In this series, we highlight books we think our readers may enjoy, written by authors affiliated with the Collegeville Institute.
Teilhard’s Struggle: Embracing the World of Evolution
Orbis Books, 2019
By Kathleen Duffy, SSJ, former workshop participant
One of the prophets of our time was the French Jesuit and scientist Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, who died on Easter in 1955. His efforts to integrate Christian faith with evolutionary thought pointed to new horizons in contemporary spirituality. He saw evolution as marked by stress and struggle—and this is reflected in his own life, as he contended with censure and silencing by his religious superiors. Now, Kathleen Duffy’s new book, Teilhard’s Struggle: Embracing the World of Evolution, traces this element of struggle, both as a feature of his biography and as a central dimension of his spiritual vision.
Great Risks had to be Taken: The Jesuit Response to the Second Vatical Council, 1958-2018
Cascade Books, 2019
By Patrick Howell, SJ, former Resident Scholar
The renovation of the Jesuits after the Second Vatican Council has been a sign of hope and a cause for consternation. Especially during the turbulence right after the Council, the Jesuits were in the eye of the storm. In this historical memoir, Patrick Howell gives personal insight into how the Council impacted the Society of Jesus and precipitated a radical rethinking of the mission of the Jesuits today. Fr. Howell brings a unique personal perspective to the nature and style of the Church prior to the Council and “an insider’s view” throughout his fifty-seven years as a Jesuit in which he has met many of the personages, witnessed all the changes, and been a direct participant in many of them.
Stumbling in Holiness: Sin and Sanctity in the Church
Liturgical Press, 2018
By Brian P. Flanagan, former workshop participant
“What does it mean for the Church to be both holy and sinful?”
At a time when it’s as relevant as ever, professor Brian P. Flanagan addresses the ways in which both holiness and sinfulness condition the life of the pilgrim church in his new book Stumbling in Holiness. After reviewing some of the ways in which past theologians have tried to explain the coexistence of ecclesial holiness and sinfulness, Flanagan suggests that, even if we can have confidence that God will fully sanctify the church in the reign of God, our ecclesiology must always attend to both the sanctity we already experience in the church and the sinfulness that is part of our continuing journey toward that reign.
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