Faculty Advisor
Joseph Holbrook
Author Biographical Statement
Emily Rosario is a Global Medallion scholar graduating with a major in History, a minor in Art History, and a Certificate in Christian Studies. She has presented her research at the Humanities Edge Research Conference and has earned first place in FIU’s Writing in History Essay Competition. Emily’s research interests focus on the intersection between religion, culture, and ideas across Western Europe and the Middle East. Passionate about education, she aspires to become a history professor, sharing her love for academia with future generations. Emily enjoys listening to podcasts, reading fantasy books, and hanging out with friends in her spare time.
Abstract
The religious landscape of the 21st century is experiencing a set of unique historical circumstances that have shifted attitudes toward the role of religion in society. With the contemporary amplification of the secular worldview in mainstream Western culture, the Roman Catholic Church, in particular, is witnessing a decline of its faithful followers, more so with its younger generation straying further away from the Christian compass. However, there is an interesting dichotomy that this research considers. That is the resurgence of lay ecclesial ministries and communities within the Catholic Church around the time of or following the Second Vatican Council, 1962-1965. In an effort to understand this revival, the following research offers a multifaceted perspective on the Neocatechumenal Way—a recently formed lay ministry that is often underestimated contrary to its significant growth and impact. The evidence presented entails apostolic exhortations, papal addresses, religious documents, and academic publications, all of which fall within the interdisciplinary scope of religious sociology, modern church history, and practical theology. The object of the narrative is to contribute to the existing historiography of the post-conciliar era of the Roman Catholic Church and the arising discourse surrounding the New Evangelization movement introduced by Pope Paul VI in 1975 and subsequently set in motion by Pope John Paul II.
DOI
10.25148/FIUURJ.3.1.8
Recommended Citation
Rosario, Emily
(2025)
"Echoes of Vatican II: Understanding the Lay Revival in a Secular Age,"
FIU Undergraduate Research Journal: Vol. 3:
Iss.
1, Article 8.
DOI: 10.25148/FIUURJ.3.1.8
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/undergraduate-journal/vol3/iss1/8
