Go Rebuild My House

Cover

Download PDF (450.5 KB)
 

Title Page, Copyright Page

Download PDF (405.2 KB)
 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Download PDF (413.2 KB)
pp. v-

PREFACE

Download PDF (422.5 KB)
pp. vii-ix

The words “Go rebuild my house; as you see, it is all being destroyed” echo a familiar refrain to the disciples of Francis of Assisi.¹ Thomas of Celano tells us that when Francis first heard this command he was “more than a little stunned, trembling, and stuttering like a man out of his senses.” Unsure of the meaning of this strange request, Francis set out...

CHAPTER ONE. Building Church in a Time of Uncertainty

Download PDF (447.0 KB)
pp. 1-10

The title chosen for these remarks characterizes the present moment in the Church as one of impasse. We wonder: Is the way forward one of enhanced central authority and discipline? Or of a freer and more participative adaptation to the diverse cultures and needs of the postmodern world? Would the Church’s message be clearer and more luminous if...

CHAPTER TWO. The Church and Its Charisms: A Franciscan Perspective

Download PDF (492.4 KB)
pp. 11-38

The understanding of Vatican II on charisms and its application in the postconciliar Church would surely have to be reckoned among the most touted of the Council’s teachings. Today’s Catholics speak unhesitatingly about “charisms.” The meaning of Vatican II’s teaching is simply presumed. Each one has his or her “charism” in the Church, and so each is...

CHAPTER THREE. Franciscan Reform of the Church

Download PDF (491.0 KB)
pp. 39-64

The call that St. Francis heard from the crucifix at San Damiano sets the pattern for Franciscan reform. He began his movement with the symbolic act of rebuilding one, crumbling, poor church. The call was not to build a new church, but to repair the old and neglected one. While it is true that Francis and his followers began to have an effect on the entire...

CHAPTER FOUR. A Church Evangelical, Catholic and Reformed

Download PDF (447.6 KB)
pp. 65-78

The passage above was written about the Fourth Council of the Lateran, which took place in 1215. It sets a larger stage for the place and role of the Franciscan movement within the history of the Western Church. It also suggests a way into our reflections by depicting the Franciscan movement as an evangelical movement within the larger...

CHAPTER FIVE. Forming Pastoral Ministers in a Fragmented Church

Download PDF (464.6 KB)
pp. 79-96

The theme of this conference, “‘Go Rebuild My House’: Franciscans and the Church Today,” revisits one of the best-known quotes associated with St. Francis of Assisi; its directive is an acutely felt need in the Church today. The concerns range from a rapidly increasing number of Catholics, whose enormous diversity places great strains on parishes and other...

AUTHORS

Download PDF (426.4 KB)
pp. 97-98