Mary & the Church at Vatican II: The Untold Story of Lumen Gentium VIII
By Laurie Olsen
Who should read this? Specialists in Mariology and the theological debates of the Second Vatican Council will benefit from Mary & the Church at Vatican II. But it is not for the general Catholic reader. The book is highly technical and will lack appeal—even among most scholars.
What’s the author’s approach? Drawing on untapped materials at the Vatican Archives, Dr. Olsen offers a play-by-play of the debates surrounding Lumen Gentium’s chapter VIII (The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, in the Mystery of Christ and the Church). She explores in minute detail the discussion regarding whether the Marian text would be its own document or part of a broader treatise on the Church and, when joined to the document on the Church, exactly what language would be used to describe Mary, her relationship to the Church, and her role in salvation.
Why does it matter? The research presented here contributes to the ongoing discussion on what titles are appropriate to Mary, especially the debate on Co-Redemptrix. It will also aid future scholars in refining the story of the conciliar texts’ development and reception. With a massive amount of bibliographic and source material (150 pages of appendices and 200 pages of endnotes), it provides a solid foundation for further exploration.
What intrigued me the most? According to Dr. Olsen, the Church entered “the decade without Mary” (1964–1974) (p. 1) following the promulgation of Lumen Gentium, yet there was intense Mariological interest at the time of the council. What theological, social, and cultural factors contributed to the decline of Marian theology and piety? Are the seeds of this decline found somehow in the process that arrived at the text of Lumen Gentium VIII? Though she does not explore social or cultural factors, Dr. Olsen suggests a role for Lumen Gentium VIII in the Mariological shift because “the council fathers’ pleas for something more substantial were repeatedly ignored, misrepresented, and even belittled” (p. 195). Dr. Olsen’s work shows that there was often acrimony between certain bishops and conciliar periti, sometimes leading to underhandedness and duplicity. Yet, she strongly affirms the authority and inerrancy of Lumen Gentium even if the process that led to it bore a “very human stamp” (p. 200).
A Hidden Story. In commenting on the intricacies of various theological debates, Dr. Olsen provides some interesting tidbits on the question of whether the Blessed Virgin Mary died (p. 36-37). Though numerous contributors to the conciliar debates on Mary wanted to include language clarifying that she had physically died before the Assumption, the final text of Lumen Gentium echoed the vaguer language of Pius XII’s Munificentissimus Deus (1950) by stating “on the completion of her earthly sojourn, [she] was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory” (§ 59).
Implications. Dr. Olsen’s work suggests some important theological implications, especially surrounding language selection. The council fathers and those who aided them in drafting the texts were deliberate in their word choices—often with ecumenical consequences in mind. But they were far from unanimous (in the case of Lumen Gentium VIII, they were divided along the lines of “minimalist” and “maximalist” approaches). Some favored, for instance, word choices such as mediatrix, Mater Ecclesiae, and typus Ecclesiae—and others were vehemently opposed, favoring more modest biblical and patristic titles. This work suggests that similar, fine-grained analyses of conciliar texts may provide a fascinating window into the kinds of compromises made to arrive at their final versions.
Usefulness. The usefulness of Mary & the Church at Vatican II is limited—not only because of the narrowness of the topic but due to the highly technical nature of the work. In addition, the ability to pick out the contributions of certain key figures (e.g., Rahner, Laurentin, or Congar, among hundreds of names) is hampered by the absence of an index. However, those with the interest and patience to follow the debates, disagreements, and compromises that led to Lumen Gentium VIII will be enriched in their understanding of mid-century Mariology and conciliar processes.
Laurie Olsen, Mary & the Church at Vatican II: The Untold Story of Lumen Gentium VIII. Emmaus Road Publishing, 2024. 576.
REVIEWER: Fr. David Endres
David J. Endres, a priest of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, is academic dean and professor of church history and historical theology at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary & School of Theology in Cincinnati. Fr. Endres has published widely on American Catholicism, including several edited volumes: Slavery and the Catholic Church in the United States: Historical Studies (2023); Native American Catholic Studies Reader: History and Theology (2022); and Black Catholic Studies Reader: History and Theology (2021). He has served for the past decade as editor of the scholarly quarterly U.S. Catholic Historian and recently received the Catholic Library Association’s Jerome Award for outstanding contributions and commitment to excellence in scholarship.
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