998, and 2004. The development of thinking on the church’s mission and the congregation’s rediscovery of the founding charisms of Claude Poullart des Places and Francis Libermann provide the parameters for this positive interpretation of the Spiritan journey of renewal. Its evolution in the third millennium into a multicultural, international missionary community of some three-thousand members from over sixty countries in service of the Missio Dei bears testimony to this.

Fifty years after the promulgation of the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, a great moment has dawned in which a more dispassionate assessment of the reception of this important document has become imperative in order to enable the Church to undertake necessary steps in realizing the full potential of the renewal envisaged by the Council Fathers. The present study identifies peculiar and diverse challenges confronting the process of reception in the Nsukka Diocese/Nigerian Church today. However, the author acknowledges that the full reception of Sacrosanctum Concilium is still a work-in-progress. Uchenna Aba is a Catholic priest in Nsukka, Nigeria, and currently the Chaplain of St. Martin's Parish, Goch, Diocese of Muenster, Germany. Dissertation. [Subject: Religious Studies, African Studies]

This volume considers the various ways in which Vatican II and its teaching on education has been received and engages with the challenges and testing times that beset faith-based education in the twenty-first century.

Receptive Ecumenism is a ground-breaking new ecumenical approach, widely regarded as having the potential to revitalise the Ecumenical Movement. But what is Receptive Ecumenism? Why is it important? In Receptive Ecumenism and the Renewal of the Ecumenical Movement, Antonia Pizzey offers a comprehensive, systematic analysis of Receptive Ecumenism. While still emerging, Receptive Ecumenism is highly promising because it prioritises the need for ecclesial conversion. Pizzey explores the scope and complexity of Receptive Ecumenism, providing much-needed clarity on its aim, key developmental influences and distinctiveness, as well as its virtuous character and relationship with Spiritual Ecumenism. The major implementations of Receptive Ecumenism to date are investigated, along with its significance for the future of ecumenism, especially regarding its engagement with contemporary challenges.

The Second Vatican Council (1963-65) changed the face of modern Catholicism in bringing it into a positive relationship with modern culture. There were significant changes in Catholic thought and practice regarding major topics. This timely and significant book looks at those major issues: revelation, liturgy, the church, ecumenism, world religions, mission, the role of Mary, and the future of the Church. The reader is introduced to the content of Vatican II documents, debates around their interpretation and the manner of their implementation. The essays are written by the leading figures in the Catholic Church and allow the reader to see the Council's impact upon modern Catholicism and engagement with the modern world.

Following the Second Vatican Council, when each Religious Institute was encouraged to research its charism, some Institutes experienced a tension between their charism and their mission, or even difficulty identifying what their charism was. This book is a study of the theological understanding of charism and of mission in relation to Religious Life within the Catholic Church. While this topic has featured in much Roman Catholic theological literature since Vatican II, there appears to be a dearth of in-depth studies. This book addresses this apparent lacuna. It draws particularly on the work of two major theologians, Jean-Marie Roger Tillard OP and Sandra Marie Schneiders IHM, who have reflected at length on charism and mission in the period leading up to Vatican II and on the implementation of its documents with respect to Religious Life. The very significant contributions of Tillard and Schneiders on the topic provide Religious, as well as others who want to know and understand Religious Life, with an interesting and motivating insight into charism and mission in Religious Life. Within the Roman Catholic Church, a “Year of Consecrated Life” has just drawn to a close, and this book forms a background and a response to Pope Francis’ Apostolic Letter to “all Consecrated People on the occasion of the Year of Consecrated Life” (November 2014), which invited Religious to reflect on these aspects that are essential to the life they have chosen to live.

Catholicism has always recognized the need for a normative doctrinal teaching authority. Yet the character, scope, and exercise of that authority, what has come to be called the magisterium, has changed significantly over two millennia. This book gathers contributions from leading Catholic scholars in considering new factors that must be taken into account as we consider the church's official teaching authority in today's postmodern context. Noted experts in their fields cover many intriguing topics here, including the investigation of theologians that has occurred in recent years, canonical perspectives on such investigations, the role that women religious have played in these issues, the place of the media when problems arise, and possible future ways forward The book concludes with "The Elizabeth Johnson Dossier," a selection of documents essential to understanding the case of Elizabeth Johnson, CSJ, whose work was recently the subject of severe criticism by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.Contributors include Bradford Hinze, James Coriden, Colleen Mallon, Ormond Rush, Gerard Mannion, Anthony Godzieba, Vincent Miller, Richard Gaillardetz, and Elizabeth Johnson.

As the Church enters its third millennium, it must take stock of its identity and mission. These essays in The Gift of the Church address the fundamental issues confronting the Church in its immediate future. Their authors represent the most prominent ecclesiologists of our time. Written in honor of Patrick Granfield, OSB, these essays form a textbook for classes in ecclesiology. They also are a useful tool for those engaged in various ministries in the Church to update themselves on the theology of different aspects of the Church. The first section of essays discusses ecclesiology in its historical development as well as its methodology; the second examines various aspects of the Church; and the third part presents the life and work of Patrick Granfield. The essays are clearly written and based on solid and extensive scholarship. Ecclesiology has been the central theme of theological reflections since Vatican II and may continue to be in the next millennium. This textbook fulfills in part Pope John Paul II's Vision for the Jubilee Year, when Christians, with a profound sense of commitment . . . will likewise express their gratitude for the gift of the Church." Essays and authors in Part One: Ecclesiology in Historical Context are "Theologies of the Church in the New Testament," by Frank J. Matera; "The Development of Ecclesiology: Early Church to the Reformation," by Eric Plumer; "The Development of Ecclesiology: Modernity to the Twentieth Century," by Michael J. Himes; "The Significance of Vatican Council II for Ecclesiology," by Joseph A. Komonchak; "The Ecclesiology of John Paul II," by Avery Dulles; "Ecumenical Ecclesiology," by Michael A. Fahey; and "Theological Method for Ecclesiology," by Pedro Rodriquez. Essays and authors in Part Two: Contemporary Ecclesiology are "The Church as Communion," by Susan K. Wood; "The Church as Worshiping Community," by Gerard Austin; "The Ecclesial Dimension of Anthropology," by Michael J. Scanlon; "The Ecclesial Dimension of Spirituality," by George Tavard;"The Evangelizing Mission of the Church," by Francis A.Sullivan; "Salvation Outside the Church," by John P. Galvin; "The Social Mission of the Church: Its Changing Context," by T. Howland Sanks; "Ministries in the Church," by John Ford; "The Papacy," by Richard P. McBrien; "The Episcopacy," by Hermann J. Pottmeyer; "The Teaching Office of the Church," by John P. Boyle; "The Church and the Law," by Thomas J. Green; "The Laity," by Jon Nilson; "Women and the Church," by Sara Butler; and "Mary and the Church," by Frederick M. Jelly. Essays and authors in Part Three: A North American Ecclesiology: The Theological Achievement of Patrick Granfield are "Patrick Granfield: A Biographical Essay," by David Granfield; "A North American Ecclesiology: The Achievement of Patrick Granfield," by Peter C. Phan; and "Bibliography of Patrick Granfield," compiled by David Granfield. The book also includes an introduction by Peter Phan and a list of abbreviations. Peter C. Phan, PhD, STD, DD, is the Warren-Blanding Professor of Religion and Culture in the department of religion and religious education at The Catholic University of America. He is the author and editor of several books and over a hundred essays on various aspects of Christian theology. "