March 15, 2023
/We are pleased to announce the launch of CATH-Links, an initiative born from the CC@S Synodal process and developed by the Communications and Education Teams of the Intra Community Council (ICC).
The goal of CATH-Links is to share a selection of resources monthly that will take us into a deeper dive of Catholic-related materials not routinely or substantially covered in generally circulated media. We hope this initiative will encourage reflection, engender discussion, and help members better understand and engage with the Church and with the modern world. Take someone out for coffee and have a discussion on what you discovered here!
For the 2022-2023 academic year, we plan to issue CATH-Links on March 15th, April 15th, and May 15th.
If you are interested in submitting reflections, meditations, articles, book reviews, etc., see Submit Resources for Publication for submission guidelines and a link to a submission form. We look forward to your participation!
FAITH AND SCIENCE
Word on Fire presents Wonder: the Harmony of Faith and Science [wordonfire.org], a new film series narrated by Jonathan Roumie of ‘The Chosen’, and produced through the support of the John Templeton Foundation.
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
The Three-City Problem of Modern Life: What does Athens have to do with Jerusalem, and what do either have to do with Silicon Valley? [wired.com] This article by Luke Burgis, is a stunning piece that addresses the social complexity that affects all of us today, especially here in Silicon Valley at the epicenter of technological innovation.
BOOK OF INTEREST
Catholicism: A Global History from the French Revolution to Pope Francis [amazon.com] by John T. McGreevy is a “sweeping history of modern Catholicism” and a “must-read for practicing Catholics and anyone interested in religious studies.” [more below]
RECENT NEWS
Benedict XVI In Memoriam [laciviltacattolica.com] by Federico Lombardi, SJ, is a look into the life of Pope Benedict XVI with a closer look into his life from Bavaria during the rise of the Nazis to becoming Pope for eight short years.
More on Catholicism: A Global History from the French Revolution to Pope Francis
From Kirkus Review:
McGreevy, a professor of history at Notre Dame and author of three books on Catholicism, examines the past two centuries. The author begins his authoritative survey with the French Revolution, noting that no series of events since the Reformation had so thoroughly rocked the Catholic landscape. The excesses of the Revolution and the upending of Catholic authority in France led to the global “ultramontane revival” movement. “At the revival’s core,” writes McGreevy, “was a deepening attachment to the institution of the church.” This attachment would add significantly to the powers of the pope and the Roman ecclesiastical structure. The revival’s “triumph” was the First Vatican Council, in 1869-1870, which confirmed the doctrine of papal infallibility and severed voices of dissent, modernism, and reform. “To signal church independence,” writes the author, “Pius IX decided against inviting any monarchs or heads of state, a decision that for the first time eliminated lay participation in an ecumenical council.” However, the church was already fighting nationalist movements around the world. As nationalism bumped up against the interests of the church, a new infrastructure was created to safeguard Catholic society and culture: “the Milieu,” an unending series of social welfare organizations, movements, missions, and other initiatives. The Milieu spread across the 19th and 20th centuries and became a public and sometimes-pugnacious face for Catholicism. After decades of social upheaval, Pope John XXIII changed the course of Catholicism by calling the Second Vatican Council in 1959. The ensuing decades were marked by liberation theology; the monumental papacy of John Paul II; and, of course, the destructive onslaught of sexual abuse scandals, to which the author appropriately devotes an entire chapter. Throughout the text, McGreevy, a skilled historian, and storyteller, provides a wealth of detail about the church and the changing world to which it has been reacting for the past 200 years. A must-read for practicing Catholics and anyone interested in religious studies”.
