Future Built on Faith: Religious life and the Legacy of Vatican II

After the success of its first publication, A Future Full of Hope? the Religious Life Institute celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the Second Vatican Council with a critical exploration of its influence on religious life. A Future Built on Faith: Religious Life and the Legacy of Vatican II is the work of an international group of religious and scholars, under the leadership of Redemptorist Archbishop Joseph Tobin, formerly Secretary of the Vatican Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life.

‘A Future Built on Faith is deeply engaging and thought provoking because of the variety and inclusiveness of the contributions. Monastics, mendicants, and ministerial religious reflect on the life as it is being lived in their respective traditions. enclosed and non-enclosed religious, women and men, ordained and lay, older and newer members with different experiences of the Council and its aftermath contribute to the picture. Archbishop Joseph Tobin, former Secretary of the Vatican’s dicastery for Consecrated Life, provides an inclusive ecclesial context for all this variety. The resulting presentation of the current state of religious life includes frank confrontation of the very real challenges, the wide diversity of answers, and grounded hope for the future of religious life that is extremely realistic and honest. Religious will recognise their experiences in this book and will draw strength from solidarity in struggle and faith.’ - Prof. Sandra M. Schneiders IHM.

The contributors are:
Archbishop Joseph Tobin, Dr Mark Barrett OSB, Dr Brian Terry OFMA, Dr Thomas Whelan CSsP, Dr Vivienne Keeley PC, Br Benedicy Foy (de la Salle).

Gemma Simmonds is a sister of the Congregation of Jesus. She is a senior lecturer in pastoral theology and Director of the Religious Life Institute based at Heythrop College, University of London.