Pastoral Ministry

Pastoral Ministry

The collection of essays included in Common Calling : The Laity Governance of the Catholic Church ' edited by Stephen J . Pope is a highly interesting work on a thought-provoking . The recent sex abuse scandal in Massachusetts involving Catholic clergy has led many Catholics to question the current governance practices . The scandal luckily , has made many of us question the governance , not our faith . The people who respond enthusiastically to the motto Keep the faith change the church ' may find inspiration and support in Common Calling

My own convictions about

the way the church should be governed resonate with the ideas expressed in the book . One point where my views converge with those expressed in the book is respect for the decisions of Vatican Council II of 1965 . The participants of the council proclaimed that 'by reason of the knowledge , competence , or preeminence which they have , the laity are empowered - indeed sometimes obliged - to manifest their opinion on those things which pertain to the good of the church (Carroll 2002 . This decision marked a new era in the relationship between the church and its parishioners , giving laity a voice of its own in the administration of the church . Although the ideas of Vatican II have not been fully materialized , their value is in the breakthrough from viewing laity as a passive recipient of the clergy 's values and views to the emergence of a new and powerful force in shaping the history of the church

The conclusion of Common Calling ' cites Yves Congar , an important figure in Vatican II , who defined the council in the following terms Today , the church is sent to the world : ad gentes , ad populos Incipiendo , non a Ierosolyma sed a Roma [to nations , to the people Starting not in Jerusalem but from Rome .] I would not exactly see it this way , since I strongly believe that the inception of the church does date back to Jerusalem from which this institution derives its spiritual value . However , I do believe that the church often develops in leaps and bounds , from one milestone to another , and my feeling is that Vatican II was one of these milestones . Laity is an important component of the Catholic Church , and redefining its role is an important innovation

Why do I believe in giving laity more power in governance procedures The main reason is the vast size and diversity of parishioners who belong to the Catholic Church . I am often thrilled to think of this enormous pool of diverse talents , resources and inquisitive , avid spirits that attend our churches every day . In my view , the clergy has to take advantage of the talents of these people , bringing them into the functioning of the church more actively on an ongoing basis . I believe that lay people , too , can make informed judgements about church procedures and governance and can contribute to the development of the church in many important ways

Certainly , there is an option that was used before - to let them...