Welcome to our Golden Jubilee Celebration of Vatican II, the ecumenical Council called by Pope John XXIII. The council opened on October 11, 1962 on a sunny morning following a night of continuous rain. A procession of over 2,400 Bishops, Patriarchs and other leaders of the Catholic Churches, both Eastern and Western, entered St. Peter's Basilica and began the task of re-examining the beliefs and practices of the Church. The result of their efforts was the bursting forth of a newly revitalized faith and energized participation of Catholics.
Purpose
The purpose of this Vatican II Golden Jubilee Celebration is to renew our commitment to the goals of the council and to lay the groundwork and direction for the next 50 years of lay empowerment by discerning the signs of the times and the movement of the Spirit through liturgy, education, arts, prayer, and discernment. Our activities will be evangelical and catechetical, under the guidance of our Bishop and in concert with our priests and deacons.
Activities: Light, Chrism, Salt
As much as possible, our activities will have an outward focus to other faith communities and to non-believers to include them in our work for human dignity rooted in and animated by our life in the Risen Christ. We agree to challenge ourselves by listening to the stories of people in our faith community and the wider community; to listen and share their struggles, hopes and fears while taking constructive action to empower and assist them. This is possible only with a renewed relationship and awareness of God as Transcendent, Made Human, and Breath of Life.
For our jubilee celebration to be successful, our prayer, reflection, and work must focus on a radical charity toward other Catholics in which we seek to heal divisions, alleviate fear, and experience a community that is one in its diversity and variety of cultural expression.
Program Elements
The jubilee celebration will include all of the following:
- Liturgical Celebrations / Workshops
- House Meetings / Pastoral Planning, Community Organizing
- Community Service and Outreach Gatherings
- Presentations – Live, Webinar, Podcast, YouTube
- Discussions – Live, Webinar, Podcast, YouTube
- Concerts – Live, Podcast, YouTube
- Arts Festivals – Live, Podcast, YouTube
Many of the above activities will take place in local parish communities. We encourage groups to gather in homes and churches around the world for liturgy, pastoral planning, community organizing activities, service, and outreach. Other activities will be featured and shared here, enabling a larger audience to share in their beauty and to learn together.
As Pope John XXIII said, "It is now only dawn." We continue to open to the Holy Spirit and to follow the Spirit's lead into the future.
