I’m revising my site organization to include all the Vatican II documents on fewer pages. These are not popular finds from the main menu, and since WordPress doesn’t easily allow me to manipulate how “pages” are displayed, this is the best I can muster.
Here are the outlines and hyperlinks for the conciliar constitutions, the documents on Liturgy, the Church, Divine Revelation, and the Church in the Modern World.
Sacrosanctum Concilium, the Vatican II Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy. The chapter headings are as they appear in the document online.
Introduction
- 1. The overall aims of the second Vatican Council
- 2. Liturgy expresses Christ, and shows him to others
- 3. Principles and norms for promotion and reform
- 4. Rites other than Roman
Chapter I: General Principles for the Restoration and Promotion of the Sacred Liturgy
Section I: The Nature of the Sacred Liturgy and Its Importance in the Church’s Life
- 5. Christ is the fullness of divine worship
- 6. Word and sacraments
- 7. Christ’s presence in the liturgy
- 8. A foretaste of heaven
- 9. Evangelization
- 10. Source and summit
- 11. Lay participation: aware, engaged, enriched
- 12. Prayer beyond liturgy
- 13. Popular devotions
Section II: The Promotion of Liturgical Instruction and Active Participation
- 14. Fully conscious, and active participation
- 15. Teaching liturgy
- 16. Liturgy in seminaries
- 17. Liturgical formation in the spiritual life
- 18. Priests: living the liturgical life and sharing it
- 19. The role of the pastor
- 20. Liturgy by radio and television
Section III: The Reform of the Sacred Liturgy
Part A) General Norms
- 22. Three general norms
- 23. Retain tradition but renew carefully
- 24. The importance of the Word
- 25. Liturgical book revision as soon as possible
Part B) Norms drawn from the hierarchic and communal nature of the Liturgy
- 26. Liturgy is for the whole Church
- 27. Lay participation preferred to the quasi-private
- 28. Each person should keep to their own duties
- 29. Lay liturgical ministry
- 30. Active participation, defined
- 31. Rubrics for the people’s parts
- 32. Differences among persons
Part C) Norms based upon the didactic and pastoral nature of the Liturgy
- 33. Liturgy is catechetical
- 34. Noble simplicity
- 35. Ministries of the Word
- 36. Latin and vernacular
Part D) Norms for adapting the Liturgy to the culture and traditions of peoples
- 37. No rigid uniformity
- 38. Variations within substantial unity
- 39. The role of bishops’ conferences
- 40. More radical adaptations
Part E) Promotion of Liturgical Life in Diocese and Parish
Part F) The Promotion of Pastoral-Liturgical Action
- 43. Zeal for liturgical renewal
- 44. Liturgical commissions and institutes for pastoral liturgy
- 45. Diocesan or regional commissions
- 46. Commissions for music and art
Chapter II: The Most Sacred Mystery of the Eucharist
- 47. The Paschal Mystery
- 48. A reaffirmation of participation
- 49. A focus on Sundays and obligatory feasts
- 50. How to revise the Mass
- 51. A richer Lectionary
- 52. The homily
- 53. Prayer of the Faithful
- 54. Mass in the vernacular
- 55. Reception of the Eucharist
- 56. Word and Eucharist: one single act of worship
- 57. Concelebration
- 58. A new rite for concelebration
Chapter III: The Other Sacraments and the Sacramentals
- 59. The purpose and importance of the sacraments
- 60. Sacramentals, briefly
- 61. The opportunity of grace in the sacraments and sacramentals
- 62. A desire for greater clarity drives reform
- 63. The vernacular and reform of the sacramental rites
- 64. The restoration of the catechumenate
- 65. Initiation in mission lands
- 66. Adult baptism rites
- 67. Infant baptism
- 68. Variations in baptismal rites
- 69. Rites for those already baptized
- 70. Blessing baptismal water
- 71. Confirmation
- 72. Penance
- 73. Anointing of the Sick
- 74. Viaticum
- 75. Adaptations for anointing the sick
- 76. Ordination, including the consecration of a bishop
- 77. Rite of Marriage
- 78. Marriage, the Eucharist, and the nuptial blessing
- 79. Revision of the sacramentals
- 80. Consecration of virgins, religious professions, and renewal of vows
- 81. Funerals
- 82. Burial of infants
Chapter IV: The Divine Office
- 83. Christ’s priesthood manifest in the Liturgy of the Hours
- 84. Liturgy of the Hours defined
- 85. Affirming those who pray the Hours
- 86. Priests and the Hours
- 87. Liturgy of the Hours to be reformed
- 88. Align the Hours with the time of day
