Monday, December 19, 2011
CHRISTMAS LITURGIES AT ST. PHILIP NERI
Saturday, Dec. 24
5:30pm Family Mass
9:00pm Vigil Mass (caroling starts at 8:30pm)
Sunday, Dec. 25
8:30/10:30 Masses
Monday, December 12, 2011
Advent Reconciliation Service
Our Advent Reconciliation Service is this Wednesday, December 14 at 7:00pm. All are welcome
Monday, October 10, 2011
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
One person's guide to reading on Vatican II
One man's guide to reading on Vatican II
Monday, August 22, 2011
By Online Editor
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The Second Vatican Council remains an important milestone in the history of the church. Consider Ken Trainor's reading list a primer.
By guest blogger Ken Trainor
I had reason and occasion to educate myself about Vatican II during the past year and a half while working on a book, and I found it a tremendously affirming, stimulating, and inspiring exercise. With the 50th anniversary of the opening of Vatican II looming next year (October 11, 2012), everyone has just enough time to rediscover this long-ignored and/or taken-for-granted council.
In fact, I urge all Catholics--conservative, moderate and progressive--to read up on this amazing convocation, called by many the most important religious event of the 20th century. I think you’ll find it has much to say to us still, not just in the documents themselves, but in the actions that produced those documents. There is much, much more to the story of Vatican II than the documents themselves, though more conservative Catholics will try to tell you otherwise.
What I learned was how far off track the pre-Vatican II Catholic Church was, how badly the Vatican II reforms were needed, and most importantly, how badly we need them still.
Many, many books have been written about Vatican II, but for a solid, basic understanding of what led up to the council, what went on there, and what happened after, I found the following books informative, accessible and quite readable:
What Happened at Vatican II by Rev. John O’Malley (Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2008) If you read only one book on Vatican II in the next year, this should be the one. It not only covers what happened during the Council, but sets the stage, providing context with background on “the long 19th century” leading up to Vatican II. And O’Malley takes an admirably centrist approach to this topic.
A Brief History of Vatican II by Giuseppe Alberigo (Orbis Books, 2005)Alberigo is best known for co-editing the definitive five-volume History of Vatican II with Joseph Komonchak. This is a more personal capsule summary from possibly the most authoritative non-clerical Vatican II eyewitness. Short and very readable.
Receiving the Council by Rev. Ladislas Orsy (Liturgical Press, 2009)Orsy is one of the foremost authorities on canon law. He combines a great mind with a great heart and great faith to humanize a topic that by all rights should bore us to tears. This is an amazing book, even if you have no familiarity with canon law. You’ll never look at Vatican II the same way again.
The American Catholic Revolution: How the ’60s Changed the Church Forever by Rev. Mark S. Massa (Oxford University Press, 2010) Massa goes in-depth on the aftermath of Vatican II in this country. This is absolutely essential reading if you want to understand the turmoil and turbulence that occurred in the American Church in the late 1960s.
Why I Am a Catholic by Garry Wills (Houghton Mifflin, 2002) (particularly Part IV, “The Vatican II Church”) Wills, a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, combines the skills of a scholar with probing and incisive personal commentary.
Practicing Catholic by James Carroll, (Mariner Books, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009) Carroll’s memoir unfolds with Vatican II and its aftermath as an ever-present backdrop. This former Paulist priest and longtime author and newspaper columnist brings impressive academic credentials and sincere devotion to his examination of the Council and its effect (or lack thereof). His story about Cardinal Cushing alone makes it a great read.
The Catholic Revolution--New Wine, Old Wineskins, and the Second Vatican Council by Andrew Greeley, (University of California Press, 2004) Greeley is a hoot. He’s not easily pegged as either a conservative or a progressive (at least when it comes to Vatican II and its consequences). He’s not at all shy about giving both sides a hard time. But he brings the added dimension of years of sociological research that lends substance and credibility to his comments and also lances many of the persistent myths held by those on both ends of the Catholic spectrum.
The Documents of Vatican II, Rev. Walter Abbott, general editor (Guild Press, America Press, Association Press, 1966) Start with the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World (Gaudium et Spes), followed by the Declaration on Religious Freedom (Dignitatis Humanae) and the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium). From there, go where you like. Keep in mind that, contrary to the conservative Catholic view, if all you know about Vatican II is what you read in the official documents, you really don’t know much about it at all.
Pacem in Terris, Pope John XXIII’s last encyclical was released on April 11, 1963, less than two months before he died of stomach cancer. Though he was theologically conservative, John was way ahead of his time socially. His encyclical is still visionary and reading it remains an illuminating experience.
More than anything else, educating yourself about Vatican II will give you a new appreciation for how the Holy Spirit is very much alive and working through this fallible, human institution.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
The Vatican and Climate Change
VATICAN CITY -- A Vatican-appointed panel of scientists has reported what climate change experts have been warning for years: the Earth is getting warmer, glaciers are melting, and urgent measures are necessary to stem the damage.
The scientists called for urgent reduction of carbon dioxide emissions and reductions in methane and other pollutants that warm the air, and for improved observation of mountain glaciers to better track their changes.
The Pontifical Academy of Sciences, a Vatican advisory panel, hosted a conference last month on the causes and consequences of retreating mountain glaciers. Its final report, dated May 5 and signed by independent glaciologists, climate scientists, meteorologists and chemists, was posted on the Vatican website Tuesday.
"We appeal to all nations to develop and implement, without delay, effective and fair policies to reduce the causes and impacts of climate change on communities and ecosystems, including mountain glaciers and their watersheds, aware that we all live in the same home," the report said.
"We are committed to ensuring that all inhabitants of this planet receive their daily bread, fresh air to breathe and clean water to drink as we are aware that, if we want justice and peace, we must protect the habitat that sustains us."
The Vatican spokesman, Rev. Federico Lombardi, said the document was "important" but is not a piece of the church's key teachings and merely reflects the conclusions of the independent scientists involved.
That said, he noted that it was a "significant scientific contribution" to the concerns that Pope Benedict XVI has voiced in both his encyclicals and public statements.
Benedict has been dubbed the "green pope" for his environmental concerns: In 2008, the Vatican installed photovoltaic cells on the roof of its main auditorium. A year later it installed a solar cooling unit for its main cafeteria. The Vatican has also joined a reforestation project aimed at offsetting its CO2 emissions.
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