I remember the council being in Rome, the photographs of all the attendees, but that was about it for the council itself. It is the aftermath that no one will ever forget.
Being an altar server, I had to learn the English responses instead of Latin. I attended at Catholic college from 65 to 69 and the changes were mind blowing. Lots of English song instead of Latin, guitars, folk music (if I hear the song Kumbaya one more time, I may go screaming into the night.) I remember about a dozen monks being laicized and returning to lay life, marrying and leaving the monastery. (all with the good wishes and good graces of the other monks). And endless debates about birth control, involvement in civil rights movements, anti war movement, and a whole lot of craziness. It extended into the 70’s with things like ballerinas on the altar, much more involvement of the laity in the mass, and a whole host of other things. Eventually, with the papacy of John Paul II, much of the craziness dissipated. Don’t see too much of it today. My opinion looking back. It was very good for the church, but it did take some “wandering off the reservation” to arrive where we are today. There are still a goodly number who hate Vatican II and pine for a return to the old Latin mass with its Latin hymns, churchy smells and sounds. I’m not one of them. I remember the old Latin Mass and all the offenses in it. It is why we have (in most dioceses I think) the old form, the mass in Latin for those who prefer it. I think one’s opinion is very subjective, and neither “side” is “right.”
