THOUGHTS FROM THE PASTOR

It is almost fifty years since the beginning of the Second Vatican Council. Actually, it was opened by Pope John XXIII in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome on October 11, 1962. For some, that was a defining event in their experience of the Church, and even for their lives. For others, it is ancient history, perhaps a history that is embraced, or causes concern, or evokes only indifference. For lay ministers and lay ecclesial ministers (our language is inadequate today for naming the multiple ways in which the ministry of the laity has unfolded), the council was the seedbed that brought forth dynamics in the Church that caused a new form of ministry to emerge.

Vatican II Teaching:

Often today we hear the statement, “We are the church.” This consciousness on the part of Catholics is one of the primary fruits of the council. How did this shift in the self-understanding of lay Catholics occur? They previously had viewed themselves (and the vast numbers of the hierarchy and clergy viewed them as well) as passive members of a community in which the active roles belonged to priests and vowed religious, but now “we are the church” signaled that they were to be full members with rights and responsibilities.

This new understanding of the role of all the faithful emerged from teachings of the council, first in the earliest document promulgated, the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, which declared, “Mother Church earnestly desires that all the faithful should be led to that full, conscious, and active participation in liturgical celebrations which is demanded by the very nature of the liturgy, and to which the Christian people, ‘a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a redeemed people’ have a right and obligation by reason of their baptism.” “Full, conscious, active participation” is repeated fifteen times in this relatively short document.

The implications of this concept unfolded in subsequent documents. The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church instructs pastors to “recognize the laity’s contribution and charisms that everyone in his own way will, with one mind, cooperate in the common task”; the participation of laypersons in the priestly, prophetic, and kingly ministries of Christ is described in paragraphs 10-13. Paragraph seven reminds us that there are many ministries—“In the building up of Christ’s body there is engaged a diversity of members and functions. There is only one Spirit who, according to his own richness and the needs of the ministries, gives his different gifts for the welfare of the Church”—and it is the “gifts of ministries through which, by Christ’s power, we serve each other unto salvation.”

The Decree on the Apostolate of Lay People stresses the participation of the laity in the Church’s mission: “Laity have therefore in the Church and in the world their own assignment in the mission of the whole People of God.” A new or rather renewed vision of the Church was born, with a compelling sense of the role of laity in mission and ministry.

Council Implementation:

Many developments in the Church in the past fifty years can be traced directly to these teachings from the council, including the development of various ways of consulting the laity, (for example, parish pastoral councils, diocesan pastoral councils, and diocesan synods), programs to assist laity in reflecting on their vocation “in the world” (including programs on the spirituality of work and family life), and a reemphasis on charisms in the life of the Church. Lay ministry and what we now call lay ecclesial ministry are also rooted in this new understanding of laypersons and can be traced to many factors in the life of the Church. Universities, dioceses, and seminaries began programs of ministry formation. Pastors invited laypersons to fill new roles on parish staffs. Laypersons came to pastors to describe new needs and were invited to work with others to meet them. The Church opened the ministries of lector and acolyte to laity. Canonists, liturgists, and systematic theologians explored the new developments in light of the Church’s tradition, and various kinds of organizations formed, providing a context for discussing what was emerging and its meaning.

Large numbers of laypersons became involved in a multiplicity of ministries, and some laypersons set out on a path of professional ministry in the Church that until recently did not even have an official title: lay ecclesial ministers. It is the latter development that the bishops have given more attention to. By 1994, they recognized that something new was present, expanding, and showing signs of good fruit, so they appointed a committee to explore what should be the official response of the Conference of Bishops.

The result was the approval in 2005 of the document Co-Workers in the Vineyard of the Lord: A Response for Guiding the Development of Lay Ecclesial Ministry. The bishops both described and delineated the new reality. They presented a theological context for understanding it, and they outlined what formation and authorization were needed. A clear official approbation was given to lay ecclesial ministry. However, in presenting a broader view of ministry and affirming that lay ecclesial ministry is a work of the Spirit, the document implicitly speaks of all lay ministry. The Church in the United States gave official recognition to this fruit of the council forty years after the final documents had been promulgated.

