50 and 10: Years to Remember

In lieu of an abstract, below is the essay's first paragraph. "My last years in the seminary (1959-1960) were to be academically uneventful until the faculty and students read the startling announcement: Pope John XXIII Summons an Ecumenical Council. Ninety years had passed since the last Council and Vatican Council I was the first in over 300 years. Although we had to go to our textbooks to find out about the workings of a Council, the students, at least, were excited about the possibilities. In this brief reflection I want to share some of my memories of Vatican Council II now celebrating its 50th anniversary and why the 10th anniversary of the first edition of Verbum, a publication of the Religious Studies Department, would probably not be possible without it. This anniversary celebration is available in Verbum: http://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/verbum/vol10/iss1/2