IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ECCLESIOLOGY OF VATICAN II IN THE DIOCESE OF VICTORIA, BRITISH COLUMBIA, SYMBOLIZED IN THE CIRCLE
Abstract
Comparatively few studies have been done on the implementation of the ecclesiology of Vatican II on the local level. Little has been said regarding the theological development which resulted from such a program of ecclesiastical reform. Research pointed to the simultaneous reemergence of the circle as a dominant ecclesial symbol in the documents of Vatican II. The implementation of the conciliar decrees in the Diocese of Victoria, British Columbia unleashed the power of this archetypal image. The purpose of this paper is to show what happens when a diocese deliberately chooses to implement the ecclesiology of Vatican II thereby setting this symbol in motion. This study asked the following questions: What happens when a bishop deliberately tries to implement the theology of Vatican II? What theological insights are to be derived from the implementation? To carry on its task of theological reflection, this paper employs sociological concepts and insights. It uses the three stages of man's world building, i.e., internalization, externalization and objectification to study the implementation in the Victoria diocese. Hence, sociological concepts are used in the service of theological reflection. The results of this study reveal that the first stage of the implementation, the formation of new collegial-type ecclesial structures, brought the circle into conscious awareness. The second phase, the rise of new lay ministries and small communities, demonstrated that the new values presented by Vatican II had been internalized and were now externalizing themselves in participatory functions and groups. All of the ministries and groups manifested the reciprocal interaction between diakonia and koinonia which may be symbolized by circular imagery. In the third phase the real spiritual renewal called for by Vatican II began to surface through the experience of ecclesial mysticism as celebrated in word and sacrament. The study also showed that as the local Church returns to ecclesial mysticism it is called to deepen its prophetic role by calling the Church and the world to social justice. Finally, this study shows that Vatican II's implicit ecclesiology of communio lacks a comprehensive pneumatological foundation. This manifests itself in those areas which relate to the collegiality of the whole Church, i.e., authority and ministry.
This paper has been withdrawn.