The Marylrose Associates and Sisters gathered together for a very pleasant and informative evening on February 1st. Associates, Deacon Tony Pietroniro along with Dorothy Guha, led us in prayer and a session based on the second Vatican Council.
Second Vatican Council: still relevant?
Le groupe entier
Tony explained that the gifts of the Council are still unfolding today. He described the impetus for Vatican 11 as Blessed Pope John XX111’s inspiration to give the Church a “facelift” and make it relevant to the quickly changing modern world.
Some of the big changes mentioned were: the evolution of the liturgy, the understanding of ourselves as the “People of God”, the call to unity with our Christian brothers and sisters and our universal call to holiness and wholeness.
During the session, we broke into triads to discuss our lived experience of some of the changes implemented by the Council.
For example:
- What it was like to hear the Mass in the vernacular for the first time.
- What our experience was of entering in the journey towards Christian unity.
- How we are called to greater participation in the life of the Church…
Grace Gough, 98 ans
A key response: “The journey has not been without its obstacles and challenges.” Given the varied ages in our group, this became a fascinating and enlightening exchange.
The session concluded with prayer, during which we were invited to light a candle while sharing what gifts we bring to the life of the Church.
We then offered Grace Gough our congratulations and best wishes for her 98th birthday, and delightfully enjoyed a decadently, delicious cheese cake.