Duquesne University Duquesne Scholarship Collection Electronic Theses and Dissertations Fall 2010 Lay Ecclesial Ministry as Vocation: A Particular Call To Mission for Laity in the Roman Catholic Church Shannon Loughlin Follow this and additional works at: https://dsc.duq.edu/etd Recommended Citation Loughlin, S. (2010). Lay Ecclesial Ministry as Vocation: A Particular Call To Mission for Laity in the Roman Catholic Church (Doctoral dissertation, Duquesne University). Retrieved from https://dsc.duq.edu/etd/836 This Immediate Access is brought to you for free and open access by Duquesne Scholarship Collection. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Duquesne Scholarship Collection. For more information, please contact [email protected]. LAY ECCLESIAL MINISTRY AS VOCATION: A PARTICULAR CALL TO MISSION FOR LAITY IN THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH A Dissertation Submitted to the McAnulty College andGraduate School of Liberal Arts Duquesne University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Shannon Loughlin December 2010 Copyright by Shannon Loughlin 2010 LAY ECCLESIAL MINISTRY AS VOCATION: A PARTICULAR CALL TO MISSION FOR LAITY IN THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH By Shannon Loughlin Approved September 30, 2010 ________________________________ ________________________________ Maureen R. O‟Brien, Ph.D. William M. Wright IV, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Theology Assistant Professor of Theology (Committee Chair) (Committee Member) ________________________________ ________________________________ Anna Floerke Scheid, Ph.D. George S. Worgul Jr., Ph.D., S.T.D. Assistant Professor of Theology Chair, Department of Theology (Committee Member) Professor of Theology ________________________________ Christopher M. Duncan, Ph.D. Dean, McAnulty Graduate School of Liberal Arts iii ABSTRACT LAY ECCLESIAL MINISTRY AS VOCATION: A PARTICULAR CALL TO MISSION FOR LAITY IN THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH By Shannon Loughlin December 2010 Dissertation supervised by Dr. Maureen O‟Brien Lay ecclesial ministry has become an increasingly important part of the experience of ministry in the Catholic Church today. The numbers of those engaged in lay ecclesial ministry, particularly in the United States, continues to rise. Yet questions as to how, or if, to describe lay ecclesial ministry as a vocation continue to cause tensions in the church. Key to those tensions are the underlying issues of the definition of the laity, the understanding of the secular character of the laity, the relationship between the ordained and laity in ministry, the basis of “call” to ministry, and the relationship between lay ecclesial ministers and the laity in general. It is critical that those issues continue to be developed if lay ecclesial ministry is to flourish. The purpose of this dissertation is to offer an articulation of a theology of ecclesial vocation for non-clerical faithful who are called by God as laity to ministry. It will use the concept of principal iv mutually transformative relationships to describe the secular character of the laity and apply that relationship to the ecclesial repositioning found in ministry. Chapter one presents the current state of lay ecclesial ministry and will provide background on a Roman Catholic understanding of lay ecclesial ministry, including definition of terms, types of ministry, and statistical information. Chapter two will analyze two important understandings of communion ecclesiology, represented in the works of Yves Congar and Pope John Paul II, that have implications for an understanding of lay ecclesial ministry as a vocation. Chapter three will explore the understanding of the term “laity” and propose the concept of principal mutually transformative relationships. Chapter four will provide an understanding of ministry that can include lay ecclesial ministry while appreciating the need for a distinct ordained ministry using Edward Hahnenberg‟s concept of relational ministry with the addition of principal mutually transformative relationship. Chapter five will present the vocation of lay ecclesial ministry as a particular understanding of the vocation and mission of the laity founded on discipleship. v DEDICATION For my daughters, Liliana and Avila You are my special angels vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENT “What a great favor God does to those He places in the company of good people.” St. Teresa of Avila I am deeply grateful to have received such favor from God, because I have certainly been placed in the company of good people repeatedly through my life. It has been through the support, love and kindness of these good people that I have been able to complete this dissertation. Always in this category are my family, through whom I first came to know how to love God, and how very much God loves me. I am particularly blessed by the patience and love of my parents, Thomas and Maryann King, and the wit and grace of my sisters, Erin and Kathy, and my brother Tom, all of whom have walked with me through these