Books on the History of Vatican II

Question:
First, I'll jog your memory: I was a parishioner at St Adelaide, a regular member at Wed classes with Bob at K of C, and mostly because I asked you to see if my granddaughter could use help with high school Algebra when she lived in Grand Terrace many years ago.

Ques: where can I find brief overview of Vatican II council i.e: major topics, proposed changes, participants and their views, results. Recently I heard a comment by Bishop Barron that sparked my interest, about which I'd like to read ((maybe a bit over my head but I'll give it a try)!  

You were my go-to-person when I had questions and lived in So. Cal. I now live north of Sacramento. You're probably still a pretty busy person; thanks for your time and lots of blessings your way.

M

Answer:

Hi M,

Of course you didn't have to jog my memory. I remember you quite well. I'm surprised you found my contact info. I haven't been actively sharing the faith in quite some time. 

To your question.

It's hard to give you just one resource.

I don't want to overwhelm you.

There's three books I'd like to recommend for different reasons and one online resource by a priest who was at Vatican II.

I'd first recommend a classic called the Rhine Flows into the Tiber by Ralph Wiltgen because it was a "live" story telling of the Council as it was unfolding.

The Rhine Flows into the Tiber: A History of Vatican II https://www.amazon.com/dp/0895551861/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_pgtPDbN9HWAPP

Secondly, another history of Vatican II, but also having considered what came after Vatican II from a historical and philosophical perspective from a still living and well respected professor de Mattei.

The Second Vatican Council - An Unwritten Story https://www.amazon.com/dp/1622920023/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_NptPDb5Z8NSKJ

Thirdly, if you're interested in the theological shifts in the Church, before, during, and after, I'd recommend a book which is a bit technical in theological jargon by a philologist, Romano Amerio. It appears to now be out of print but maybe you can find a used version. Again, it can get rather technical and so this should be last on your list.

Iota Unum: A Study of Changes in the Catholic Church in the Twentieth Century https://www.amazon.com/dp/0963903217/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_iotPDbF6Q02WB

If you wish to dig deeper. From what I've learned from my studies, which I don't really study as much these days... Here is a resource from a theologian that was at the Council and has access to the original schemata, or working draft documents that took years of study to draft, which were scrapped for new schemas that were promoted by the progressive wing of the church, aka the Rhine bishops. He has translated a few of the schemata on his site so you can see the originals were thoroughly orthodox and unambiguous. What we ended up getting, at least a few of them, were ambiguous and have been interpreted largely in a progressive way.

https://jakomonchak.wordpress.com/?s=Schemata&submit=Search

I hope that gets you started. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thank you,
Laurence Gonzaga, MA

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