Matthew 16:18 New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE) – And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
Part 0 of 17 of my “Documents of Vatican II” series
Key Terms:
Holy See – The Holy See, aka: See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City; Vatican government.
Pope – The pope is the bishop of Rome and the head of the worldwide Catholic Church.
Cardinal – A cardinal is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. As a contributing member of the clergy of the Diocese of Rome, they serve as advisors to the pope.
Bishop – An ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of holy orders and is responsible for teaching doctrine, governing Catholics in his jurisdiction, sanctifying the world, and representing the church.
Liturgy – Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group.
Promulgate – to make (an idea, belief, etc.) known to many people by open declaration.
Laity – In religious organizations, consists of all members who are not part of the clergy, including any non-ordained members of religious orders, e.g., a nun or a lay brother/sister.
Ecumenism – the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships among their churches and promote Christian unity.
Overview:
Welcome all to this behemoth of a project that I am about to embark on. I want to preface that this post will not be like my usual writings as this is meant to serve as more of a master index for my upcoming series on the 16 documents that arose from the Vatican II conference between 1962-1965. My intention for this initial post is to give an overview of some key terms and foundational knowledge about the structure and ideology of the Catholic Church and Faith.
What is Vatican II and why you should care:
Vatican II is “The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the Second Vatican Council or Vatican II, was the 21st and most recent ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. The council met each autumn from 1962 to 1965 in St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City for sessions of 8 and 12 weeks.”
Essentially it is the Catholic Reformation project in an attempt to revamp ancient traditions and rituals to adapt them to the modern world. For example, one change includes allowing Catholic mass to be performed in the local languages, not just Latin.
In simple terms, if you are a modern-day Catholic, or have any interest, curiosity, or questions about how the modern Catholic faith operates and thinks, then knowing these documents is essential to a well-rounded understanding.
Now, seeing that the 16 documents have a combined word count of ~ 155,000 words, my goal is to consolidate the key ideas into distinct and digestible blog posts and videos.
Yes, I will in fact be reading every single of those ~155,000 words
All documents can be sourced from and found on the official Vatican website found below:
Quick notes:
The 16 Documents of Vatican II
1. Sacrosanctum concilium – “Sacred council”
Summary: Constitution On the Sacred Liturgy
Facts: Approved 2,147 to 4 and promulgated by Pope Paul VI on 4 December 1963
Word count: ~12,500 words
You should read if…
- Coming soon…
Video Companion:
2. Inter Mirifica –
“Among the Marvels”
Summary: Decree On the Means of Social Communication
Facts: Decreed by the Council and promulgated on December 4, 1963 by Pope Paul VI.
Word count: ~3000 words
You should read if…
- Coming soon…
Video Companion:
3. Lumen Gentium –
“Light of the Nations”
Summary: Dogmatic Constitution On the Church.
Facts: Approved 2,151 to 5 and promulgated by Pope Paul VI on 21 November 1964.
Word count: ~26,000 words
You should read if…
- Coming soon…
Video Companion:
4. Orientalium Ecclesiarum – “Eastern Churches”
Summary: Decree On the Catholic Churches of the Eastern Rite.
Facts: Approved 2,110 to 39 and promulgated by Pope Paul VI on 21 November 1964.
Word count: ~3,000 words
You should read if…
- Coming soon…
Video Companion:
5. Unitatis Redintegratio – “Reintegration of Unity”
Summary: Decree On Ecumenism.
Facts: Approved 2,137 to 11 and promulgated by Pope Paul VI on 21 November 1964.
Word count: ~7,000 words
You should read if…
- Coming soon…
Video Companion:
6. Christus Dominus –
“Christ the Lord”
Summary: Decree Concerning the Pastoral Office of Bishops in the Church.
Facts: Approved 2,319 to 2 and promulgated by Pope Paul VI on 28 October 1965.
Word count: ~9,000 words
You should read if…
- Coming soon…
Video Companion:
7. Perfectae Caritatis –
“Of Perfect Charity”
Summary: Decree On Renewal of Religious Life.
Facts: Approved 2,321 to 4 and promulgated by Pope Paul VI on 28 October 1965.
Word count: ~5,000 words
You should read if…
- Coming soon…
Video Companion:
8. Optatam Totius –
“Desired Whole”
Summary: Decree On Priestly Training.
Facts: Approved 2,318 to 3 and promulgated by Pope Paul VI on 28 October 1965.
Word count: ~5,000 words
You should read if…
- Coming soon…
Video Companion:
9. Gravissimum Educationis – “Serious Education”
Summary: Declaration On Christian Education.
Facts: Approved 2,290 to 35 and promulgated by Pope Paul VI on 28 October 1965.
Word count: ~4,000 words
You should read if…
- Coming soon…
Video Companion:
10. Nostra Aetate –
“In Our Time”
Summary: Declaration On the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions.
Facts: Approved 2,221 to 88 and promulgated by Pope Paul VI on 28 October 1965.
Word count: ~1,500 words
You should read if…
- Coming soon…
Video Companion:
11. Dei Verbum –
“The Word of God”
Summary: Dogmatic Constitution On Divine Revelation.
Facts: Approved 2,344 to 6 and promulgated by Pope Paul VI on 18 November 1965.
Word count: ~5,000 words
You should read if…
- Coming soon…
Video Companion:
12. Apostolicam Actuositatem – “Apostolic Activity”
Summary: Decree On the Apostolate of the Laity.
Facts: Approved 2,340 to 2 and promulgated by Pope Paul VI on 18 November 1965.
Word count: ~10,000 words
You should read if…
- Coming soon…
Video Companion:
13. Dignitatis Humanae –
“Of Human Dignity”
Summary: Declaration On Religious Freedom.
Facts: Approved 2,308 to 70 and promulgated by Pope Paul VI on 7 December 1965.
Word count: ~5,000 words
You should read if…
- Coming soon…
Video Companion:
14. Ad Gentes –
“To the Nations”
Summary: Decree On the Mission Activity of the Church.
Facts: Approved 2,394 to 5 and promulgated by Pope Paul VI on 7 December 1965.
Word count: ~15,000 words
You should read if…
Coming soon…
Video Companion:
15. Presbyterorum Ordinis – “Priests of the Order”
Summary: Decree On the Ministry and Life of Priests.
Facts: Approved 2,390 to 4 and promulgated by Pope Paul VI on 7 December 1965.
Word count: ~ 11,500 words
You should read if…
Coming soon…
Video Companion:
16. Gaudium et Spes –
“Joy and Hope”
Summary: Pastoral Constitution On the Church in the Modern World.
Facts: Approved 2,307 to 75 and promulgated by Pope Paul VI on 7 December 1965.
Word count: ~33,500 words
You should read if…
- Coming soon…
Video Companion:
Called to Order
A Catholic Apologist Archive
Disclaimer:
The opinions of Called to Order and it’s author Ryan Fegan, are personal beliefs and should not be held to the same level of importance as official church or biblical doctrine and/or teachings.
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