Empowering the People of God
Catholic Action Before and After Vatican II

Jeremy Bonner (Edited by), Christopher D. Denny (Author), Mary Beth Fraser Connolly (Author)

9780823254002

Hardback, published 1 November 2013

408 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 3.5 cm, 0.762 kg

The early 1960s were a heady time for Catholic laypeople. Pope Pius XII's assurance "You do not belong to the Church. You are the Church" emboldened the laity to challenge Church authority in ways previously considered unthinkable. Empowering the People of God offers a fresh look at the Catholic laity and its relationship with the hierarchy in the period immediately preceding the Second Vatican Council and in the turbulent era that followed. This collection of essays explores a diverse assortment of manifestations of Catholic action, ranging from genteel reform to radical activism, and an equally wide variety of locales, apostolates, and movements.