St. Thomas More Parish in Cherry Hill is celebrating the Year of Faith with a Vatican II Anniversary Series, featuring three speakers on three consecutive nights.
Jesuit Father Sean Dempsey, S.J., a doctoral student in the History Department at the University of Pennsylvania, will give a talk on “The Church and the Modern World” on Monday, Feb. 25.
His presentation will focus on Guadium Et Spes, the Vatican II document which explores the dignity of the human person and man’s activity in the world, and concentrates on the relationship between the church and issues such as poverty, social justice, economics, culture and ecumenism.
Father Phillip M. Johnson, priest-in-charge at St. Thomas More, will speak on “Vatican II- Communing With God Through His Word” on Tuesday, Feb. 26. The evening will focus on Dei Verbum, the first major document begun by Vatican II, which deals with the place of the Holy Scriptures in the life and faith of the church. Father Johnson will examine what authority the Bible has in the Catholic Church, and the essential “key” that unlocks the meaning of Scripture.
Father Frank Berna, director of the Master of Arts in Theology/Ministry Program at LaSalle University, will talk on “Vatican II-Conversion Yesterday and Today” on Wednesday, Feb. 27. The presentation will highlight the key developments of the Council that influenced the conversion of John XXIII, and discuss some challenges for the church today in the ongoing work of implementing the council’s teaching.
Each presentation begins at 7 p.m. For more information, call St. Thomas More Parish at 856-424-3212.