- 89. Particular Hours
- 90. Piety and intellect
- 91. Revising the Psalter
- 92. Scripture and other readings
- 93. Music
- 94. Optimal prayer at the true canonical time
- 95. Religious communities
- 96. Clergy
- 97. Substitutions
- 98. Members of institutes and abbreviations
- 99. Diocesan clergy, plus the externals of liturgy and music
- 100. Laity, especially the chief hours on Sundays and major feasts
- 101. Latin and the vernacular
Chapter V: The Liturgical Year
- 102. The mystery of Christ in the liturgical year
- 103. Marian feasts
- 104. Saint days
- 105. Formation of the faithful
- 106. The Lord’s Day
- 107. Preservation, restoration, adaptation
- 108. Feasts of the Lord
- 109. Lent
- 110. Communal penance and the Paschal Triduum
- 111. Feast of saints
Chapter VI: Sacred Music
- 112. Music above the other arts
- 113. Singing the liturgy
- 114. Preserve the treasury of music
- 115. Training singers
- 116. Chant and other kinds of sacred music
- 117. Books of Gregorian chant
- 118. Foster congregational singing
- 119. Sacred music in mission lands
- 120. The pipe organ and other instruments
- 121. Composers
Chapter VII: Sacred Art and Sacred Furnishings
- 122. The fine arts
- 123. Multiple styles of visual art
- 124. Noble beauty rather than sumptuous display
- 125. A moderate number and placement of images
- 126. A diocesan commission on sacred art
- 127. A special concern for artists
- 128. An early revision of standards for churches, images, and vestments
- 129. Art history in seminaries
- 130. Pontificals
Appendix: A Declaration of the Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican on Revision of the Calendar
Lumen Gentium, the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church,
Chapter I The Mystery of the Church
- 1. Bishops define the Church
- 2. The Church is part of God’s plan for the redemption of humanity
- 3. “The kingdom of Christ now present in mystery”
- 4. The Holy Spirit in the Church
- 5. The Church begins
- 6. The Church in metaphor
- 7. Believers in the Body
- 8. The Mission of the Church
Chapter II On The People of God
- 9. God calls a people
- 10. Priesthood
- 11. Sacraments
- 12. Gifts
- 13. All are called
- 14. Membership
- 15. Those who are not in union with Rome
- 16. Non-Christians
- 17. Evangelization
Chapter III On the Hierarchical Structure of the Church and in Particular on the Episcopate
- 18. Bishops
- 19. An apostolic foundation
- 20. Service: the Lord’s example
- 21. Sacramental ministry
- 22. Communion with Rome
- 23. Individual bishops and the local Church
- 24. Power
- 25. Preaching, teaching, and infallibility
- 26. The Eucharist
- 27. Bishops are vicars of Christ
- 28. Priests
- 29. Deacons
Chapter IV The Laity
- 30. Lay people are part of the People of God
- 31. Laity defined
- 32. The gifts of the laity
- 33. The lay apostolate
- 34. Priestly role of the laity
- 35. Prophetic role of the laity
- 36. Royal role of the laity
- 37. Laity and the hierarchy
- 38. Lay people witness to the world
Chapter V The Universal Call to Holiness in the Church
- 39. Holiness of the Church
- 40. More on the universal call to holiness
- 41. Personal gifts guide personal holiness
- 42. Love, martyrdom, and religious traditions
Chapter VI Religious
- 43. Disciplines of the religious life
- 44. Religious men and women look outside the self
- 45. The hierarchy guides religious vows
- 46. Good examples
- 47. Perseverance in the religious vocation
Chapter VII The Eschatological Nature of the Pilgrim Church and its Union with the Church in Heaven
Chapter VIII The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God in the Mystery of Christ and the Church
- 52. Introducing Mary, Mother of God
- 53. High office and dignity, yet one of us
- 54. Why Vatican II bishops addressed the place of Mary
- 55. Mary and Salvation
- 56. The witness of the early Church to Mary
- 57. Mary in the Gospel of Luke
- 58. Mary participated in the life of her Son
- 59. Infallible Marian doctrines
- 60. Mary and the Church
- 61. Mary’s example invites us to follow
- 62. Mary’s role and that of Christ
- 63. Mary, “type of the Church”
- 64. Two mothers: Mary and the Church
- 65. Believers turn to Mary
- 66. The spiritual devotion of Mary in the Church
- 67. Marian devotion: the good, the cautions
- 68. Mary, image and beginning of the Church
- 69. Conclusion
Dei Verbum, the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation.
Preface
Chapter I: Revelation Itself
- 2. How does God reveal himself to people?
