Theologian makes presentation to Utah lay ministers

Courtesy photo

+ Enlarge

Missionary Servant of the Blessed Trinity Sister Sara Butler (center) conducts a study day for Diocese of Salt Lake City Lay Ecclesial Ministry Formation Program candidates on Aug. 18 at the Pastoral Center. Also shown are Mary Iverson (left) and Charity Van Maren. Courtesy photo

By Julie Boerio-Goates

Lay people in the post-Vatican II Catholic Church serve in many roles previously filled only by priests. This change grows both out of the new understanding of the priesthood of the baptized that arose from Vatican II theology and the critical shortage of priests in North America and Europe. The Diocese of Salt Lake City, among others in the United States, has a formation program to educate and train laypeople to serve in leadership, pastoral and administrative roles to assist priests. The program extends over four years and can lead to certification/appointment by the bishop as a lay ecclesial minister (LEM).

The current group, in its third year of formation, is the second cohort to participate in an English LEM program. The first group completed their studies in 2010. Both groups have widespread participation from parishes throughout the state. Current members participate in the liturgy as lectors, extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist and musicians, in education as directors of Religious Education and catechists, Catholic school teachers, and leaders and members of RCIA teams. The LEM group takes online courses covering church history, scripture, ecclesiology and theology from the University of Notre Dame’s Satellite Theological Education Program. They also meet monthly for spiritual and educational activities.

Missionary Servant of the Blessed Trinity Sister Sara Butler, an internationally recognized theologian and Chicago seminary professor, recently made a presentation to the Utah LEM group on the Ministry of the Laity. Sr. Sara noted that the history of lay movements and ministerial participation started before Vatican II, and in fact, those new lay movements provided impetus for a re-examination of the role of the laity in ministry. An early example of a lay movement that is still ongoing is the St. Vincent DePaul Society, founded by a lay man, Frederic Ozanam in the mid-1800s. A more recent example, the Focolare movement, was founded by an Italian woman, Chiara Lubich, during World War II. This started as a ministry to the poor and evolved into an international group that focuses on Christian unity and God’s love.

Drawing from Lumen Gentium, one of the key documents of Vatican II, Sr. Sara described the theological concept of the People of God, which includes all the baptized, priests, deacons, religious and laity. All are called to be holy, to give glory and honor to God and to live lives of virtue. Being sensitive to criticisms that have been leveled against Vatican II developments, she distinguished between the roles and charisms of the common priesthood of the baptized and the ordained ministerial priesthood. While both the common and ordained priesthood bearers share in the three-fold office of Christ (prophet, priest and king), there is a fundamental difference that is not just a matter of degree, she emphasized. They are complementary; one is ordered to the other. The laity function within the secular world, bringing Jesus alive into the everyday world, in their families and their workplaces, and the government. On the other hand, ordained ministers are given sacred power to "act in the person of Christ for the sake of the rest of the baptized in Christ." They have a responsibility to the community, to educate and lead the laity to prepare them to carry out their secular mission. Lay ecclesial ministers assume some leadership and communal responsibilities to assist the clergy. Given this definition, not all lay volunteers fall under the umbrella of lay ecclesial ministry.

The LEM program is partially funded through the Diocesan Development Drive, while participants pay for their STEP tuition and other registration fees.

Julie Boerio-Goates is a member of the current LEM cohort.