Ponderings of an Old Theologian

Ponderings of an Old Theologian is a book in which the author reflects on his life as a youngster and a seminarian in the pre-Vatican II Catholic Church, as a priest and missionary in the Philippines, and as a resigned priest and lay teacher at a Catholic school. The Second Vatican Council (1962-5) and Pope John XXIII had a life-shaping effect on him throughout his journey.

Early on, he decided to help implement the renewals of Vatican II, and did so as a missionary and a teacher. In simple language, his narrative and reflections cover the development of Catholic thinking through several generations and look at the papacy of Pope Francis as the hope of a real Vatican II Church. The work invites the readers to find how they can make Vatican II relevant in their lives (part memoir, part reflection on Catholic theology).

Jozef Goethals was born in Torhout, Belgium, in 1937. After six years of classical humanities at St. Rembert College in his hometown, he joined the international missionary congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (CICM or Scheut Fathers) in 1956. After two years of studying philosophy in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, he spent seven years at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, Italy, where he obtained degrees in theology and missiology and did post-graduate studies. Subsequently, he served as a missionary in the Philippines until 1970.He emigrated to USA, resigned from the ministry, and became a teacher in Baltimore, Maryland. For 32 years, he taught philosophy, religion, and languages at Notre Dame Preparatory School. After his retirement in 2002, he dedicated ten years to his genealogy hobby. He published three family histories on the Goethals family and a manual on Belgian genealogy research.Since 2012, he has published two memoirs, a novel on The Second Vatican Council, and a historical novel on the German occupation of his hometown, which was also published in Dutch in Belgium. He resides in Baltimore, Maryland, with his wife, Felicitas.

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Robert Albright, priest of the Baltimore Archdiocese

This book captured the spirit of the times and brought back many memories, both good and not so good. Goethals writes so vividly about the times, the struggles and the triumphs of both the Church and the world. However, his unique writing style reveals his own experiences as if they were mine, the reader…and they were. The details may be different, but the story is identical to my own, living through those days. Therefore, it is from that vantage point that I can say this book is brilliant. It can be read as a novel, studied as a text, and appreciated by anyone of any culture or religion or faith as a valid treatise on human history. Best of all, it is a work of inspiration delving into the pros and cons of life on this planet and the “ponderings” of one person sharing his hope with the rest of us.

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Robert Albright, priest of the Baltimore Archdiocese

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