Vocations after Vatican II Council
A Theological Reflection – Fr. Casmir Odundo Is the Day of Consecrated Life also a Day for Diocesan Priests? Are Diocesan Priests Consecrated? I often say that, to understand many of the difficulties the Church faces today, particularly in the modern context, it is essential to immerse ourselves in the teaching of the Vatican II Council. One significant shift introduced by the Council concerns the way states of life within the Church are understood. Traditionally, drawing on St Thomas Aquinas, religious life had often been described using the category of vita perfecta . The Council Fathers, while not rejecting St Thomas himself, deliberately moved away from defining religious life as a “perfect life”. Their concern was that such language could suggest a hierarchy of holiness that risked diminishing other vocations within the Church. This was especially problematic since, in Lumen Gentium , they articulated the universal call to holiness: “ All the faithful of Christ, of whatever rank o...