Durham E-Theses Assessing and Enabling Eective Lay Ministry in Scotland: Lay Ministry and its Place in the Changing Reality of Scottish Catholicism FLETCHER, CATRIONA,ANNE How to cite: FLETCHER, CATRIONA,ANNE (2016) Assessing and Enabling Eective Lay Ministry in Scotland: Lay Ministry and its Place in the Changing Reality of Scottish Catholicism, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/11850/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk 2 Assessing and Enabling Effective Lay Ministry in Scotland: Lay Ministry and its Place in the Changing Reality of Scottish Catholicism A Thesis Submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Theology and Ministry in Durham University Department of Theology and Religion by Catriona Fletcher 2016 1 Abstract The purpose of the dissertation is to assess where and how full-time, stable, lay ministry is developing in Scotland and to understand the ways in which lay ministry could grow and thrive with adequate resources and formation. The background to the dissertation is the changing circumstances of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland. Numbers of priests and consecrated religious have sharply declined in recent decades and there has been an on-going decline in levels of practice. Parishes are increasingly relying on their greatest asset: the laity. Within this cohort some are called to positions of pastoral leadership as pastoral assistants, chaplains, or youth workers. My interest in this topic arises from my work in such contexts over the last thirty years. Despite the emerging reality I found a dearth of literature about lay ministry or new models of ministry in the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland. Noel Timms’ extensive research project Diocesan Dispositions and Parish Voices (2001) does, usefully, include findings from two Scottish dioceses. In contrast the pastoral reality of lay ministry has been extensively researched in the United States and the thesis draws on the considerable study of Lay Ecclesial Ministry that has taken place there. The new ecclesiological vision which emerged from Vatican II emphasised the common priesthood of all the baptised. This, together with a renewed historical consciousness, has led some theologians to call for a greater diversity in ministry within the Roman Catholic Church. Other theologians believe that change is only possible through deconstruction of the Tradition. In this thesis I aim to pursue the following lines of enquiry: - What place does lay ministry have in the changing reality of Scottish Catholicism? What factors make for effective lay ministry? What elements would need to be put in place to enable the further development of lay ministry? The research process involved semi-structured interviews with diocesan personnel in seven of the eight Scottish dioceses and two case-studies of parishes with lay ecclesial ministers. The research found that ministry flourishes where there is an attitude of openness, where positive relationships are built, where there is the motivation and intention to actively create a total ministering community and where there is the practice of pastoral planning. The research revealed that across all the dioceses there are considerable theological and psychological barriers to be overcome before lay ministry can flourish. Contradiction and ambiguity in ecclesiological understanding has further contributed to the hesitant acceptance of lay ministers in Scotland. At the present time there is also a lack of synchronisation between the hermeneutical lens operating in postmodern culture and the philosophical understanding underpinning magisterial statements made in a pre- modern or modern era. Dialogue, solidarity and community were noted to be of particular importance for mission and ministry in postmodernity. A ministerial model of collaboration and co-responsibility can provide the vitality needed to enable this mission. 2 Table of Contents Abstract.....................................................................................................2 Table of Contents......................................................................................3 Abbreviations............................................................................................10 Acknowledgements...................................................................................11 Introduction……………………………………………………………………12 Chapter 1 Creating the Research Project……………………………..........20 1:1 Research Methodology…………………………………………..20 1:1:2 A Multi-Discipline Approach………………………………..28 1:1:3 Qualitative Research………………………………..............32 1:2 Data Collection …………………………………….....................33 1:2:1 Phases of Data Collection…………………………..............33 1:2:2 Interviews……………………………………….....................35 1:2:3 Case-Studies………………………………………................36 1:3 Participant Involvement and Action Research………...............36 1:4 Validity………………………………………………......................37 1:5 Issues Arising from the Methodology……………………..........38 1:5:1 Reflexivity…………………………………………………......38 1:5:2 Constraints…………………………………………...............39 1:5:3 Ethical Considerations……………………………………….40 1:5:4 Participant Confidentiality……………………………….......41 1:6 Data Analysis……………………………………………...............41 Chapter 2 Literature Review……………………………………………...... 45 2:1 The Documents of Vatican II and Subsequent Relevant Church Documents……………………………..........................46 3 2:1:1 Lumen Gentium………………………………………...........47 2:1:2 Gaudium et Spes……………………………………….........48 2:1:3 Apostolicum Actuositatem …………………………………..49 2:1:4 Christfidelis Laici……………………………….....................50 2:1:5 Instruction on Certain Questions Regarding the Collaboration of the Non-Ordained Faithful in the Sacred Ministry of Priests..................................................................................51 2:1:6 Documents from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops………………………………………......................53 2:1:7 Lay Ecclesial Ministry: The State of the Questions................53 2:1:8 Co-workers in the Vineyard of the Lord..................................54 2:2 Issues Arising from Renewed Emphasis on the Trinity......................55 2:2:1 The Priority of Baptism.........................................................56 2:2:2 Renewed Pneumatology......................................................56 2:2:3 Collegiality............................................................................58 2:2:4 Episcopal Conferences........................................................60 2:2:5 Collegiality as a Model for Collaboration..............................62 2:3 The Distinction Between Lay and Ordained Ministry………………...64 2:3:1 The Relationship of the Priesthood of the Baptised and the Priesthood of the Ordained ……………........................................64 2:3:2 Use of ‘Common’ and ‘Ministerial’……..................................65 2:3:3 ‘Essence’ …………………………………………………..........65 2:3:4 Treatment of the Two Priesthoods in Christifidelis Laici........65 2:3:5 Further Discussion of the Two Priesthoods............................67 2:4 The Church in the World and its Mission..................................... .......71 2:4:1 God’s Self-Communication to the Human Person..................72 2:4:2 A Renewed Understanding of Mission...................................74 4 2:4:3 The Place of the Laity in Mission……………………..............75 2:4:4 Some Ambiguities and Contradictions Regarding Gaudium et Spes.. ............................................................................................76 2:5 Renewed Historical Consciousness: An Impetus for Diversity in Ministry.....................................................................................................79 2:5:1 Expanding the Concept of Ministry…………………………...82 . 2:5:2 A Chaplaincy Model…………………………………...............83 2:6 Deconstructing the Tradition………………………………...................84 2:6:1 Liberation Theology: Boff………………………………….....84 2:6:2 Feminist Ecclesiology: Watson………………………….......85 2:6:3 The Church in Context: Healy……………………………....86 2:6:4 Virtue Ecclesiology: Mannion…………………………….....88 Chapter 3 The Scottish Context and Culture………………………….......91 3:1 The Scottish Context……………………………………….........91 3:2 Sectarianism: Can it be Consigned to History?.......................95 3:3 The Postmodern Context ………………………………….........97 3:4 Implications of Postmodernity for the Lay Minister..........……..99 3:5 The Present Situation of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland........................................................................................101 3:6 Comments on Statistics for Edinburgh and St Andrews Diocese for the Period Between 2001 and 2011…………………………………105 3:7 Training for Full-Time Ministry…………………….....................106 3:8 Challenges for the Catholic Church in Scotland………............109