My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,

One of the objectives of the Year of Faith is to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the Second Vatican Council. To this end, NET-TV, the “New Evangelization Television” of the Diocese of Brooklyn, will be offering a series of 10 episodes that will give the history of the Council, as well as an understanding of each of the pronouncements of the Council.

It is important to understand the beginning of the Council and its history. There is some dispute regarding the Council itself. Some who have opposed it would say that the Second Vatican Council was merely a pastoral council and that its decrees have little binding force on the Church. On the other hand, some would claim that the Council was a clear break with the past and that the Church began, in a certain sense, anew. Not just a new Pentecost in the life of the Church, but a new Church.

Unfortunately, the reality is much different. We have the authority of no less than that of Pope Paul VI, who is quoted in a good history of the Second Vatican Council, written by Archbishop Agostino Marchetto, entitled “The Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, A Counterpoint for the History of the Council.” Archbishop Marchetto quotes Pope Paul VI as he relays, “It would not be the truth for anybody to imagine that Vatican Council II represented any kind of a break, interruption, or ‘liberation’ from the teaching of the Church, or that it authorized or promoted any kind of accommodation or conformism with the mentality of our times, in its negative or ephemeral aspects.”

This clear statement puts to rest a certain dispute which has arisen in recent times regarding the nature of the Council.

If we look to the beginning of the Council as it was proclaimed by Blessed Pope John XXIII, we recognize that this grandfather figure in the history of the Church wanted what he called an “aggiornamento.” As he is quoted, perhaps not accurately, he wanted to “open the windows of the Church to let in some fresh air.” The humorous nature of John XXIII and his great pastoral love for people made the beginning of the Council in October of 1962 a very interesting time.

Think of where you were at that time. Perhaps some of you were not even born. I was just beginning my philosophical study in the seminary. I had been in the college seminary for two years and then went to the major seminary, which I entered in September of 1962. My entire philosophical and theological studies, until 1968 when the Council closed, were during the period of the Council. It was a wonderful time to be studying philosophy and theology, as the Church was renewing itself in the Second Vatican Council. When the Council ended, I had just finished my third year of theology and was awaiting ordination to the Diaconate. The history of the Council, as I experienced it, was one of excitement.

The rector of our seminary, Msgr. George Shea, was a Peritus to the Council and accompanied the Archbishop of Newark, N.J., Thomas Boland, to Rome. He was an expert in Mariology and contributed to the documents of the Council. At the seminary, we received drafts of many of the documents and were able to study them too. As we learned our theology, we recognized that it would be modified, or would move along in its self-understanding as perhaps a better interpretation of the development of doctrine in the Church. Certainly, the time of the Council was a time of anticipation.

As we look to what the Council accomplished, we can follow the pattern of the 10 episodes that will be part of the NET programming, which began with the first week of Lent and will run through the Easter season. The first episode of “Vatican II: Inside the Council” talked about the history of the Second Vatican Council and its beginning, followed by perhaps the change that most affected the life of the Church which was the celebration of the liturgy in the vernacular.

The program will talk about the life of the Church, the Church as the sacrament of Christ in the world, the Church as the People of God no longer seen as simply an institution, but rather the living People of God. Following that, the program will delve into the place of the Word of God in the life of the Church and move to the understanding of the universal call to holiness, which was one of the outstanding contributions of the Second Vatican Council.

There will be a break in this series during Holy Week. However, it will continue with the Council’s understanding of ecumenism and Christian unity. The programs will move to understanding the Church in the world, especially in its motivation to work for justice and peace. The mission activity of the Church also will be discussed. The final two pieces will speak about the social communication aspect of the life of the Church and the work of the Church in the local dioceses and parishes.

The series promises to be interesting and is well done, moderated by our own Msgr. John Strynkowski, Vicar for Higher Education and Rector of the Cathedral-Basilica of St. James, Downtown Brooklyn. “Vatican II: Inside the Council” features many other compelling voices, including expert commentary and interviews with Edwin Cardinal O’Brien, Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Prof. Richard Gaillardetz, Ph.D., Sister Sara Butler, M.S.B.T., John L. Allen Jr. and Father James Massa, Ph.D.

Truly, the Second Vatican Council was an effort to put out into the deep. For many, the changes of the Council were not easy to understand, nor accept. I personally can say, however, that the Second Vatican Council was truly a work of the Holy Spirit. The Council was a new Pentecost and has preserved the Gospel in the life of the Church as a living reality.

During the Year of Faith, we have been asked by our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, to celebrate the Vatican Council. There is no better way than to understand it in its historical context. Make sure you do not miss this series “Vatican II: Inside the Council” on NET-TV. More information about the program, including programming times, can be found at http://www.insidevaticanii.com.