Susan Northway, Intermountain Catholic
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.
