Peter A. Huff, PhD, holds the Besl Family Chair in Ethics/Religion and Society at Xavier University in Cincinnati. He earned his doctorate in historical theology from Saint Louis University in 1994.

Vatican II is known to every Catholic at least by name, but we're a little skimpy on the details. What happened there? Why did it take place? Why have there been mixed reactions to it? Most importantly, what is the impact of the Second Vatican Council on the People of the Church now?

Peter A. Huff, in Vatican II: Its Impact on You, answers these questions and more in a lively, brief, easy-to-read, fresh overview of the event that has had the greatest impact onthe Catholic experience today.

Vatican II, the brainchild of Blessed Pope John XXIII, spanned from 1962 to 1965, attracted 2,500 bishops to Vatican City, and produced inspiring activity and documents from extraordinary personalities.

This book analyzes Vatican II's sources, context, decisions, and ongoing impact. Huff argues that "we rightly associate the council with change, but it is just as correctly portrayed as a strategic preservation of Catholicism's time-tested heritage."

While written from a Catholic perspective, all Christians will find Vatican II: Its Impact on You a fascinating look at a time in recent world history when truth and grace joined for what the author calls "the most important religious event of the twentieth century."

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