As the Church enters its third millennium, it must take stock of its identity and mission. The essays in The Gift of the Church address the fundamental issues confronting the Church in its immediate future. Their authors represent the most prominent ecclesiologists of our time. Written in honor of Patrick Granfield, O.S.B., these essays form a textbook for upper undergraduate and graduate classes in ecclesiology. They also are a useful tool for those engaged in various ministries in the Church to update themselves on the theology of different aspects of the Church. The first section of essays discusses ecclesiology in its historical development as well as its methodology; the second examines various aspects of the Church; and the third part presents the life and work of Patrick Granfield. The essays are clearly written and based on solid and extensive scholarship. Ecclesiology has been the central theme of theological reflections since the Second Vatican Council and may continue to be in the next millennium. This textbook fulfills in part Pope John Paul II's vision for the Jubilee Year, when Christians, "with a profound sense of commitment ...will likewise express their gratitude for the gift of the Church. " The contributors to this volume are Frank J. Matera, Eric Plumer, Michael J. Himes, Joseph A. Komonchak, Avery Dulles, Pedro Rodr'quez, Susan K. Wood, Gerard Austin, Michael J. Scanlon, George Tavard, Francis A. Sullivan, John P. Galvin, T. Howland Sanks, John Ford, Richard P. McBrien, Hermann J. Pottmeyer, John P. Boyle, Thomas J. Green, Jon Nilson, Sara Butler, Frederick M. Jelly, David Granfield, and Peter C. Phan.