Keys to the Council: Unlocking the Teaching of Vatican II

by Richard R. Gaillardetz, Catherine E. Clifford

As the church marks the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, too few Catholics have an adequate grasp of what the council contributed to the life of the church. The problem is understandable. The Second Vatican Council produced, by far, more document pages than any other council. Consequently, any attempt to master its core teachings can be daunting. There is a danger of missing the forest for the trees. With this in mind, Keys to the Council identifies twenty key conciliar passages, central texts that help us appreciate the vision of the council fathers. Each chapter places the given passage in its larger historical context, explores its fundamental meaning and significance, and finally considers its larger significance for the life of the church today. Chapters include exploration of Sacrosanctum Concilium s demand for full, conscious, and active participation in the liturgy; Lumen Gentium s eucharistic ecclesiology; Gaudium et Spes s vision of marriage as an intimate partnership of life and love; Nostra Aetate s approach to non-Christian religions; and more.

Genres: Religion, Catholic, Theology, Christianity, Nonfiction, History

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Richard R. Gaillardetz, Ph.D. (Theology, University of Notre Dame, 1991; M.A., Systematic Theology, Notre Dame, 1990; M.A., Biblical Theology, St. Mary’s University, 1984; B.A., Humanities, University of Texas, Austin, 1981) is the Joseph Professor of Catholic Systematic Theology and Chair of the Theology Department in the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences at Boston College. Previously, he was Margaret and Thomas Murray and James J. Bacik Professor Catholic Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Toledo (Ohio), and he has held multiple posts with the Catholic Theological Society of America, including President 2013–14. In 2018 he received the Yves Congar Award for Theological Excellence at Barry University.

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting to see the history behind Vatican II, and how much is not known or misunderstood. Then, how much more needs to be done on this journey.

[Cori · Rating 4 out of 5]

The pope asked Catholics to study Vatican II in 2023, and this book was recommended by my parish who was offering book studies of it. This book was very readable and organized. It chunked by topic and would define in text important vocabulary, including prefixes and suffixes.

What I especially enjoyed about this book is the great historical context the author put some of these ideas. I felt like it gave a good comprehensive explanation of how past church teachings impacted how the church interacted with the world (for good and bad), and the discussions around reforming during Vatican II.

I would get into the history and discussion, but at the end of each chapter I would have liked a clear "before" and "after" recap on each topic.

[Jan Petrozzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good supplement to several of the documents promulgated during Vatican II. I found it super helpful as I read this book for a class and was pleasantly surprised because I normally find this author dry and sleep-inducing.

[B Bevans · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I have read on Vatican II. There were several light bulb moments, wonderful insights. Excellently presented and very in depth.

[Gil Michelini · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author selected 20 articles from the 16 Vatican II documents that they consider to be the keys to understanding the specific documents and the message of the Council. I found the style easy to read and the format as if the authors--both university professors--had written it for their students as an introduction to the Council.

If you want a little more understanding of the teaching of the council without the depth of theological study, I would recommend this book.