With regard to scale, the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) is undoubtedly at the grand end of the religious history spectrum. There is extensive literature on its proceedings and documents, and the debate, ideological and acrimonious at times, between those who interpret Vatican II in terms of rupture and those who emphasize its continuity with the Roman Catholic tradition.

In the wake of the Council, Australian Catholics experienced change in almost every aspect of their religion. This paper will concentrate on some of the developments which might seem relatively minor today, such as lining up for communion instead of kneeling at an altar rail, and taking communion in the hand rather than on the tongue. At the time they were implemented, these changes generated strong emotional reactions. Although not always clearly articulated, different understandings of God, Jesus Christ and the Eucharist can be discerned behind the responses, testimony to the complex interweaving of theological beliefs and material and sensory culture in Catholicism. It is important to move beyond ideologically-driven analysis of the impact of Vatican II to an appreciation of the links between belief and culture, and the strain that occurred when new wine was poured into old wineskins.