Standing on the Shoulders of Giants

A theologian reared in the post-Vatican II Council world; a Jesuit scholar in Rome 40 years ago when the council did its ground-breaking work; a bishop responsible for implementing the council’s work in his diocese, and a laywoman embracing the call to the lay vocation – all met at an EPS symposium in Weston, CT to engage in one of the central themes of the Second Vatican Council, the call to universal dialogue.

With two clergymen and three laypeople participating, dialogue between clergy and the laity was central to “Proclaiming the Jesus of Gaudium et spes,” the first symposium in a series of Education + Parish + Service symposia held in honor of both EPS’s 25th anniversary and the 40th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council.

Some 125 people attended the Oct. 23 event at St. Francis of Assisi Parish, Weston, CT.

The theme of dialogue – within the Church, and between the Church and the world – was echoed by each speaker.

“The point of dialogue is to
reason towards truth,” said keynote
speaker Dr. Nicholas Healy, who earned
his doctorate at Yale University and is
now associate professor and associate dean at St. John’s University, New York. “But we can move towards the truth by reasoning together, amicably.”

“Dialogue is not proud,” responded the Most Rev. William Lori, STD, Bishop of the Diocese of Bridgeport “it is not bitter; it is not offensive. Its authority is intrinsic to the truth it explains, to the charity it communicates, to the example it proposes. It is patient and generous.”

Healy challenged listeners not to shirk from respectful, charitable dialogue with other Christians and people of other or no faiths.

“To keep silent about the Gospel just to avoid controversy is a form of idolatry: the truth of Christ must come first, even if it divides us, father against son; mother against daughter, and so on.”

The role of the laity in dialogue within the Church was another key aspect of Gaudium et spes and the Vatican council, said Rev. Francis Sullivan, SJ, STD, Adjunct Professor at Boston College and renowned theologian who was teaching in Rome 40 years ago.

Using dialogue between laypeople and clergy in pastoral councils as an example, Fr. Sullivan said that by participating in such dialogue within the church the laity can help build up the Church’s spiritual health, and enable it to become a more effective instrument for spreading the Gospel.

Laywoman panelist and EPS graduate Mary Chalupsky said the laity needs to be fully formed, educated in the history, background and development of the Church. Laypeople must enter into dialogue with the Church and the world within the context of, and reverence for, the Mystical Body, of which they are members.

“The Catholic Church is not a democracy, nor can we apply the latest business model to its operation,” said Chalupsky, whose background includes extensive corporate work. “We do not create the Church; nor do theologians, priests, or religious. The 'form' of the Church is established by Christ, not by us.”

Calling it a document “full of hope and joyful enthusiasm,” Gaudium et spes removed the divisions within the Church between the clergy and laity to recognize the laity as full members of the church, with equal responsibilities for bringing the Gospel to the world, Healy said.

The Symposium Panel

Dr. Susan Timoney, EPS Vice President, was moderator.

Questions from the audience.

Mary Chalupsky responds.

Guests enjoyed dinner after the Symposium.

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