We have made many resources—both from the Initiative and from other sources—available. Please click on the links below to access them.
RESOURCES FROM THE INITIATIVE
Articles
- “Characteristics of an Initiative Dialogue”
- “Planning a Dialogue Within the Parish Setting”
- “Principles of Dialogue”
- “Distinguishing Dialogue from Debate”
- “Called to Be Catholic: Church in a Time of Peril”
Books
- Church Authority in American Culture, outcomes of the Second Annual Cardinal Bernardin Conference, introduction by Philip J. Murnion
- The Church Women Want: Catholic Women in Dialogue, edited by Elizabeth Johnson, C.S.J.
- Tested in Every Way, by Christopher Ruddy, written from the 2003 Bernardin Conference entitled “The Priest in the Church.”
CHURCH DOCUMENTS
- Ecclesiam Suam, Paul VI This 1964 encyclical is a sustained reflection on dialogue and it is the first use of the term in church documents.
- Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions (Nostra aetate) The Vatican II document which launched dialogue with other religions.
- Constitution on the Church in the Modern World (Gaudium et spes) The last major document of Vatican II, this pastoral constitution broke new ground when it advocated dialogue with the contemporary world.
RESOURCES FROM OUTSIDE THE INITIATIVE
- BOOK: The Magic of Dialogue, Daniel Yankelovich. Simon & Schuster. New York, 1999. Writing from the perspective of a social scientist, Yankelovich gives examples of dialogues that “work” and from them draws fifteen strategies for dialogue.
- BOOK: The Argument Culture, Deborah Tannen. Random House. New York, 1998. A socio-linguist looks at the American tendency to use argument as a way to resolve disputes. Written in a popular style with concrete examples, Tannen points out the pervasive warlike atmosphere of American life and its relationship to media, legal disputes, political discourse, and gendered speech. The last chapter is entitled, “The Roots of Debate in Education and the Hope for Dialogue.” This is not about “how to dialogue;” rather, it shows “why we need to learn to dialogue.”
- ARTICLE:“A Dialogue Decalogue,” Leonard Swidler. This early articulation of learnings from ecumenical dialogue continues to provide helpful insights. Dialogue within the Catholic Church, however, must also take into account the appropriate hierarchical authority.
- ARTICLE:“Five-Stage Process of Dialogue,” Harold H. Saunders. Published in Laity in the Church and in the World. United States Catholic Conference. Washington, DC, 1998. pp. 79-105. Mr. Saunders writes from long experience in ecumenical dialogue. He discusses “Sustained Dialogue”—over a long period of time—and the resource it can provide both within and between congregations. His insights are both wise and practical. To order a copy of Laity in Church and in the World, please contact USCC Publishing Services at 1-800-235-8722
