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Reclaiming Vatican II

Reclaiming Vatican II

What It (Really) Said, What It Means, and How It Calls Us to Renew the Church

by Fr. Blake Britton

Foreword by John C. Cavadini

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During the past five decades, the Second Vatican Council has been alternately celebrated or maligned for its supposed break with tradition and embrace of the modern world. But what if we’ve gotten it all wrong? Have Catholics—both those who embrace the spirit of Vatican II and those who regard it with suspicion—misunderstood what the council was really about?

Fr. Blake Britton discovered the truth and beauty of the council while he was in seminary and he has witnessed firsthand the power of its teachings in the life of his own parish. In Reclaiming Vatican II—a partnership between Ave Maria Press and Word on Fire Catholic Ministries—Britton presses beyond the political narrative foisted upon the post-conciliar Church and contends that Vatican II was neither conservative nor liberal, but something much more beautiful and challenging.

Britton clears up misconceptions about the council and reveals how—when properly understood and applied—it fosters a richer experience of being in the Church. Britton says Vatican II:

  • promotes a radical return to the Church Fathers and the Scriptures, holding both a commitment to tradition and the need for constant renewal in life-giving balance,
  • recenters the Church on sacred liturgy and encourages both active participation and genuine encounter with transcendence, and
  • charts a clear path for the Church’s renewal and empowers it for evangelism and transformative engagement with the world.

Britton invites all Catholics to step beyond the polarization and embrace Vatican II as one of our greatest resources for being in the Church in a way that is faithful, engaged, and effective if we answer its radical call to worship and renewal.

Details

Publisher: Ave Maria Press, Word on Fire
ISBN: 9781646800292
Binding: Paperback
Page count: 224
Made in: United States
Language: English
Release date: Oct 11, 2021

About the Author

Fr. Blake Britton

Fr. Blake Britton is a priest of the Diocese of Orlando, Florida, holding degrees in both philosophy and theology. He is a published author and frequent guest speaker for conferences, talk shows, radio programs, podcasts, retreats, and lectures. His writings are featured in several national and international publications, including in the Word on Fire Institute’s Evangelization & Culture journal, the Word on Fire blog, National Catholic Register, Ignatius Press, and Ave Maria Press. He is author of the book Reclaiming Vatican II. In addition to writing, Fr. Blake has also been featured on EWTN and other media outlets. Finally, he is cohost, with Brandon Vogt, of The Burrowshire Podcast, a nationally acclaimed production. Fr. Blake currently serves four parish communities in Lakeland, Florida, and is an Assistant Vocations Director of the Diocese of Orlando.

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Smiling young man wearing a clerical collar in a warmly lit room with bookshelves in the background

About the Author

Fr. Blake Britton is a priest of the Diocese of Orlando, Florida, holding degrees in both philosophy and theology. He is a published author and frequent guest speaker for conferences, talk shows, radio programs, podcasts, retreats, and lectures. His writings are featured in several national and international publications, including in the Word on Fire Institute’s Evangelization & Culture journal, the Word on Fire blog, National Catholic Register, Ignatius Press, and Ave Maria Press. He is author of the book Reclaiming Vatican II. In addition to writing, Fr. Blake has also been featured on EWTN and other media outlets. Finally, he is cohost, with Brandon Vogt, of The Burrowshire Podcast, a nationally acclaimed production. Fr. Blake currently serves four parish communities in Lakeland, Florida, and is an Assistant Vocations Director of the Diocese of Orlando.

What People Are Saying

Close-up portrait of a middle-aged man wearing glasses and clerical attire with a purple zucchetto, smiling against a dark background.

“I warmly commend this book to anyone wanting to understand Vatican II, but especially to young Catholics confused about the Council and those skeptical about its relevance today.”

—Bishop Barron, founder of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries

Fr Casey Cole headshot

“The ongoing debate within the Church about the Second Vatican Council serves as a microcosm of our age: well-meaning, passionate people have divided themselves into camps, so sure of their own positions that they are unable to hear the truth spoken by the other. Fr. Blake Britton offers a balanced, grounded response that our Church desperately needs.”

—Fr. Casey Coel, O.F.M., Creator of Breaking in the Habit Media

Brandon Vogt headshot

“If every Catholic read this book and followed its path, liturgies would become more reverent, biblical studies would be renewed. the Church would be more confident about her identity, and evangelization would flourish-exactly what Vatican II had in mind!”

—Brandon Vogt, Senior Publishing Director for Word on Fire Catholic Ministries

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Cheri Reh

These are always the best books. Using three of them for Lenten devotions.