Vatican II Revisited: Ecumenism

Holy Family Parish in Concord, Massachusetts, will be hosting Monsignor Peter Conley on Thursday, January 31 at 7:30 PM in the lower level of the Parish Center in West Concord. This is being offered as part of our yearlong series, Vatican II Revisited and, in this session, Monsignor Conley will explore the Council’s Decree on Ecumenism, Unitatis Redintegratio.

Monsignor Peter Conley was born and raised in the Readville section of Boston, the second of four children. Having attended the local parochial school and Boston Latin School, he studied for the priesthood at St. John Seminary in Brighton and the North American College in Rome where he was ordained on Dec. 18, 1963.

On returning to the Archdiocese, he was first assigned to St. Mary Parish, Melrose and then, in 1968, was asked to study for a doctorate in theology at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. He subsequently taught at Emmanuel College and Pope John XXIII National Seminary in Weston, MA.

Monsignor Conley has held the following positions within the Archdiocese: Office of Ecumenical and Inter-faith Affairs, the Office of Communications, Cabinet Secretary for Community Relations, Rector of the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, Editor of The Pilot and, since July 2000, pastor of Saint Jude, Norfolk.

Because of his avid personal and academic interests in ecumenism [the move towards unity among Christians] Monsignor Conley is a natural to lead us in a discussion of the Vatican II document, Unitatis Redintegratio, which has set the tone for the  ecumenical movement in the United States and beyond for the past fifty years.

The presentation will be held in the lower level of the Parish Center at 55 Church Street in West Concord at 7:30 PM.  A donation of $5 – 10 is deeply appreciated.