The Present Reality

In the 1980s, the Notre Dame Study of Catholic Parish Life provided a picture of the dynamics of change in process at that time. A key finding was that leadership in many parishes was shared among pastors, paid staff, and volunteers, a significant development beyond the priest-centered leadership models of the recent past. There also was ample evidence of the fact that lay leaders—staff and volunteers alike—were involved in extensive theological, spiritual and practical preparation for their ministerial roles. Today, the Emerging Models of Pastoral Leadership Project—a broad research initiative undertaken by a number of ministerial organizations, lay and clerical, and funded by the Lilly Foundation—has reported a broad expansion in this pattern, with many more new leaders, many new and diverse ministries, and a similar pattern of extensive ministerial formation.

Whereas the Notre Dame study had attempted to say how many lay ministers were serving in parishes, we do not have such data today. We do know that there was a great increase in the number of lay ecclesial ministers during the 1990s, a 30 percent rise just in the years 1992 to 1997, that number has remained fairly constant in the new century. During this same period there has been a concomitant decrease in the number of priests and vowed religious on parish staffs and a significant increase in the number of deacons.

Challenges

The evolving ministerial reality we encounter today provides challenges at multiple levels. For the larger church, the question of the incorporation of new ministers into her structures is a significant challenge. For example, Canon Law, the diocesan and bishops’ conference offices, and human resource policies and benefit guidelines need revisions large and small. For the ministers involved (lay and ordained), a primary challenge is that of working together collaboratively, that is, moving beyond the authoritative patterns modeled in the worlds of business and the church of the last century. Father Robert Schreiter, a professor at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, has observed that we need “a stronger program of forming all those involved in pastoral leadership into patterns of collaboration” in his article “Pastoral Leadership: Moving into the Future” in Origins 38, #2 (May 22, 2008), p. 26, a challenge for both formation and continuing education programs of clergy and laity.

Lay ministers have particular challenges. One is the changing attitude of some younger priests, who might be less in favor of empowering lay ministers than older priests are. Dean Hoge and Jacqueline Wenger in their book Evolving Visions of the Priesthood (Collegeville, Minn: Liturgical Press, 2003) have stated, “Young priests today have different ideas about the nature of the Church, and about half of them are unenthusiastic about lay ministers” pp.51-52. This makes collaboration harder and, especially as more priests are becoming pastors at a younger age, adds to the instability of the life of parish ministers.

Research has shown, and the bishops have confirmed, the sense of vocation with which lay ministers approach their work, but too often they are treated more as hirelings than as shepherds. When individuals, both staff and volunteers, have labored long and faithfully in a particular area of ministry, the loss of that dimension of their lives causes considerable suffering to them and to all in ministry. Such loss also represents a certain squandering of the treasure of the Church: her human resources.

A second challenge concerns lay ecclesial ministers, whose livelihood is tied to their ministry. Everyone knows the anecdotal stories: a new pastor comes to a parish and soon some or all of the staff is fired. Such incidents have been occurring for forty years. Today we also note that some dioceses have changed their focus from seeing the hiring of lay ministers as desirable to a preference for replacing them with deacons. Certainly, lay ecclesial ministers are feeling more insecure today than ever.

The primary challenges for lay ministers today can be summarized in the light of our faith: to work collaboratively, with charity for all, even when it is difficult; to live in hope that God will advance the kingdom despite all the good work that is allowed to languish; to walk forward in faith, however uncertain the future, confident that God leads us on the journey.

Over the past fifty years many things have changed since the Second Vatican Council began in 1962. This golden anniversary gives us many opportunities to once again study the council documents and to reflect on their meaning and teaching. How do we do that? Well, we might just want to take the time to purchase a compilation of the Vatican documents and read them slowly and reflectively as our time permits. Places like Catholic Theological Union in Hyde Park will be having a number of events to commemorate this 50th anniversary, and certainly we can participate in them to the extent possible. And closer to home, so many of our renewal programs in the St. Clare auditorium right here at St. Peter’s address this issue even if the program is not specifically billed as examining themes from Vatican II. So much of what we offer in these programs is about the education and formation for laity that are mentioned above. We all need further continuing education if we are going to minister well and grow in our spiritual lives. What better time than right now to do just that!

FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

A prophet is called to be God’s mouthpiece, but the prophet cannot guide people without first listening himself (or herself). The people had an obligation to hear and obey the vision God had for them. They must not harden their hearts again, as they had done in the desert. To harden one’s heart is to make it heavy. God wants a lighthearted people who will promote the common good of all.

