Lay apostolate: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|Catholic laity who exercise a ministry}} |
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The '''lay apostolate''' is made up from [[Laity|laypeople]] and [[Consecrated life (Catholic Church)|consecrated religious]] who exercise a ministry in cooperation with the [[Catholic Church]]. These organizations cooperate with ecclesiastical authorities. They operate "under direction of her pastors" but are not members of the official Church hierarchy or enjoy [[Holy Orders]]. Apostolates operate with the permission of the local Ordinary of a [[Diocese]], but often without material support. |
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The '''lay apostolate''' is made up of [[Laity|laypersons, who are neither]] [[Consecrated life (Catholic Church)|consecrated religious]] nor in [[Holy Orders]], who exercise a ministry within the [[Catholic Church]]. Lay apostolate organizations operate under the general oversight of pastors and bishops, but need not be dependent upon them for direction. |
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The laity can exercise a fruitful apostolate by their conduct in the areas of their labor, profession, studies, neighborhood, and social life. And according to the [[Vatican II]] [[Apostolicam Actuositatem|Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity]], they will look for opportunities to announce Christ to their neighbors through the spoken word as well (AA 13).<ref name=DullesSJ>Dulles SJ, Avery. Evangelization for the Third Millennium (Kindle Locations 257-260). Paulist Press.</ref> |
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This is a special case of a normal Catholic lay organization; usually these organizations obtain permission from the Church hierarchy, and operate in cooperation with the Church. In many cases, where the [[Priests]] are unable to function in specialized situations, like dealing with computer technology, medical care, or broadcast equipment, a lay apostolate may be formed to provide those specialized technical skills. |
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== From Vatican II to Pope Francis == |
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[[Apostolicam Actuositatem]] is the Second Vatican Council's Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity. It defines the mission of the lay Christian faithful to both "lead non-believers to the faith and to instruct, strengthen, and encourage the faithful to a more fervent life". |
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The Second Vatican Council of bishops in the Catholic Church has been seen as elevating the laity “from passive spectators to involved members”. It was the first council in church history to specifically address the place of the laity in the life of the church. Before the Council, the laity were purely passive spectators at Mass (in Latin) and this passivity also characterized their approach to the [[apostolate]]. Exceptions were charitable organizations like [[St. Vincent de Paul Societies]] and the [[Knights of Columbus]]. But the task of teaching the faith was entrusted almost entirely to priests and [[Religious sister (Catholic)|religious sisters]].<ref name=":0" /> |
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Pope Paul VI established the Pontifical Council for the Laity in the period after [[Vatican II]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/34061/for-pope-francis-the-catholic-laity-can-transform-the-world|title=For Pope Francis, the Catholic laity can transform the world|website=Catholic News Agency|language=en|access-date=2019-12-29}}</ref> Since the Council lay Catholics have exercised leadership in many apostolates, such as organizing charitable works and advocacy groups on behalf of the poor and oppressed. With a declining number of priests and sisters, lay persons have also undertaken the responsibility for religious education and fill more and more administrative positions at Catholic schools. The Council also specified that parents are the primary religious educators of their children. And It taught that “the secular employment of laypeople, far from being a distraction from their Christian vocation, was their primary way to sanctify, not only themselves but society.”<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2012/vatican-ii-elevates-laity-from-passive-spectators-to-involved-members.cfm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191230011649/https://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2012/vatican-ii-elevates-laity-from-passive-spectators-to-involved-members.cfm|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 30, 2019|title=Vatican II elevates laity from passive spectators to involved members|website=www.catholicnews.com|access-date=2019-12-30}}</ref> |
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==Controversy== |
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Certain lay groups that were created in the years following the Council have advocated a series of dissident positions and have turned into activist groups within the Church. [[Call to Action]] (CTA) is an organization that advocates for a variety of causes within the Roman Catholic Church. Call to Action's goals include women's ordination, an end to mandatory priestly celibacy, a change in the church's teaching on a variety of sexual matters, and a change to the way the church is governed. Another controversial lay group was [[Le Sillon]] by [[Marc Sangnier]], which was condemned by Pope [[Pius X]] at the beginning of the 20th century. |
