Mémoires

by Louis Bouyer, Jean Duchesne (Afterword)

Louis Bouyer - "le moins conformiste et parmi les plus traditionnels" des théologiens catholiques selon le cardinal Lustiger - fait partie des figures incontournables du siècle dernier. Ces Mémoires inédits, rédigés sans langue de bois, avec modestie et humour mais toujours avec acuité, font participer le lecteur aux grands événements qui ont bouleversé le monde et l'Eglise au XXe siècle. Ils forment ainsi une chronique et une réflexion passionnantes sur la modernité à laquelle le fait religieux est confronté. Au-delà de l'histoire de la redécouverte des sources de la Tradition, c'est une vie foisonnante et totalement originale, consacrée à la recherche doctrinale et spirituelle, résolument œcuménique et ancrée dans la réalité, que nous raconte Bouyer. Du protestantisme au catholicisme auquel il se convertit, de sa charge de pasteur à celle de prêtre de l'Oratoire, de l'humble vie paroissiale à la rédaction des documents préparatoires au concile Vatican II aux côtés de Congar, de Lubac, Daniélou ou encore von Balthasar, sans omettre l'enseignement dans les plus prestigieuses universités françaises et anglo-saxonnes, ce grand admirateur de John Henry Newman dresse un panorama des illusions et des désillusions de toute une époque.

Genres: Theology, Biography, Memoir, France, History, Nonfiction

336 pages, Paperback

First published May 20, 2014

About the author

Rev. Louis Bouyer (1913-2004) was a member of the French Oratory and one of the most respected and versatile Catholic scholars and theologians of the twentieth century.

A friend of Hans Urs von Balthasar, Joseph Ratzinger, and J.R.R. Tolkien, and a co-founder of the international review Communio, Bouyer was a former Lutheran minister who entered the Catholic Church in 1939.

He became a leading figure in the Catholic biblical and liturgical movements of the twentieth century, was an influence on the Second Vatican Council, and became well known for his excellent books on history of Christian spirituality. In addition to his many writings, Bouyer lectured widely across Europe and America.

Woman in the Church (with an epilogue by Balthasar and an essay by C.S. Lewis), was one of the first three books published by Ignatius Press, in 1979. Other Ignatius Press books by Bouyer include The Word Church and Sacraments in Protestantism and Catholicism, Women Mystics, and the introduction to John Henry Newman: Prayers Verses Devotions (Bouyer wrote a biography of Newman).

He was chosen by the Pope to be part of a team to initiate the International Theological Commission in 1969.

Reviews

[Fr. Peter Mottola · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fruit of a life spent in contemplative self-reflection, Bouyer's memoirs are a must-read for anyone interested in the liturgical movement before, during, and after the Second Vatican Council. To give some indication of the importance of Bouyer's contribution: his book entitled "The Paschal Mystery" is the origin of that now-ubiquitous phrase: a phrase which "Christian Latin [...] does not have; [...] furthermore, there has never been an equivalent formula in Greek"! (p. 156)
Bouyer was a friend of many well-known persons of the time (e.g., Pope Paul VI, J.R.R. Tolkien, Joseph Ratzinger), and was a close collaborator with many others (e.g. Jean Daniélou, Yves Congar, Hans Urs von Balthasar). Bouyer's memoirs, which he commanded to be published only after his death, have at times a scathing honestly about them. But above all they are insightful perspective on what is was like to be a convert, a priest, and a lover of the liturgy in those heady days in the middle of the twentieth century.
If your only interest is in the history of the liturgical revisions, that topic has been more fully treated elsewhere, but these memoirs paint in vivid colors the circumstances and personalities that gave rise to those momentous changes.

[John Mcchesney-young · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chatty, rather rambling memoir, with arguably excessive footnotes by the editor or translator - admittedly easy to ignore when not of interest. I'm not sure what I expected but I ended up not particularly liking Bouyer, which may well say more about me than him. Don't come to it thinking you'll get a standard autobiography, much less a history of 20th century liturgical theology.

[Charles Coyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

First class.

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a thrilling read, but taken for what it is, it is well written. Fr Bouyer, having been such an influential figure in the 20th-century Church, shares some great memories and personal insights. The chapter on the Council is, unfortunately, scandalizing.

The final chapter, wherein Fr Bouyer reflects on his life as a whole, especially in its dusk, contains, between the lines, a great deal of wisdom.

Being memoirs - a primary document, so to speak, I was at times conflicted about how to digest some of the words on page. For example: did Fr Bouyer have any motivation to reveal (or keep hidden) the information that he does? Is what he writes trustworthy? (As a Catholic, I should like to think so; but as a trained historian, I cannot help but ask these questions.)

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was deeply impressed by the attentiveness of this man's intellect to the persons, places, and times that were part of his life, and his literate evocation of them for the reader. He was a Lutheran pastor who became Catholic, and played an important role in the Second Vatican Council. I found this a fascinating read.

[Irving H. Bennett N. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A look into the mind and soul of a good priest.

I am not a fan of reading lengthy descriptions of scenery or travels. My interest is in the II Vatican Council and the liturgy, of which Buyer was an expert and participant. His first hand knowledge is invaluable. I had to wade through a lot of trivia to get to the gold nuggets.

[Adam DeVille, Ph.D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very important and revealing memoirs from a man who was involved with the greatest catastrophe of 20th-century Catholicism: the destruction of the Latin liturgical tradition after 1965. I review the memoirs in detail here: http://easternchristianbooks.blogspot...

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I usually dislike biographies and autobiographies but bouyer and I have similar interests, so I found this book to be endlessly entertaining. The man was friends with every major Catholic since WWII and has a great story for each. And it's part of the amazon lending library if you have a kindle!