Being Catholic Today
O'Donoghue, Bishop Patrick
Challenging and widely reported document promoting an authentic Catholic identity for today’s Church.
Bishop Patrick O'Donoghue has written Fit for Mission? Church to foster and promote an authentic Catholic identity among the men, women and children of the 21st century, to enable them to resist the pressures to compromise, even abandon, the truths of the Catholic faith. To that end the Bishop offers practical guidance on how to correctly interpret and live out the teachings of the Second Vatican Council, through challenging the common misinterpretations of the key Council documents on Liturgy, Revelation, the Church, and the Church in the world. He takes an unflinching look at the hard questions that have arisen since the close of the Second Vatican Council, convinced that if we regain the Catholic sense of balancing change with continuity, the life of parishes will be energised by the gifts of the Holy Spirit given at the Council.
This expanded edition draws on Pope Benedict XVI's addresses and homilies in 2008 at World Youth Day and during his apostolic journey to France; also the writings of John Henry Newman, and others. Fit for Mission? Church is the sequel to the highly acclaimed Fit for Mission? Schools (2008) - also available from the Catholic Truth Society (Do 779).
Bishop Patrick O'Donoghue is the Bishop of Lancaster, former Rector of Allen Hall Seminary (1985-90), and Administrator of Westminster Cathedral (1990-1993).
Reviews
"an effective, practical instrument for advancing the much heralded New Evangelisation. If this renewal of the Faith is to take root, it cannot remain a mere 'slogan' but must be woven into the web of contemporary culture. Fit for Mission? Church gives much needed indication as to the means of accomplishing this great mission of the Church." - Archbishop Mauro Piacenza, Secretary, Congregation for the Clergy, Rome
"quite simply one of the most important statements by an English bishop since the Second Vatican Council. [...] may prove to be a turning point in the history of the English Catholic Church. For the first time a bishop has expressed the unspoken fears of many loyal Catholics. He has done so fearlessly and with a shepherd's concern for his flock. " - Catholic Herald, 29 August 2008
"Very well put together, incorporating all of the main elements of Catholic social thought [...] I am confident that it will be a useful and helpful resource to the local Church of Lancaster and beyond. Congratulations and many blessings upon your ministry as shepherd and teacher." - Cardinal Renato Martino, President, Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace
