To answer Anne’s last comment: (blogspot still balking):

I actually have many concrete ideas about retrieving the memory of Vatican II in our parishes. I suggested observing the 50th anniversary year, because I can imagine an entire year-long program of activities observances and ceremonies. For me, the rule of thumb is to focus on the “forest” (that is, the main purpose of the council: the renewal of the church) rather than the “trees” (that is, the many reforms in various aspects of catholic life). Historically, these two things were collapsed together and made synonyms, which was a tragic mistake. Reforms are supposed to lead to renewal, but because we were not careful they often became ends in themselves and led nowhere except to a new format that was just as routine as the old format. Reforms alter the face of the church, but renewal alters the heart of the church through an interior conversion of all of its members. We must remember that both John XXIII and Paul VI called the council “a second Pentecost,” in other words the rebirth of the church after 20 centuries. In CrossCurrents #307, (especially in the full-text version available by email request), I compare remembering this rebirth to remembering the birth of America, and I name concrete ways to copy how Americans keep alive the flame of the American Revolution. E.G.: Hang the portrait of JOHN XXIII in a prominent place to honor him as Father of Our Rebirth (like Washington in our schools).