Date of Award
12-1981
Document Type
Dissertation - Restricted
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Theology
Program
Religious Studies
First Advisor
Matthew L. Lamb
Second Advisor
Joseph A. Bracken
Third Advisor
Paul Misner
Fourth Advisor
Kenneth Hagen
Fifth Advisor
James Zeitz
Abstract
The religious community to which I belong, the Atonement Friars, a Franciscan community headquartered in New York, has been dedicated to the work of Christian unity since its inception at the turn of the century. Founded in the Anglican communion in 1898, the society was received into the Roman Catholic Church ten years later. As a member of the Society of the Atonement, I felt that further studies in theology, and especially in ecclesiology, were essential to my own personal involvement in the ecumenical tasks of the society. The study of church, then, has been the primary focus of my studies at Marquette University.
I chose to do my dissertation on the ecclesiology of Yves Congar because of his significance in Roman Catholic ecclesiology in this century and because his ecumenical commitment is so much a part of his studies on the church. Yves Congar represents a major figure in Roman Catholic theology whose pastoral, ecumenical and historical theology offers a firm base upon which to reflect on the ongoing reform of ecclesiology and of church. He continues to be an inspiration to all Christians who seek the fulfillment of Christ's high priestly prayer "that they all may be one'' (Jn. 17:21).