CLINTON – The Catholic Sisters of the Upper Mississippi River Valley will host a four-part lecture series in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council of the Roman Catholic Church. “Celebrating Vatican II: Sharing the Vision” will be held at venues throughout the region from October 2012 through April 2013. The series, which coincides with the “Year of Faith” being observed by the Catholic Church, is free and open to the public.
The lecture series explores four key themes of the Council and is scheduled as follows:
* On Sunday, Oct. 21 at 2 p.m. in the Rogalski Center, St Ambrose University, Davenport, Iowa, Dr. Richard R. Gaillardetz will address “What Happened at Vatican II? Keys to Understanding the Council,” exploring the enduring significance of the most important event in Roman Catholicism in four centuries and probing its implications for the present and future.
Richard Gaillardetz is the McCarthy Professor Catholic Systematic Theology at Boston College, author of Ecclesiology for a Global Church and co-author of Keys to the Council.
* Dr. Zeni Fox will speak on “The Laity after Vatican II: Collaboration in Ministry” at Clarke University, Dubuque, Iowa, Dec. 2, 2012.
* Dr. Massimo Faggioli will speak on “Liturgical Reform: the Crucial Impact and Legacy of Vatican II” at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church, Hiawatha, Iowa, Feb. 24, 2013.
* Dr. Marlene Weisenbeck, FSPA and Bishop Daniel Turley, OSA will speak on “The Church in the Modern World: Vatican II’s Challenge for Our Time” at Jesus Christ, Prince of Peace Church, Clinton, Iowa, April 21, 2013.
Registration is not required for the programs. Follow-up sessions to each of the four lectures will be offered in the cities where the sponsoring Sisters congregations minister.
“Celebrating Vatican II: Sharing the Vision” is sponsored by Carmelite Nuns, Eldridge, Iowa; Congregation of the Humility of Mary, Davenport, Iowa.; Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, La Crosse, Wis.; Sinsinawa Dominicans, Sinsinawa, Wis.; Sisters of Mercy, West-Midwest Community, Omaha, Neb.; Benedictine Sisters, Rock Island, Ill.; Sisters of St. Francis, Clinton, Iowa; and Sisters of Charity, BVM; Sisters of the Presentation, Sisters of St. Francis, Sisters of the Visitation, and Trappistine Nuns, all of Dubuque, Iowa. The October program is hosted by St. Ambrose University. The December program is co-sponsored by Clarke University.
For details see www.facebook.com/catholicsisters or call Sisters of St. Francis, Clinton, 563-242-7611 or Congregation of the Humility of Mary in Davenport, 563-336-8404.
