June
2006
SALT
LAKE CITY — Recently the United States Conference
of Catholic Bishops noted that; “for several decades
and in growing numbers, lay men and women have been undertaking
a wide variety of roles in Catholic Church ministries.”
Today over 32,000 ministers work at least 20 hours per week
in parishes in the United States. These followers of Christ
are composed of “every race and culture who serve
in parishes, schools, diocesan agencies, and Catholic Church
institutions [and] are identified by many different position
titles.” In the 2005 document, “Co-Workers in
the Vineyard of the Lord,” this group is identified
as “lay ecclesial ministers.”
According
to “Lumen Gentium” (The Dogmatic Constitution
on the Church, promulgated by Pope Paul VI, November 1964):
“…all Christians in whatever state or walk of
life are called to the fullness of Christian life and to
the perfection of charity, and this holiness is conducive
to a more human way of living even in society here on earth.”
The late Holy Father John Paul II observed that the living
out of a call to holiness of the laity is “an undeniable
requirement arising from the very mystery of the Church.”
For
lay people, the call to holiness comes out of the Sacraments
of Initiation. The laity is called forth to “cooperate
with their pastors in the service of the ecclesial community.”
Their ministry is ecclesial because “it is a participation
in the threefold ministry of Christ, who is priest, prophet,
and king.”
A key
way of understanding how this service differs from that
of the ordained minister is to understand that the call
itself is fundamentally different. For the ordained, the
call to ministry within the Church comes from the Sacrament
of Ordination, rather than from the Sacraments of Initiation.
In faithful
support of the Church’s tradition and theological
foundations, the Diocese of Salt Lake City has been carefully
studying the suggestions and guidelines put forth by the
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) in
“Co-Workers in the Vineyard of the Lord.” Under
the direction of the Office of Religious Education and in
cooperation with the Office of Hispanic Ministry, a lay
ecclesial task force has set forth recommendations for a
three year formation program targeting lay leaders in our
diocese.
The
lay ecclesial ministry formation program will follow the
document’s guidelines by providing for the intellectual,
human, pastoral, and spiritual development of participants.
The
diocese’s intention is to provide a top level theological
education for leaders of the Catholic Church in Utah, We
chose to partner with the University of Notre Dame Satellite
Theological Education Program. It offers adults online
theology courses that are developed by professors at the
University of Notre Dame. Courses are highly affordable
and the schedule accommodates people who are balancing the
demands of family, employment, and service to the Church.
Participants
will receive training and supervision in pastoral practice
plus days of spiritual and human development. The estimated
cost of the program is $325 per participant per year.
Further
information and applications for admission to the lay ecclesial
ministry formation program are available by calling 801-328-8641
Ext. 326 or through the website: http://www.dioslc.org.
The deadline for completed admission materials for the 2006
program is August 2.
Northway
is director of religious education for the Diocese of Salt
Lake City.
