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Developing Lay Leaders in the Companions of the Cross Parish Context

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Developing Lay Leaders in the Companions of the Cross Parish Context Developing Lay Leaders In the Companions of the Cross Parish Context By Randal Christian Hendriks Ecclesial Bachelor of Theology St. Paul University, 2002 A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Theology, Acadia Divinity College, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Ministry Acadia Divinity College, Acadia University Spring Convocation 2014 © by Randal Christian Hendriks 2014 This thesis by RANDAL CHRISTIAN HENDRIKS was defended successfully in an oral examination on 1st April 2014. The examining committee for the thesis was: Dr. Glenn Wooden, Chair Dr. Charles Pottie-Pâté, sj, External Examiner Dr. John Sumarah, Thesis Supervisor Dr. Robert Wilson, Internal Examiner This thesis is accepted in its present form by Acadia Divinity College as satisfying the thesis requirements for the degree Doctor of Ministry. ii I, RANDAL CHRISTIAN HENDRIKS hereby grant permission to the Head Librarian at Acadia University to provide copies of this thesis, on request, on a non-profit basis. Randal Christian Hendriks Author Dr. John Sumarah Supervisor 1 April 2014 Date iii (This page is blank on purpose.) Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................. v Acknowledgements ...................................................................... vi Introduction .................................................................................... 1 Chapter 1 Laity: A Theological Understanding .................... 5 Chapter 2 Contemporary Context: Companions of the Cross ................................................................................................ 42 Chapter 3 Methodology ............................................................. 74 Chapter 4 Research Findings .................................................. 83 Chapter 5 Key Elements of Lay Leadership ...................... 120 Conclusion and Recommendations .................................... 163 Appendices .................................................................................. 171 Bibliography ............................................................................... 177 iv Abstract This thesis studies the development of lay leadership within the Companions of the Cross parish context. It begins with a study of the theological understanding of laity, in particular through the documents of the Second Vatican Council. Movements of lay leadership development after the Council are reviewed as well as the establishment of the Companions of the Cross Religious Community. Key elements of a leadership development strategy are proposed in light of research from focus groups of Companions of the Cross clergy and laity. v Acknowledgements I would like to offer a word of thanks to all those who have supported me in the development, study, research and writing of this thesis. I am grateful to my thesis director, John Sumarah for his wisdom, attention, and personal care. My gratitude extends to members of the Acadia Divinity College faculty and staff, fellow students, benefactors, focus group participants, family and friends. I was encouraged through the ongoing assistance of Joyce May, Frances Hendriks, Prisciliana Escobar, Tricia Everaert, Fr. Francis Donnelly, Matilda Kwok, Richard Beauchesne, Susanne Biro, Glenn Wooden, Jody Linkletter, Carson Pue, Clint Mix, Steve Brown and the Arrow Leadership program. Special thanks to the priests of the Companions of the Cross, who serve and empower lay leaders on a daily basis. vi Introduction Throughout every generation in the history of the Church there have been challenges and opportunities placed before it and wonderful exemplars of the faithful who arose and faced them. Since the time of the Second Vatican Council a renewed emphasis has been placed upon the role of lay people in the mission and leadership of the Church. Through experiences such as the charismatic renewal, and more recently Pope John Paul II’s invitation to the new evangelization the Holy Spirit has opened the door towards a greater cooperation between clergy and laity. Unfortunately, during the fifty years since the beginning of Vatican II1 there has been hesitancy on the part of laity and clergy alike to take up the challenge of cooperation in mission and leadership. One reason for this hesitancy is cultural expectation: it is still seen as the role of ordained clergy to carry out the ministry of leadership and mission. Many laypeople are so disheartened by the failures of clergy, be they moral, organiZational, or otherwise, that they have lost hope in the Church and its ability to engage them. At the same time clergy in roles of leadership and authority have been hesitant to delegate positions of leadership and authority to laity. The Companions of the Cross (CC) began ministering in the midst of this milieu in the mid-1980s. The founder of this religious community of priests, Fr. Bob 1 The terms “Second Vatican Council”, “Vatican II” and “The Council” are used interchangeably in the text, and in quotations. 1 Bedard was fond of reminding priests and laity alike that ‘God desires to run the Church’. He believed it is the responsibility of the leaders in the Church, lay and clerics alike, to identify what God is doing and support it. Through the Scriptures, the Tradition of the Church, and the particular charism of evangeliZation and discipleship, the Companions of the Cross have a clear sense of how God calls the Church to its mission. What must be clarified is how they are to equip laity in the role of leadership as they work alongside clergy. With these challenges in mind, research was conducted with the goal of identifying and developing key elements necessary in a leadership-training program for lay people involved in parishes served by the Companions of the Cross. Research was able to bring to light the importance and necessity of developing lay leaders within the Companions of the Cross parish context. Making this understood and identifying particular developmental areas presents a number of benefits to the Church. First, the prophetic word spoken at Vatican II will be responded to. Second, laity will feel engaged and enlivened in the Church. Third, clergy will be able to more clearly know what tasks are their own to take up, and what can be shared with or entrusted to laity, freeing priests to focus on ministry specifically assigned to them. Chapter one outlines research undertaken specific to this topic, including study of the documents of the Second Vatican Council. The specific context in which the Church found itself leading up to that time was also researched, including the writings of Dominican priest Yves Congar, whose insights and reflections were later affirmed and accepted in the many of the Council’s documents. The Council 2 documents will be reviewed, with a particular focus on passages referring to the laity. As the Council Fathers reflected upon the Church in the modern world, they turned their focus toward some key biblical images. Particularly relevant to the study of lay leadership are three images of the Church: as a pilgrim people, as the people of God, and as a people baptiZed into Christ, living out their three-fold mission in Christ as Priest, Prophet and King. The first half of Chapter two includes a review of practices and teachings in the years following Vatican II and methods of interpretation. The second half gives an overview of the vision of ministry of Fr. Bob Bedard and the Companions of the Cross. Chapter three outlines methodology of research conducted by discussing lay leadership with laity and clergy of CC parishes. Qualitative research was carried out by way of a study of the lived experience of lay leadership through focus group discussions with laity and clergy in CC parishes. Chapter four presents findings of the focus group studies, and chapter five presents a leadership development model based on those results, as well as a review of the particular contexts of different CC parishes. Finally, recommendations are presented in the conclusion. I come to this topic after experiencing the challenges of developing lay leaders in the pastoral setting, and discussing these problems with fellow clergy. It was often the case that in our discussions we would wonder aloud whether it was simply the luck of the draw that we would find well equipped and capable lay leaders to work with, or there was a way to identify and develop the right people for 3 particular roles. There were some key concerns that priests would raise, such as the need for leaders to be evangelized and have a certain level of professional capacity. Beyond these concerns was the vague understanding that something wasn’t quite working as it should. This thesis makes the claim that the Companions of the Cross will flourish only in parishes where the people of God, laity and clergy alike, encounter God in the midst of trusting relationships. As laity are equipped to live out their baptismal calling in Christ as Priest, Prophet and King, leaders will be identified and equipped to catch, live, share, empower and guide the vision entrusted to their care. 4 Chapter 1 Laity: A Theological Understanding Since the Second Vatican Council there has been an explosion of both grace and effort within the Church to enable the laity to be thoroughly equipped for every good work, both in the Church and in the world. The focus of this thesis is to identify key elements for the development of lay leaders within the CC parish context. The goal of this chapter is to present
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