Title

Rev. Dr. Walter Burghardt, S.J. Engages with the Question:What Do You Think Has Been the Most Important Event for the American Catholic Church in the 20th Century?

Authors

Walter Burghardt S.J.
Alfred Benney, Fairfield UniversityFollow

Document Type

Video

Interview Date

11-4-1998

Abstract

What do you think has been the most important event for the American Catholic Church in the 20^th Century?

Rev. Walter Burghardt, S.J. discusses the importance of the Second Vatican Council and its efforts to restore the influence of Catholicism in history, Christendom, and the world. By inserting Catholicism into history, the council recognized objective truth as being resolved in the minds of individuals who are affected by their historical context. By inserting Catholicism into Christendom, the Church becomes able to recognize the grace that exists in Protestant communities and is open to ecumenical conversation. By inserting Catholicism into the world, the council acknowledged the importance to reach out and recognize every community for its worth and need of our help.

Streaming Media

Comments

Playing Time: 6:44

About the Interviewee:

The Rev. Dr. Walter Burghardt, S.J. received a Master’s degree and Licentiates in philosophy and sacred theology at Woodstock College near Baltimore and was ordained in 1941. He earned a doctorate in sacred theology from the Catholic University of America. Rev. Burghardt taught historical theology for 32 years at Woodstock College and was also a professor at Catholic University and a visiting lecturer at Union Theological in New York and Princeton Theological Seminary. From 1974 to 2003, he was a senior fellow at the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University and in 1978, he was named the first theologian in residence at Georgetown. Rev. Burghardt wrote more than 300 articles and 25 books and was well known as one of the country’s best preachers. He died in 2008.

About the Interviewer:

Dr. Alfred Benney is a professor of Religious Studies at Fairfield University. He has a Ph.D in Theology from the Hartford Seminary Foundation and teaches courses in Non-Traditional American Religions and Christian Religious Thought. His research interests include "how people learn"; "the appropriate use of technology in teaching/learning" and "myth as explanatory narrative". He has published

Recommended Citation

Burghardt, Walter S.J. and Benney, Alfred. Created by Alfred Benney. "Rev. Dr. Walter Burghardt, S.J. Engages with the Question:What Do You Think Has Been the Most Important Event for the American Catholic Church in the 20th Century?" November 1998. DigitalCommons@Fairfield. Web. https://digitalcommons.fairfield.edu/asrvideos/298

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