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In 2013, Francis Cardinal Arinze explained that lay persons "...are called by Baptism to witness to Christ in the secular sphere of life; that is in the family, in work and leisure, in science and cultural, in politics and government, in trade and mass media, and in national and international relations." Arinze noted that there are many things individuals may accomplish for Christ quietly without belonging to a particular association. In other instances, organizations are more efficient to address challenges beyond the capacity of one person.<ref name="Arinze">[https://books.google.com/books?id=kFJLAgAAQBAJ&dq=apostolicam+actuositatem&pg=PA4 Francis Cardinal Arinze, ''The Layperson's Distinctive Role'', Ignatius Press, 2013] {{ISBN|9781586177805}}</ref> |
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== Pope Francis calls for missionary disciples == |
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[[Pope Francis]] has continually criticized clericalism and emphasized that all are "one, holy People of God".<ref>Elise Harris, "Pope’s visit to Jesuits highlights society friends old and new," Crux, 10 July 2019, https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2019/07/10/popes-visit-to-jesuits-highlights-society-friends-old-and-new/ .</ref> He emphasizes that the "hour of the [[laity]]" has arrived and decries [[clericalism]] as rife in the Church, saying that it "leads to the functionalization of the laity, treating them as 'messengers'."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://zenit.org/articles/text-of-popes-letter-to-pontifical-commission-for-latin-america/|title=Text of Pope's Letter to Pontifical Commission for Latin America|date=2016-04-27|work=Zenit|access-date=2018-04-14|language=en-US}}</ref> |
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In November 2019, Pope Francis addressed the new Dicastery for the Laity, Family, and Life during its first plenary assembly which had the topic, “The Lay Faithful, Identity and Mission in the World”. He urged them to use their talents as “missionary disciples” to address the various challenges of the whole Church and world, to be "visible signs" of the presence of Christ in every environment. He warned against “clericalizing the laity”: "Move the deacons away from the altar. …They are the custodians of service, not first-class altar boys or second-class priests.”<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-11/pope-francis-dicastery-family-laity-life-plenary.html|title=Pope to Dicastery for Laity, Family, Life: make the heart of the Church your own - Vatican News|date=2019-11-16|website=www.vaticannews.va|language=en|access-date=2019-12-29}}</ref> In his first Apostolic Exhortation as Pope he had entitled a section "We are all missionary disciples" and he returned to the term seven times in that exhortation.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20131124_evangelii-gaudium.html#We_are_all_missionary_disciples|title=Evangelii Gaudium : Apostolic Exhortation on the Proclamation of the Gospel in Today's World (24 November 2013) {{!}} Francis|website=www.vatican.va|access-date=2019-12-29}}</ref> He has also pointed out that “In truth, the laity who have an authentic Christian formation do not have need of a 'bishop-pilot' or a 'monsignor-pilot', or of clerical input to assume their proper responsibilities, on all levels: from the political to the social, from the economic to the legislative!" He called rather for bishops to be encouraging toward lay apostolates, good shepherds.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/32005/for-pope-francis-the-laity-must-be-formed-for-their-mission-in-the-world|title=For Pope Francis, the laity must be formed for their mission in the world|website=Catholic News Agency|language=en|access-date=2019-12-29}}</ref> |
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== See also == |
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{{Portal|Catholicism}} |
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{{div col|colwidth=30em}} |
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* [[Apostolate]] |
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* [[Apostles in the New Testament|Apostle (Christian)]] |
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* [[Associations of the faithful]] |
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* [[Catholic lay organisations]] |
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* [[Christian ministry]], as age-specific ministry, creative and performing arts, [[community service]] and [[outreach]]. |
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* [[Lay ecclesial ministry]] |
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* [[Universal call to holiness]] |
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* [[Vocational Discernment in the Catholic Church]] |
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{{div col end}} |
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<!-- please keep entries in alphabetical order --> |
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{{Reflist}} |
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==External links== |
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{{RC-society-stub}} |
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{{Authority control}} |
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[[de:Laienapostolat]] |
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[[fr:Apostolat]] |
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[[pl:Apostolstwo świeckich]] |
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[[Category:Christian missions]] |
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[[Category:Christian terminology]] |
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Latest revision as of 22:01, 6 December 2024
The lay apostolate is made up of laypersons, who are neither consecrated religious nor in Holy Orders, who exercise a ministry within the Catholic Church. Lay apostolate organizations operate under the general oversight of pastors and bishops, but need not be dependent upon them for direction.
