Church

Dorothy Day is perhaps the most important figure in twentieth century North American Catholicism.A layperson, a mother, a grandmother, a worker, a revolutionary and a deeply religious woman, Dorothy offers us a new way of life for these difficult times at the start of the twenty-first century.

For years now, our society is becomingincreasingly conscious of a deep crisisin the Catholic Church. For some,this represents a confirmation of the end of Christianity. For others it represents something that could be described as a regression, or a “winter-time” of the Church (K. Rahner), a return to the bastions1, a State coup by the so-called “Theocons” or using the more traditional Teresian expression: “hard times”.

As Christians, we have a long road ahead of us, we have a challenge being offered to us, and we have the conviction that we have something valuable to offer. We are called to walk together with other groups in our society, with all those who are struggling on behalf a new world, one that is more human and more just.

No one doubts that the winds of change are blowing, and we are only beginning to perceive their power and their vastness.  In this context the Church is faced with a dilemma: should she draw back defensively or should she respond to the voice of the Spirit of God as revealed in a multitude of signs?  The author explores some of those signs and urges the Church toward a profound renewal so that she becomes herself a sign of hope for our world.

We live our lives at such a rapid pace that events of fifty years ago can easily be buried in forgetfulness if we don’t make an effort keep their memory alive. This booklet, more than just a chronicle of the past, seeks to reflect on the present and future significance of a Council that aimed to change the Church.

Gaudium et Spes is surely the most novel document produced by the Second Vatican Council. In this booklet the author offers a reading which delineates three spheres where the Church can offer her good news to a wounded world: justice, peace, and the integrity of creation. In this day and age we find it impossible to imagine a Church which fails to respond to these great questions that impinge on the lives of millions of human beings.