Lucas Pollice to teach Vatican II video course

By Kathleen McCarty

In his Pastoral Letter for the Year of Hope, Bishop James Golka encouraged “all the faithful of the diocese, through prayerful reading and study, [to] rediscover the beautiful and inspiring teachings of Vatican II through which the Holy Spirit has brought about a new and fresh outpouring of the spirit of Pentecost for a New Evangelization.” 
In order to help the faithful rediscover these teachings,  Lucas Pollice, Director of the New Evangelization and Missionary Discipleship for the Diocese of Colorado Springs, will be presenting a nine-part video series on Vatican II. Professor Pollice holds a master’s degree in theology from Ave Maria University and taught at the Augustine Institute prior to joining the Diocese of Colorado Springs. He recently sat down with Kathleen McCarty, executive assistant to the Chief of Staff, to provide a sneak peek at some of the course content and shares how understanding Vatican II better can shape our understanding of mission and evangelization today.

KM: Why is Vatican II important for the Church today?
LP: As much as we talk about the New Evangelization, Vatican II was actually the source and blueprint for the New Evangelization. Pope St. John Paul II made it clear that the New Evangelization was the fruit of the work of the council for the Church of the Third Millenium. This is why the Jubilee Year of 2000 was really the springboard for the New Evangelization into the Third Millennium.  As Bishop Golka mentioned in his pastoral letter, Vatican II was the greatest intervention of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church since the Council of Trent in 1545. When St. John XXIII called for a new council, he was clear that the reasons for convening Vatican II weren’t concerns about correcting error or clarifying doctrine. Rather, it was intended to be a pastoral council focused on bringing about the renewal of the Church for mission in order to proclaim the Gospel to the modern world. In fact, St. John XXIII and Pope St. John Paul II called Vatican II a “fresh outpouring of the Spirit of Pentecost.”  It’s this outpouring of the grace of Pentecost that has resulted in this time of the New Evangelization.

KM: Why study Vatican II?
LP: Vatican II gives a pastoral vision and renewal that is the foundation for the New Evangelization. The documents of Vatican II reveal a renewal of the mission of the Church to bring Christ to the modern world. Whether you’re a bishop, priest, deacon, religious, or  layperson, the council shows how every Catholic is called through their baptism and confirmation to continue the saving mission of Christ in the world today. 
Vatican II also shows how every aspect of the Church’s life has been renewed for mission — from the liturgy, to Canon Law, to how clergy and religious are formed, down to how every layperson is called to missionary discipleship and participate in the saving mission of the Church.

KM: Why is Vatican II so misunderstood?
LP: First, if you look at any of the previous 20 ecumenical councils, it always takes at least 50-100 years for the dust to settle in the life of the Church after the council. With Vatican II, this is particularly the reality, because unfortunately there have been many misinterpretations or so-called “spirits” of the council that have taken hold in the Church in the past 60 years that claim authority apart from the actual teachings of the council documents.  This is why Bishop Golka, as well as Pope Francis, Pope Benedict XVI, and Pope St. John Paul II, have insisted that there needs to be a rediscovery of the true spirit of the council by the reading of the documents themselves, as interpreted and implemented in the life of the Church by the Magisterium.  In my course, I will talk more about what happened after the council and the source of these various misinterpretations, as well as how we can rediscover the true teaching and vision of the council for the New Evangelization.

KM: What is the New Evangelization?
LP: I like to talk about two “new realities” that are at the heart of the New Evangelization, which I’ll talk about at the end of the study. The first is a new cultural reality, in that the way the Church had been handing on the faith for the past 500 years is no longer relevant for the situation of the modern world. We currently live not only in a post-Christian culture, but also in an increasingly post-religious culture that requires, as St. John Paul II is famously quoted, “new ardor, new methods, and new expressions” of how the Catholic faith is lived, witnessed, and handed on. 
Secondly, there is a new ecclesial reality in that through the teachings and pastoral vision of Vatican II, the Church has been renewed from top to bottom for mission. The Church has rediscovered her evangelical mission that has its source in Christ’s great commission at the end of Matthew’s gospel — go, baptize, and teach. Shortly after the council, St. Paul VI  reinforced that the Church exists to evangelize, and this is really the central unifying theme of Vatican II.  It then follows that each and every member of the Church is called to be part of this mission of evangelization and the salvation of souls. The Vatican II video study will show how the teaching and vision of the council informs both these new realities and how we are to practically live out the New Evangelization today.  

KM: Tell us more about the nine-part video course.
LP: This diocesan-wide parish study will cover the pastoral vision of Vatican II, how and why it’s been so misinterpreted.  It will also cover the four major constitutions of the council, how Vatican II has been implemented by the post-conciliar papacies, and how the teachings of the council are to be lived out in the Church and the world through the New Evangelization. The study will have nine sessions, and the first will be released on March 5. Each session will include a 30-40 minute video, along with a downloadable, printable study guide that can be used in the parish for adult faith formation sessions, small group study, or individual study. There will also be a Spanish version with subtitles and a study guide in Spanish.  A new session will be released every month (except for July) through December, and can be accessed anytime after release at https://www.diocs.org/About/Vatican-II. The website also includes the full release date schedule.