Ex Corde Ecclesiae

"This book is highly recommended as important background for what is hoped will be ongoing conversations between bishops, theologians, and presidents. The issues have stayed amazingly constant over the years. We are greatly in Alice Gallin's debt for her role as participant, observer, and chronicler." —American Catholic Studies (2006)

“The new volume contains each draft of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB)'s 'Ex Corde Ecclesiae: An Application to the United States' in addition to Rome's responses. . . . Much has been written over the last few decades about Catholic universities in the U.S. This collection of documents from the heart of the controversy is indispensable to students of the matter.” —CatholicBooksReview.org

“The publication of the apostolic letter Ex Corde Ecclesiae on August 15, 1990, began a new chapter in American Catholic high education. During the decade from 1991 to 2001, the Implementation Committee of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops worked to apply the apostolic letter to the educational circumstances of the United States… Alice Gallin, O.S.U., a leader in American Catholic higher education, served as a resource person on the committee, and attended nearly all of its meetings. In this book she presents a documentary history of the committee: a set of the principal documents produced by the committee or presented to it as significant material for its deliberations.” —Theology Digest

“. . . what makes this work truly worthwhile and absorbing is its thirty-five page introduction. Gallin summarizes the entire process, puts each document in its historical context and describes the impact it had on the discussions and final product. With amazing skill, Gallin makes the reader feel like he or she is actually participating in the meetings. This book serves as an essential resource for understanding and living the Catholic identity of our colleges and universities in the Untied States.” —The Jurist