We celebrate the lay ministry vocation

My Brothers and Sisters in the Lord:

As I compose my monthly column on developing a "culture of vocation" within the archdiocese, I wish to begin by thanking our priests, religious, and lay faithful for your prayers, support, and words of affirmation at the time of my recent celebration of 50 years of priestly ministry. The jubilee celebration at the cathedral on June 8 and the reception that followed were truly moments of special grace, consolation, and joy as I put into perspective my half-century of service as a priest and bishop — in my native Pittsburgh, in Green Bay, and for the last 16 years as your chief shepherd here in Detroit.

As I said in my homily on that occasion, it was my hope that celebrating ministerial priesthood would also affirm the dignity of all vocations within the Church — strengthening those in Christian marriage and family living, encouraging those who are called to the single life, and renewing the consecration of those who have given themselves to vows of poverty, chastity and obedience in religious life, or in lay secular institutes. We are truly blessed to have a Church that is vibrant and alive with enormous gifts of the Spirit, gifts being used on many different levels to build up the one Body of Christ.

The Pauline vision of ministry
This month I would like to reflect on lay ministry — both within the Church and within the secular society. I will use as a touchstone for my remarks words from St. Paul's 12th chapter to the Romans: "I urge you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship. Do not conform yourself to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind … for by grace given to me I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than one ought to think, but to think soberly, each according to the measure of faith that God has apportioned. For as in one body we have many parts, and all the parts do not have the same function, so, we, though many, are one body in Christ and individually parts of one another. Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us exercise them . …"

The above insights of St. Paul have been a reference point for the Church from its earliest days. St. Paul and all the early apostles recognized the fact that initiation into the Church brought with it the privilege and responsibility of participating in the Holy Eucharist, sharing in the sacrifice of Christ Jesus. We believe that baptism also empowers us and commissions us for a life of service in the midst of the world. As the council fathers of Vatican II reflected on this and other passages of the New Testament, they spoke of the role of the lay faithful as being "salt and leaven" within the society, working for transformation and Christian renewal of the structures of business and the professions as well. The vocation of the lay faithful which flows from their baptism is first and foremost a call to sanctify the world by making the Gospel message come alive in our families and in the workplace, in our leisure and all our other pursuits. As St. Paul also explains, every Christian is involved in trying to transform and renew the world from within; this is especially true of the laity.

The complementary nature of ordained and baptismal ministry
At the time of the Second Vatican Council, as the council fathers reflected on the universal call to holiness, they emphasized the primacy of baptism: all ministry — ordained and non-ordained — presume sharing in the death-resurrection of Jesus Christ. Ministry of any kind is an expression of the gifts of the Holy Spirit which flow from one's baptism.

Within that context, the council fathers of Vatican II considered on the relationship between the lay faithful and the ordained ministry. They recognized that both the laity and the clergy share in the one same priesthood of Jesus Christ but they do so in different ways. The council fathers explained that the priesthood of the baptized people of God and that of the hierarchical priesthood "differ from one another in essence and not only in degree." While baptism is the sacrament of reference for the laity, for the ordained, it is baptism and also the sacrament of Holy Orders. The ministerial priest, thanks to his ordination and configuration to the person of Christ the Head of the Body, brings about the Eucharistic sacrifice and offers it to God in the name of all the people. The lay faithful join in that offering as they receive the Holy Eucharist and the sacraments and pursue a life of holiness by prayer and thanksgiving, self-denial and charity. (See the "Dogmatic Constitution on the Church" article 10.)

In Romans 12, St. Paul addresses the same question and offers the analogy or comparison of the body: "Just as the human body has many parts and each part is necessary for the well-being of the whole structure, the same can be said of the Church." The charisms or gifts of the Holy Spirit are manifold and complementary. The role of the ordained ministry of deacons, priests and bishops is to offer servant leadership within the Church, empowering and encouraging the laity in their respective ministry within the midst of the world — in raising their families, in the marketplace, and the professional world.

The laity are also called and gifted for ministry within the Church. This recognition and reality are not entirely new within the history of the Church. Consider for example the apostle Paul and the many times he acknowledged specific men and women whom he referred to as "my co-workers in Christ Jesus" (Romans 16:3-16). Certainly, we have come to a greater appreciation of the untapped reservoir of lay pastoral ministry within the Church since Vatican II; we have also come to a greater appreciation of the connection of baptism and ministry within the Church. For example, at the time of the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, servers, lectors, and choir members were referred to as performing a true "ministry" in the Church; in the "Decree on Christian Education," the work of religious instruction was also referred to as a "ministry."

Pope John Paul II noted some of these same insights in his apostolic letter "At the Beginning of the Third Millennium:" "The unity of the Church is not uniformity, but an organic blending of legitimate diversities. It is the reality of many members joined in a single body, the one Body of Christ" (Cf. I Corinthians 12:12). "Therefore, the Church of the third millennium will need to encourage all the baptized and confirmed to be aware of their active responsibility in the Church's life. Together with the ordained ministry, other ministries, whether formally instituted or simply recognized, can flourish for the good of the whole community, sustaining it in all its many needs: from catechesis to liturgy, from education of the young to the widest array of charitable works" (No. 46).