years. I would also like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to the faculty of the Theology department at Duquesne University, most especially my director Dr. Maureen O‟Brien and my committee members Dr. William Wright IV and Dr. Anna Floerke Scheid. I will never forget the generosity and graciousness of my encounters with you all throughout this process. I would also like to thank Dr. Anne Clifford, C.S.J., who began this dissertation process with me and helped set the foundation for its completion. Finally, I would like to acknowledge my friends and co-workers in the Diocese of Rochester and in the Department of Evangelization and Catechesis. Under the care of Bishop Matthew Clark the experience of lay ecclesial ministry in this diocese has vii flourished, and working with such dedicated women and men has been a source of inspiration both for me and for this dissertation. I am humbled by the favor God has shown me. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract…………………………………………………………………………… iv Dedication………………………………………………………………………… vi Acknowledgement………………………………………………………………… vii CHAPTER ONE: The Current State of Lay Ecclesial Ministry 1 in the Roman Catholic Church Introduction 1 The Current State of Lay Ecclesial Ministry 6 The Impact of the Second Vatican Council 8 The Beginning of the Response in the United States 13 The Synod of 1987 and Christifideles Laici 15 The Continued Development in the United States 18 Co-Workers in the Vineyard of the Lord 26 Current Statistics for Lay Ecclesial Ministry 28 Lay Ecclesial Ministry: Continuing the Conversation 40 CHAPTER TWO: Perspectives on Communion Ecclesiology 43 Ecclesiology and Vatican II 46 Congar and the Mystical Body of Christ 50 Congar, Trinity and the Holy Spirit 53 Congar and the Image of the Church as the People of God 57 Congar and the Church World Relationship 60 Congar and the Role of the Hierarchy 63 John Paul II and the Mystical Body of Christ 66 John Paul II, Trinity and the Holy Spirit 69 John Paul II and the Image of the Church as the People of God 73 John Paul II and the Church World Relationship 76 John Paul II and the Role of the Hierarchy 80 Dimensions of Communion Ecclesiology 84 CHAPTER THREE: The Vocation and the Mission of the Laity in Conciliar 90 and Post-Conciliar Thought The Laity in the Time Leading up to the Second Vatican Council 91 The Second Vatican Council and the Laity 96 The Revised Code of Canon Law 109 1987 Synod of Bishops 111 Christifideles Laici 116 Redemptoris Missio 121 The Instruction on Sacred Ministry and Co-Workers in the Vineyard 123 The Vocation and Mission of the Laity 127 ix CHAPTER FOUR: Ministry and Ministries: A Relational Approach to 134 Ordering the Baptismal Priesthood Sources for the Divergent Interpretations of “Ministry” 135 Hierarchy and Ministry 139 Comparison with the Episcopalian Church 143 Baptism, the Priesthood of all Believers and Charism 148 Comparison with Southern Baptist Churches 151 Ordering the Baptismal Ministries 155 Relational Ministry as the Language of Lay Ecclesial Ministry 164 Relational Ministry and the Laity 170 CHAPTER FIVE: Lay Ecclesial Ministry as a Particular Understanding 182 of the Vocation and Mission of the Laity Biblical Foundations 183 Jesus as Model of Vocation 184 Vocation and the Call to Holiness 193 Lay Ecclesial Ministry as Vocation 201 Further Considerations 203 Conclusion 211 Bibliography 213 x CHAPTER ONE: THE CURRENT STATE OF LAY ECCLESIAL MINISTRY IN THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH Introduction The rise of lay ecclesial ministry in the Roman Catholic Church has ignited enthusiasm, criticism and concern. As lay ecclesial ministry arose from a complex set of experiences, as opposed to an intentional, organized vision, it often defies definition or common expression.1 In fact, as will be seen in this chapter, the process of defining or even describing lay ecclesial ministry has been the cause of much debate. Generally speaking, lay ecclesial ministry can be understood as “lay” in that the ministers are not ordained, “ecclesial” in that the ministers are formally assigned by a representative of the church to their ministry, and “ministry” in that the ministers participate in the mission that Christ gave the church.2 Although much has been written on the topic as bishops, priests, parishioners and theologians try to articulate this new ministry in positive terms, there has yet to be a clear statement on whether lay ecclesial ministry is a vocation in its own right. Is it a call to mission in and for the building-up of the church or is it a temporary service offered by the laity during a time of need? The purpose of this dissertation is to provide a theological response to this question by proposing an understanding of lay ecclesial ministry as a particular expression by laity of the vocation to mission in the Roman Catholic Church today. The dissertation argues that recent growth in lay ministry requires an articulation 1 Zeni Fox, New Ecclesial Ministry: Lay Professionals Serving the Church (Franklin, WI, Chicago: Sheed and Ward Franklin, 2002), 4.