Commemorating the 60th anniversary of Vatican II, ACI and the Cardijn Community Australia will hold a Study Day on the theme “The Mission and Vocation of Lay People: Transforming the World and the Church.”
Among many other aspects, Vatican II was noteworthy for its development of the theme of lay apostolate, which can be defined as “the vocation and mission of the lay person in the Church and the world.”
The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, in 1964 was the first conciliar document in the history of the Church to devote a chapter to the laity.
Similarly, the Decree on Lay Apostolate, Apostolicam Actuositatem, of 18 November 1965 was the first conciliar document in history devoted specifically to that subject.
The Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the World of Today, Gaudium et Spes, explained in great detail the fields in which that lay apostolate was to be exercised: Marriage and family, Proper development of culture, Economic and social life, Life of the political community, Fostering peace and promoting the community of nations.
Cardinal Joseph Cardijn, founder of the Young Christian Workers (YCW) movement, played a major role at the Council, particularly in the development of its teachings on lay apostolate.
This study day, which will take place on the weekend of the 60th anniversary of the promulgation of Gaudium et Spes on 7 December 1965, will look back at the development of the lay apostolate in Adelaide, particularly in the context leading up to and after Vatican II, and reflect on the importance of the vocation and mission of the lay person in the development of a synodal Church transforming the world of today in the light of Christ’s Gospel.
Study Day Details
Saturday 6 December 2025, 9am – 6pm
St Dominic’s Priory College, 139 Molesworth St, North Adelaide, 5006.
Program
Study Day website: www.gaudiumetspes.org
Register
Flyer photos: Frederic Ozanam, Victoire Cappe, Dorothy Day, Blessed Marcel Callo, St Piergiorgio Frassati, Rosemary Goldie.