The laity can exercise a fruitful apostolate by their conduct in the areas of their labor, profession, studies, neighborhood, and social life. And according to the Vatican II Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity, they will look for opportunities to announce Christ to their neighbors through the spoken word as well (AA 13).[1]
From Vatican II to Pope Francis
[edit]The Second Vatican Council of bishops in the Catholic Church has been seen as elevating the laity “from passive spectators to involved members”. It was the first council in church history to specifically address the place of the laity in the life of the church. Before the Council, the laity were purely passive spectators at Mass (in Latin) and this passivity also characterized their approach to the apostolate. Exceptions were charitable organizations like St. Vincent de Paul Societies and the Knights of Columbus. But the task of teaching the faith was entrusted almost entirely to priests and religious sisters.[2]
Pope Paul VI established the Pontifical Council for the Laity in the period after Vatican II.[3] Since the Council lay Catholics have exercised leadership in many apostolates, such as organizing charitable works and advocacy groups on behalf of the poor and oppressed. With a declining number of priests and sisters, lay persons have also undertaken the responsibility for religious education and fill more and more administrative positions at Catholic schools. The Council also specified that parents are the primary religious educators of their children. And It taught that “the secular employment of laypeople, far from being a distraction from their Christian vocation, was their primary way to sanctify, not only themselves but society.”[2]
In 2013, Francis Cardinal Arinze explained that lay persons "...are called by Baptism to witness to Christ in the secular sphere of life; that is in the family, in work and leisure, in science and cultural, in politics and government, in trade and mass media, and in national and international relations." Arinze noted that there are many things individuals may accomplish for Christ quietly without belonging to a particular association. In other instances, organizations are more efficient to address challenges beyond the capacity of one person.[4]
Pope Francis calls for missionary disciples
[edit]Pope Francis has continually criticized clericalism and emphasized that all are "one, holy People of God".[5] He emphasizes that the "hour of the laity" has arrived and decries clericalism as rife in the Church, saying that it "leads to the functionalization of the laity, treating them as 'messengers'."[6]
In November 2019, Pope Francis addressed the new Dicastery for the Laity, Family, and Life during its first plenary assembly which had the topic, “The Lay Faithful, Identity and Mission in the World”. He urged them to use their talents as “missionary disciples” to address the various challenges of the whole Church and world, to be "visible signs" of the presence of Christ in every environment. He warned against “clericalizing the laity”: "Move the deacons away from the altar. …They are the custodians of service, not first-class altar boys or second-class priests.”[7] In his first Apostolic Exhortation as Pope he had entitled a section "We are all missionary disciples" and he returned to the term seven times in that exhortation.[8] He has also pointed out that “In truth, the laity who have an authentic Christian formation do not have need of a 'bishop-pilot' or a 'monsignor-pilot', or of clerical input to assume their proper responsibilities, on all levels: from the political to the social, from the economic to the legislative!" He called rather for bishops to be encouraging toward lay apostolates, good shepherds.[9]
See also
[edit]
- Apostolate
- Apostle (Christian)
- Associations of the faithful
- Catholic lay organisations
- Christian ministry, as age-specific ministry, creative and performing arts, community service and outreach.
- Lay ecclesial ministry
- Universal call to holiness
- Vocational Discernment in the Catholic Church
References
[edit]- ^ Dulles SJ, Avery. Evangelization for the Third Millennium (Kindle Locations 257-260). Paulist Press.
- ^ a b "Vatican II elevates laity from passive spectators to involved members". www.catholicnews.com. Archived from the original on December 30, 2019. Retrieved 2019-12-30.
- ^ "For Pope Francis, the Catholic laity can transform the world". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved 2019-12-29.
- ^ Francis Cardinal Arinze, The Layperson's Distinctive Role, Ignatius Press, 2013 ISBN 9781586177805
- ^ Elise Harris, "Pope’s visit to Jesuits highlights society friends old and new," Crux, 10 July 2019, https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2019/07/10/popes-visit-to-jesuits-highlights-society-friends-old-and-new/ .
- ^ "Text of Pope's Letter to Pontifical Commission for Latin America". Zenit. 2016-04-27. Retrieved 2018-04-14.
- ^ "Pope to Dicastery for Laity, Family, Life: make the heart of the Church your own - Vatican News". www.vaticannews.va. 2019-11-16. Retrieved 2019-12-29.
- ^ "Evangelii Gaudium : Apostolic Exhortation on the Proclamation of the Gospel in Today's World (24 November 2013) | Francis". www.vatican.va. Retrieved 2019-12-29.
- ^ "For Pope Francis, the laity must be formed for their mission in the world". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved 2019-12-29.