- 3. God is always committed to the universe, especially his people
- 4. The role of the Son
- 5. The obedience of faith
- 6. God can be known
Chapter II: Handing on Divine Revelation
- 7. The apostolic tradition continues the Gospel
- 8. The Bible
- 9. Scripture and Tradition
- 10. Bishops, the faithful, and the teaching office of the Church
Chapter III: Sacred Scripture, Its Inspiration and Divine Interpretation
Chapter IV: The Old Testament
- 14. God’s plan for human salvation
- 15. Learning from the Old Testament
- 16. Finding a fulfillment in the New Testament
Chapter V: The New Testament
- 17. The significance of Jesus
- 18. The four Gospels
- 19. Assembling the four Gospels
- 20. Apostolic writings
Chapter VI: Sacred Scripture in the Life of the Church
- 21. Scripture and the sacraments
- 22. Accessibility of Scripture to all
- 23. Biblical scholarship
- 24. Ministries of the Word
- 25. Reading and studying the Bible
- 26. Hope for a new stimulus
Special Essays on Dei Verbum:
- Dei Verbum 1 and Gaudium et Spes
- Dei Verbum: Abbot Butler at the Council
- Dei Verbum 5 – Karl Barth and the “Obedience of Faith”
Gaudium et Spes, the Vatican II Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World. Chapter headings follow, plus a very brief summary of each section.
Preface
- 1. People of the Church, people of this age
- 2. Why Vatican II focused attention on the world of people
- 3. What does the Church have to say to the world?
Introductory Statement
- 4. A new stage of human history
- 5. Science and technology
- 6. Changes on all levels of society
- 7. Upheaval in society
- 8. Imbalances and differences
- 9. The hunger for justice
- 10. Resolving internal divisions
Part One: The Church and Human Calling
Chapter I: The Dignity of the Human Person
- 12. Human beings, crown of creation
- 13. Human holiness and sin
- 14. The human body and the human soul
- 15. Knowledge and wisdom
- 16. Human conscience
- 17. Freedom to goodness
- 18. Death and salvation
- 19. Human belief in or skepticism of God
- 20. Atheism
- 21. Faith, atheism, and some modern challenges
- 22. Christology
Chapter II: The Community of Humankind
- 23. Dialogue among people
- 24. God’s universal fatherhood
- 25. Human progress
- 26. Human rights and duties
- 27. Reverence for life
- 28. Charity and love
- 29. Human rights and dignity
- 30. Obligations of individuals and of society
- 31. An active life in the culture
- 32. The witness of Christ and the saints
Chapter III: Human Activity Throughout The World
- 33. Human mastery: to what end?
- 34. Human beings in God’s plan
- 35. Beyond resources, toward a divine plan
- 36. The Church supports human endeavors
- 37. The shadow side of progress
- 38. God’s gifts, especially the Eucharist
- 39. End things
Chapter IV: The Role of the Church in the Modern World
- 40. Human dignity lays the foundation
- 41. To rely on God
- 42. Unity among Christians, unity in the world
- 43. Active engagement in and with the world
- 44. Applying discernment
- 45. Christ at the center
Part Two: Some Problems of Special Urgency
Chapter I: Fostering the Nobility of Marriage and the Family
- 47. Holiness and natural dignity of marriage
- 48. Marriage as covenant, and more
- 49. True love
- 50. Children and a whole communion of life
- 51. Human life and its transmission
- 52. Support for the family
Chapter II: The Proper Development of Culture
Section 1: The Circumstances of Culture in the World Today
Section 2: Some Principles for the Proper Development of Culture
Section 3: Some More Urgent Duties of Christians in Regard to Culture
- 60. Human dignity for all
- 61. Certain values and leisure
- 62. Theology and the arts contribute to culture
Chapter III: Economic and Social Life
Section 1: Economic Development
Section 2: Certain Principles Governing Socio-Economic Life as a Whole
- 67. Work is godly
- 68. Democracy
- 69. Goods
- 70. Investments
- 71. Property rights
- 72. The struggle for justice
Chapter IV: The Life of the Political Community
- 73. Civil Rights
- 74. Self-determination, even in diversity
- 75. Civic involvement
- 76. Church and state: separate, but the Church may assess
Chapter V: The Fostering of Peace and the Promotion of a Community of Nations
Section 1: The Avoidance of War
- 79. A look at war and those who might wage it
- 80. Modern war
- 81. The arms race and deterrence
- 82. Making peace
Section 2: Setting Up an International Community
- 83. International cooperation
- 84. International issues
- 85. Economic cooperation
- 86. Duties and responsibilities of nations
- 87. Population issues
- 88. Charity
- 89. The Church’s involvement in the world
- 90. Christian contributions
- 91. Council bishops give general guidelines; the laity enact them in the world
- 92. The witness of believers
- 93. Final hopes
Special topics:
Catholic Sensibility 