Gaudium et Spes: Yesterday’s Modern World, Today’s Challenges

Seminar Enrichment Series

When we think of “the modern world,” we usually picture smartphones, social media, and globalization — all post-2000 realities. But in 1965, at the close of the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic Church already saw the shape of our age in Gaudium et Spes. This landmark document wrestled with human dignity, social inequality, technological disruption, war, peace, and the search for meaning — issues that remain uncannily familiar today. In this talk, we’ll step into the world of 1965 and discover how the Council’s vision not only anticipated many of our current struggles, but also offers fresh perspectives for thinking about what it means to live faithfully in a fast-changing world.

With Colin Redemer

Seminar text: Second Vatican Council, Gaudium et Spes (SEM 250)