Defense Date

2-15-1999

Graduation Date

Spring 1999

Availability

Immediate Access

Submission Type

dissertation

Degree Name

PhD

Department

Theology

School

McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts

Committee Chair

George S. Worgul

Committee Member

James P. Hanigan

Committee Member

Maureen R. O'Brien

Committee Member

Moni McIntyre

Keywords

Christian Marriage, Domestic Church, Marriage, Sacrament, Vatican Council II

Abstract

The purpose of this dissertation is to determine in what sense the Christian family can be called Church: not at all, analogically, and/or univocally. Integral to the dissertation is that the hierarchical magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church has developed significantly the ecclesial nature of the Christian family during the past three decades. During the Second Vatican Council the council fathers developed a seed text in which they use the term "domestic Church" to connote this ecclesial dimension of Christian marriage and the family which derives from it.

The core of this study is two-fold: first, to determine the meaning, use, and significance of the term "domestic Church" in select, official Roman Catholic Church teaching since Vatican Council II; and second, to provide a theological critique of the findings and to reflect upon some implications for theology and pastoral ministry. Beginning with The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (1964) and ending with A Family Perspective In Church and Society: A Manual For All Pastoral Leaders (1988), the dissertation attempts to clarify the meaning and use of the term and to express its significance for understanding the nature of the Christian family and of the Church.

Format

PDF

Language

English

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