Exploring Catholic Culture: 'Vatican II: Achieving the Unexpected'

The three video-segments above present the Rev. John R. Donahue, S.J., as he discusses "Vatican II: Achieving the Unexpected" to participants in "Exploring Catholic Culture: Interpreting Scripture" at Wisdom House on June 20 and 21, 2008.

Rev. Donahue discussed the intricate four-year process and the dispositions of the men whose work ultimately produced the document "The Word of God" (Dei Verbum, DV) in 1965. Under consideration over this time was the source of divine revelation. Was it Scripture? Tradition? Both? Both equally?

The Second Vatican Council determined that "the prime revelation is what God did in history in the Old Testament and the history of Jesus in the New Testament," Fr. Donahue said. The Scriptures are the earliest witness to that revelation.

"There is an upward scale as the Scriptures bring us to Christ and Christ brings us to God," he explained. "The texts are testimony that lead us to God."

Jesus, the Word made flesh, is the source of revelation, not Scripture or Tradition, Nevertheless, the two are closely connected because Scripture is handed down through Tradition. Reading from the DV, Rev. Donahue said Scripture and Tradition flow from the same divine wellspring and come together in a single current flowing toward the same end. Through Tradition we deepen our understanding of the meaning of Scripture in our time.

Over the weekend, Rev. Donahue discussed the impact of lay men and women on biblical studies, critical methods such as feminist criticism and liberation theology. He also led a close reading of the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32 and presented ways to nurture our own spiritual journeys through the Bible.

Rev. Donahue is a Scripture scholar and author as well as Research Professor in the Department of Theology at Loyola College of Maryland. He has published more than 100 scholarly articles and reviews and lectured widely at scripture workshops in the US, Canada, South Africa, and in Manila.

Most recently, he has contributed an introductory essay to Christ in the Gospels of the Liturgical Year, a commemorative edition of Fr. Raymond E. Brown's six-volume series on preaching the Scriptures. The publication marks the tenth anniversary of Brown's death. (The book will be available through Liturgical Press.)

"Exploring Catholic Culture" is a collaborative endeavor of the Center for Catholic Studies at Fairfield University in Fairfield, Connecticut, and Wisdom House Retreat and Conference Center. Together, we are committed to handing on the faith in a manner that promotes the ideals of the Catholic tradition and encourages an integrated Catholic identity.

Meet Sister Rosemarie

Sister Rosemarie Greco, DW, is Administrator of Wisdom House Retreat and Conference Center. A native of Brooklyn, New York, Sister Rosemarie first came to Litchfield to become a member of the Daughters of Wisdom. Her ministries since then have included education of adults in theology and spirituality. These took place in Long Island, New York, southern Colorado, and at the National Seminary of Uganda, East Africa.

Since 1990, Sister Rosemarie has offered volunteer service to the Litchfield area as a chaplain at Charlotte Hungerford Hospital, member of the Town’s Board of Ethics, its Plan of Conservation and Development, and as board member of the Community Council of Northwest CT. She is also a member of the League of Women Voters, the Litchfield Area Business Association, and the Northwest CT Chamber of Commerce.

Sister Rosemarie’s pastoral work includes writing for some spirituality publications.

Sister Rosemarie’s studies have taken place at St. John’s University, NY, Marillac College, St. Louis, MO, Loyola University School of Music, LA. She holds an MA in Theology from Manhattan College, NY and an STL (Licentiate) in Theology from the University of Dayton and the Pontifical Marianum University.

A student of piano since childhood, she knows that practice and playing are sisters in the arts and in spirituality.