Abstract:

The Second Vatican Council brought forth significant ecclesiological developments in the Catholic Church, one of which was heightened ecumenical awareness and what Pope John Paul II would later call a commitment to the restoration of Christian unity. This tesina seeks to draw out both the Christological and pneumatological aspects of ecumenism, with greater attention paid to the latter. This author argues that Vatican II was a catalyst in recognizing the pneumatic nature of the Church and in instigating a resurgence in pneumatological theology.

The tesina divides itself into a theological section (Chapters II and III) and a pastoral section (Chapter IV). In the theological exposition, the author introduces the ecclesiological thought of the Dominican ecumenist, later Cardinal, Yves Congar. Congar positions his ecclesiological vision on the inseparable mission of the Son-Word and the Spirit-Breath. His “pneumatological ecclesiology”€ aims to rediscover and restore the necessary Trinitarian orientation and dynamics in ecclesiology.

With conclusions and implications arising from this theological section, the pastoral section (Chapter IV) offers a proposal for a formation in ecumenism; a proposal not simply applying the directives of the Ecumenical Directory but consistently appropriating Congar’s pneumatological ecclesiology. The author addresses his proposal specifically to the Saint John Vianney School of Theology in Cagayan de Oro City. However, he hopes that other seminaries and theological institutions can benefit from this study. The author believes that at the heart of the ecumenical venture is an ecclesiological tension that remains challenging to this day. The proposed formation in ecumenism is an attempt to mitigate the challenge, enabling formandees to avoid ecumenical and ecclesiological missteps and to create more spaces for dialogue and reconciliation. It is hoped that more future ministers of the Church would become “persons of communion”,€ zealous advocates, and frontliners in the ongoing quest for Christian unity.

Final Defense:

Board of Examiners:Fr. Oliver Dy, S.J., S.T.D., Ph.D.(Principal Examiner) and Fr. Norlan Julia, S.J., Ph.D.

Proposal Defense:

Board of Examiners: Dr. Joaquin Yap, Jr., S.W. (Adviser), Fr. James Kroeger, M.M., D.Miss. and Fr. Oliver Dy, S.J., S.T.D., Ph.D.