A Honolulu Bishop at the Second Vatican Council

Honolulu Bishop John J. Scanlan, D.D. in that group

Bishop Scanlan on the left

It is interesting to note that one of our own bishops considered his participation in the Second Vatican Council to be the highlight of his bishopric.  The following is from A Bishop and His Diocese In an Age of Change. which was dedicated to Bishop Scanlan, the second bishop of the Diocese of Honolulu on the occasion of his Golden anniversary of his priesthood.  Researched and written by Msgr.  Francis A. Marzen and Staff, Hawaii Catholic Herald, September 1980.

"Perhaps the highlight of Bishop Scanlan's years as Auxiliary Bishop did not take place in Hawaii but in St. Peter's Basilica during the four and one-half years and four sessions of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council.  These were years of serious study as the Church laid the foundations, the aggiornamento, the updating of Catholic life in the latter years of the twentieth century and the beginnings of the twenty-first century.  Bishop Scanlan in his scholarly manner applied himself to the working drafts of the various declarations and constitutions of the Council so that his vote reflected a grasp of the issues and a commitment to the future of the Church and its {sic}people.  Bishop Scanlan used every opportunity at that time to explain the Council to the faithful of Hawaii and to point out the significance or thrust of each and every decree.  He was proud to be a 'Bishop of the Council.'"