Jesus came to speak God’s words of healing, justice, love and peace. He spoke words of deliverance to those constrained by evil. All who witnessed the liberation of those in torment were amazed. “What does this mean?” they asked, enthralled by the power of Jesus’ words. He taught with the authority of the prophets. He was the promised one announced by Moses. God raised up a prophet from among their own kinsmen, and to him they must listen.

For Reflection: Do I hear Jesus speak when his words are proclaimed in the liturgy? Do they prompt me to speak out against evil as he did? How do I try to apply the Scriptures I hear at Mass in my daily life?

FEAST OF ST. BLASE
Friday, February 3

We know more about the devotion to St. Blase by Christians around the world than we know about the saint himself. We know that Bishop Blasé was martyred in his Episcopal city of Sebastea, Armenia (modern day Turkey) in 316. According to the legendary Acts of St. Blasé written 400 years later, Blasé was a good bishop, working hard to encourage the spiritual and physical health of his people. Although the Edict of Toleration (311), granting freedom of worship in the Roman Empire, was already five years old, persecution still raged in Armenia. Blasé was apparently forced to flee to the back country. There he lived as a hermit in solitude and prayer but made friends with the wild animals.

One day a group of hunters seeking wild animals for the amphitheater stumbled upon Blasé’s cave. They were first surprised and then frightened. The bishop was kneeling in prayer surrounded by patiently waiting wolves, lions and bears. As the hunters hauled Blasé off to prison, the legend has it, a mother came with her young son who had a fish bone lodged in his throat. At Blasé’s command, the child was able to cough up the bone.

Agricolaus, governor of Cappadocia, tried to persuade Blasé to sacrifice to pagan idols. The first time Blasé refused, he was beaten. The next time he was suspended from a tree and his flesh torn with iron combs or rakes. Finally he was beheaded.

The St. Blasé blessing of throats will be given immediately after all the Friday Masses. You may also stop in the front office during the day to receive the blessing.

A GREAT RENEWAL OPPORTUNITY

During the months of February and March we are offering a program in the St. Clare Auditorium that will encourage participants to explore their Catholic faith in a deeper way.

Fr. Glenn Phillips, O.F.M., has entitled his presentations “Pull Up a Chair…” These sessions will be offered on Wednesdays from 12:10-12:50 beginning on February 1 and running through March 28. Are you looking more closely at our Catholic Faith? Returning to practice it? Unfamiliar with it? Stumbling to formulate your questions about Catholic matters? Or matters of God? Fr. Glenn hopes to give an organic presentation of the Faith in its wholeness, and he will refer to The United States Catholic Catechism for Adults in the process.

Pull up a chair. God has approached us. What is there to hear and see, to profess and live? Come on down and be part of the process. All are welcome.

2012 ARCHDIOCESAN ANNUAL CATHOLIC APPEAL

As many of you might remember, the Archdiocesan Annual Catholic Appeal in the parishes is held every year over the three weekends prior to Ash Wednesday. We have been preparing for this appeal at St. Peter’s for some time, and I want to thank everyone who has responded already to the mailing from Cardinal George. Individuals who have given to the appeal in the past and have given their address most likely has received that letter. If you received that mailing and have not yet responded, please take advantage of this time to do so. The in-pew request will begin next weekend.

In addition to providing for ministries and services throughout the Archdiocese, the Appeal also funds services that are of great help to other ministries here in our parish, e.g., the Office for Divine Worship which coordinates liturgy throughout the Archdiocese and provides many courses and workshops for pastoral musicians and liturgical ministers.

This year, the theme of the Appeal is “Be Imitators of Christ.” We are all challenged to try to live our lives using the life of Christ as an example. Christ gave us the path to eternal life. His love for each of us cannot be taken lightly.

As we contemplate His gifts to us, we should also reflect on our gratitude for these gifts. Your financial support for the work of our church, of our Archdiocese and of the Church throughout the world is, in fact, one way to express this gratitude. Please give generously to the 2012 Annual Catholic Appeal.

When our parish reaches its goal of $12,452.00 in paid pledges, 100% of the additional funds will be returned to us for use in our parish.

Download the entire Bulletin Here