"St. Timothy's Half-Century:

The Catholic Church Since Vatican II"

Date: SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2012
6:30pm-7:30pm
St. Timothy Church

As St. Timothy's celebrates its 50th anniversary as a parish, another golden jubilee of immense influence on our Church is also being honored: the opening of the Second Vatican Council on October 11, 1962.

In October of 1962, with the cornerstone of the new St. Timothy Church laid, prospective parishioners of the new parish watched as the Second Vatican Council convened in Rome. Called by Pope John XXIII, the goal of this Council was to examine the role of the Church in the modern world, to bring the Church "up to date," and to provide the opportunity for the Church to engage with the modern world.

Just like St. Timothy parish, the work of the council was born and began to take root in the world during the past fifty years. In contemplating how to mark our parish's anniversary, we realized that it would be quite appropriate to explore the impact of this Council on the lives of Catholics, both here in our parish and throughout the world.

We are blessed to count as one of our own parishioners, Andrew Bacevich, a professor of history at Boston University. He graciously agreed to help organize a panel discussion, where several renowned experts in the fields of Catholic history, ethics, and culture, will come together to share their thoughts on the impact of the Council on Catholicism.


Our guest speakers will include the following distinguished speakers and authors (click their names for further detailed biographical information):

Andrew J. Bacevich Professor of History and International Relations Boston University	Lisa Sowle Cahill Professor of Theology Boston College
David J. O'Brien Professor emeritus of History College of the Holy Cross	Fr. J. Bryan Hehir Professor of Religion Harvard Divinity School Secretary of Social Services, Archdiocese of Boston

The decisions and teachings of this Council are expressed in the 16 documents that were produced by the Council in its meetings from 1962-1965. In the years that followed, many, many more decrees and exhortations would further expound on and elucidate the teachings of the Council fathers, touching on all aspects of Catholic life and thought: sacraments, liturgy, social justice, ethics and much more.

What has been the impact of the Second Vatican Council on the Church throughout the world, and on American Catholicism in particular?

Join us for an evening presentation that will shed light on these questions and urge each of us to consider them more deeply.

Links to additional articles and resources on the Second Vatican Council can be found by clicking on the link in the submenu on the upper left of this page.