Lay ecclesial ministry today
As our Holy Father listed the many forms of ministry above, it is clear that lay ministry embraces the whole spectrum of Church life. This ministry is truly ecclesial inasmuch as it is done within the Church and on behalf of the Church. As something ecclesial, therefore, it needs to be officially recognized by the pastor or the bishop; it is not simply a matter of a person performing a task on his/her own initiative.

Whether full-time or volunteer, lay ecclesial ministry is a participation in the three-fold service of Christ as priest, prophet, and king. But note: This ministry is in no way a substitute for ordained ministry. Those who are called to this ministry must first be recognized and discerned as properly gifted by the leadership of the Church. There is another fundamental difference with lay ecclesial ministry: Unlike ordained ministry, this service is not necessarily a lifelong commitment.

In the United States today, there are more than 30,000 ecclesial ministers working more than 20 hours a week. Within our own archdiocese, there are at least 1,000 such lay ecclesial ministers engaged in a whole spectrum of ministry — as parish life coordinators, religious educators, youth ministers, music ministers, and Christian service ministers. (Please note that the figure of 1,000 serving in education, worship, and service does not include the further complement of all those who teach and administer in Catholic schools.) There are also approximately 2,000 lay persons in the United States who minister on behalf of the Church in hospitals and settings of health care, as well as in prisons and college campuses, Apostleship of the Sea, etc. In general, the main reference point for ecclesial ministry within the Church is almost always the parish.

Our local experience of lay ecclesial ministry
My recent anniversary celebration was but one more occasion when I was gratefully aware of the blessing of talented lay ministers in our local Church; in the cathedral that day, I saw many people who have shared pastoral ministry with me in a whole variety of ways. I have always been grateful for and impressed by those involved in youth and young adult ministry and the work of religious faith formation. I am fully supportive of the Mission: Possible in the Archdiocese of Detroit that invites and encourages new lay ministers and provides a network of support for those in lay ministry. The initiative which seeks to raise consciousness of the need for professional Church ministers and provide means to educate, form and sustain servant leaders for the future.

Formation and credentialing
An important aspect of lay ecclesial ministry is that a person be properly formed and credentialed. Here in the archdiocese, we are blessed to have an excellent Institute for Ministry at Sacred Heart Major Seminary; their lay formation program ranks in the Top 10 in our nation, and in terms of degree and certificate enrollment, it is second in the country. We are also blessed by several other colleges and universities and the Orchard Lake Schools. On the drawing board just now is a certificate program for parish business managers in conjunction with University of Detroit Mercy; a pastoral musicians program at Madonna University; and an academic ministerial program for Hispanics.

Given the complexities of the Church and world today, it is imperative to have well-educated lay ministers who not only understand the Church's teaching, discipline, and tradition, but can explain these things and implement them on the parish level.

It is also important to note that the formation of pastoral ministers is to follow the same pattern of priestly formation — building on four pillars of formation: the human, the spiritual, the intellectual, and the pastoral. The bishops of our country have written an important resource on this very ministry of formation and authorization for lay ecclesial ministry, published just last year under the title "Co-Workers in the Vineyard of the Lord." (Please see the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Web site for more information on this document: www.usccb.org/laity/laymin/co-workers.pdf.) Anyone interested in lay ministry within the Church would greatly benefit from reading this valuable resource.

At this time in our nation, the typical lay pastoral minister is a 50-year-old, college-educated, married, white woman. Obviously, a special challenge for us is to attract young people of both sexes and of all racial and ethnic backgrounds. We have an excellent staff who work for the archdiocese in coordinating lay ministry within the archdiocese — Michael McCallion and Jim Kiefer of the Department of Parish Life and Services. If you have questions or might be interested in pursuing the possibility of a vocation of service in this regard, you might want to call them at (313) 237-4690 or check out the archdiocesan Web site (www.aodonline.org), beginning with the link for Mission: Possible.

An evolving ministry
In many ways, lay ecclesial ministry is still a developing phenomenon in the Church today. While it has always been a part of our life, for many centuries, most things within the Church itself were handled directly by the clergy. While the primary role of the laity is first and foremost witness in the midst of the world, clearly there is a place for all the baptized to exercise ministry and service also within the Church. In this column I wish to affirm and recognize, commend and thank, all those who are engaged in responding to the gift and call of the Holy Spirit through involvement in lay pastoral ministry of countless varieties, including service on parish pastoral councils and commissions. The many ways that you give of your time and talent are truly building up the Body of Christ, the Church.

As we try to develop a "culture of vocation" within our archdiocese, I encourage all of us to take another look at the gift and blessing of lay ecclesial ministry within the Church and within the world!

With prayerful best wishes,
Your brother in the Lord,
†Adam Cardinal Maida
Archbishop of Detroit