Richard R. Gaillardetz (1958-2023), held the Joseph Chair of Catholic Systematic Theology at Boston College. He published numerous articles and authored or edited twelve books, including An Unfinished Council: Vatican II, Pope Francis, and the Renewal of Catholicism and Keys to the Council: Unlocking the Teaching of Vatican II (co-authored with Catherine Clifford), both published by Liturgical Press. He was a contributor to Give Us This Day. Gaillardetz was a delegate on the US Catholic-Methodist Ecumenical Dialogue and served as president of the Catholic Theological Society of America between 2013 and 2014.
In An Unfinished Council, Richard R. Gaillardetz extends a
compelling invitation to the Roman Catholic Church to take the next
steps in its faithful pilgrimage. Beginning with an exploration of
the theological principles and historical realities operative
before, during, and after Vatican II, Gaillardetz proceeds to
highlight humility and magnanimity as essential ecclesial virtues
that develop authentic self-understanding and create collaboration
rather than competition. By examining Pope Francis's reception of
Vatican II, Gaillardetz encourages his readers to be architects of
the church's communion and mission who engage the periphery through
listening and subsidiarity. An Unfinished Council is an accessible,
insightful, and timely call for the church to engage today in
ongoing reform through critical reception of the past and with hope
for the future.
Amanda C. Osheim, Assistant Professor of Practical Theology,Loras
College
An Unfinished Council is a hopeful book by one of the church's
foremost interpreters of Vatican II. Avoiding simplistic
sound-bites and worn-out clichés, Gaillardetz offers a fresh
account of the council, ready for the new life breathed into the
church by Pope Francis. This is a mature and magnanimous vision
that, like Francis, reminds us that we all have a role to play in
the ongoing reform and renewal of the church. Everyone—from the
beginning undergraduate to the seasoned pastor—can learn something
from Gaillardetz.
Edward P. Hahnenberg, PhD, Author of Theology for Ministry: An
Introduction for Lay Ministers
Gaillardetz is a master builder at the site of a new church under
construction. Here he probes and assesses with precision the
lingering remnants of obsolete pre-Vatican II church structures and
practices. And with inspiring resolve and creativity he contributes
to a synthetic interpretation of Vatican II's ecclesiological
achievement. His blueprint accentuates the power of the Spirit in
confronting the misuse of hierarchic power, while creating a new
noncompetitive ordering of relationships in the church, motivated
by magnanimity and humility.
Bradford Hinze, Fordham University
An Unfinished Council is an important synthesis of the meaning of
Vatican II for the contemporary church, especially for the broad
ideological spectrum of Catholic political engagement. It
demonstrates how to resist the polarizing ideological divides
facing Catholicism in America today.
Dr. Massimo Faggioli, Director, Institute for Catholicism and
Citizenship, University of St. Thomas
The Second Vatican Council awakened Catholic consciousness to the
time-conditioned nature of the church as a human community led
through history toward its final fulfillment by the dynamic of
God's Spirit. As such, it will always be an unfinished building
project. Building on this metaphor, Richard R. Gaillardetz invites
us to consider the unfinished business of receiving the council's
central insights, developing a synthetic reading of its teaching
apt to inform the pastoral life and missional witness of Catholics
in today's world. He argues convincingly that Pope Francis presents
Catholics with a fuller integration of Vatican II's enduring
significance for our time, especially in his holistic vision of the
church as a community of missionary disciples, confidently assuming
responsibility for humble self-examination, ongoing renewal and
reform, dialogical engagement within the church and with others,
proclaiming the mercy and justice of God. Superbly written,
abalanced, creative, and insightful reading of the challenges and
opportunities facing contemporary Catholicism.
Catherine E. Clifford, Professor of Systematic and Historical
Theology, Saint Paul University, Ottawa
Coming from one of the eminent ecclesiologists in the Catholic
Church today, this book is a substantial contribution to the
literature on Vatican II and, indeed, takes it on a new trajectory.
Using his image of "seven pillars," Gaillardetz succinctly captures
the structure of a Vatican II church. With his perceptive analysis
of the council's implicit vision of "non-competitive" ecclesial
relationships in a church that is "magnanimous" and "humble,"
Gaillardetz has given us a compelling account of the work that
still needs to be done, if the vision of Vatican II is to be
realized. For anyone wanting keen insight into the reform agenda of
the council, and its implications for today, An Unfinished Council
provides an inspiring guide.
Ormond Rush, Australian Catholic University
The advent of Pope Francis has been the catalyst for a new phase in
the reception of Vatican II. What remains constant, however, is the
church's need for reliable guides to the council and its documents,
guides that also offer insight into the challenges of faithfully
appropriating Vatican II in the present. Rick Gaillardetz's An
Unfinished Council is such a guide, one that highlights the
pastoral wisdom inherent in rich theological scholarship.
Richard Lennan, Boston College, School of Theology and Ministry
"An Unfinished Council goes beyond another synthetic account
of the documents of the Second Vatican Council by offering a
program for renewal for the contemporary church."Ella
Johnson, Catholic Books Review
|
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
|
