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BOOK
Notes
Living Vatican II: The 21st Council for the 21st
Century by Gerald O’Collins, S.J. Paulist Press, 2006.
Reviewed by VOTF secretary Gaile Pohlhaus
How often have you heard, “If you only read
one book in the next three months, read…”?
Well, you are hearing it again. Living Vatican
II is
one of those books that is readable, interesting and
helpful. The author is a theology professor who speaks
and writes clear English. O’Collins lived through
the Council during his training as a Jesuit and his
own career and writing. His Fundamental Theology and
Interpreting Jesus are already considered classics.
This book should be especially useful for members
of VOTF. In addition to the nine solid chapters, the
appendixes, the notes, and the bibliography are treasure
troves of information. In the first chapter O’Collins
sets the personal context for both writing and reading
the book. The second chapter investigates the things
that have helped and hindered the implementation of
the Council. Chapter three explores how we can receive
the teachings of the Council.
The most obvious of the changes wrought by Vatican
II were the liturgical changes and these are explored
in chapter four. O’Collins asks, “Do we
have a richer and more grace- filled liturgy since
Vatican II?” You may be surprised by his answer.
O’Collins goes on to discuss the Council’s
moral teaching, our relations with others (other Christians,
Jews, Moslems, and other faith traditions), and then
he develops a theology for the Church and the World.
His ending comments are on the “Coming Church” and
his own dreams for the Church. He quotes Pope John
XXIII quoting St. Augustine, “Let there be unity
in what is necessary, freedom in what is doubtful and
charity in everything.” Good words for all of
us to live by.
Double Crossed: Uncovering the Catholic Church’s
Betrayal of American Nuns by Kenneth A. Briggs, Doubleday,
2006. Available at www.amazon.com.
[Kenneth Briggs is a former religion editor for the
New York Times.]
Reviewed by Julie McConville, VOTF Boston, MA
Kenneth Briggs exposes how religious women after Vatican
II were “Double Crossed”
by the American hierarchy on orders from Rome. Women
in black habits have always been central to our Catholic
cultural and educational experiences. Many families
had a relative who was a nun. Briggs describes who
these holy women were and what happened behind closed
convent doors. As a result of interviews with women
from many religious orders, he learned of several motivations
for a religious vocation: an attraction to a spiritual
life; being valued members of a community with a shared
purpose; intellectual and professional opportunities;
and a commitment to service and social justice. But,
along with security and status, as holy members of
the Church, came the domination by clergy and bishops
(the “old boys club”), headed by the pope
with “infallible” power over the Church.
Religious communities were thriving right through
the 1950’s. Each religious order was headed by
a Mother Superior, whose authority was chain-linked
to Rome and by whom their constitution was approved.
Things ran smoothly. Educated religious women managed
hospitals, colleges and diocesan schools and less educated
women were the worker bees on a twenty-year education
plan of summer sessions.
After WW II and before Vatican II, two nuns started
the Sister Formation Conference to provide a four-year
college degree before a nun was sent out to work. With
this movement, convent doors opened a crack to reform
and renewal. Unlike the clergy, these religious women
were already working in the “Church in the Modern
World” and were creative, innovative and using
their skills in communication, decision-making and
problem-solving.
As an implementation of Vatican II, each religious
order was sent a mandate from Rome, “Perfectae
Caritatis”. Religious communities accepted this
document as a call to rearrange religious life. The
two guidelines were “to return to the source
and purpose of your community as reflected in the gospels” and “to
make the necessary adjustments to be compatible with
the conditions of the times” (modernity).
Throwing off their “load of wool” was
one of their first responses to “Perfectae Caritatis” and
in their new attire, they were off and running against
the backdrop of a shocked, frightened, angry, hierarchy.
Order and unity could be restored if every nun would
just return to that black wool dress, veil and beads
and be obedient, humble and unquestioning once again.
Frozen in tradition and not knowing how to handle change,
the hierarchy did the wrong things for the wrong reasons
and, as a result, lost a great resource of free labor
for the Catholic Church. Voice of the Faithful, does
this sound familiar?
Responding to this pastoral conflict with the nuns,
the hierarchy fell back on power, the only clerical
resource they possessed, with their grilling, inquisitions,
deposing of dissenters and calling them “crazy
women.” Quoting Briggs, “Rome was in there
disrupting, fuming and arm-wrestling at every turn.” All
these negatively-charged antics caused continued grievances,
frustration, loss of time and energy on reform, disillusionment
and the consequent exodus of many nuns. “Rome
has spoken”; and Rome kept reminding these women
that the hierarchy is the final word on every issue.
We ask, Who is “Rome”? Who will not dialogue
but hides behind the magisterium, doctrine and canon
law? What can Voice of the Faithful readers learn from
this poignant piece of Catholic history? How do we
as Voice of the Faithful respond? How do we become
the Church WE want to be? Pray for conversion? Ignore
the hierarchy? Question them? Challenge them? Isn’t
it easier to ask forgiveness than permission? Work
harder to inform and better educate parishioners in
the pews? Kenneth Brigg’s book has done this
well.
Mary Daniel Turner, a liberal, thoughtful, former
president of the Leadership
Conference of Women Religious was asked by the author, “What
could be done to
reverse this sad spiral of events”? She said, “If
we could get the hunger and thirst for God with the
hunger and thirst for justice, then we’d understand
what a new paradigm is all about.” Let us look
to this book and others to find answers while we move
forward as voices to be heard. Julie and Frank McConville,
VOTF Boston, MA
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