MILWAUKEE — Bishop Richard J. Sklba raised five questions regarding the future of lay ecclesial ministry as Cardinal Stritch University inaugurated its St. Clare Center for Ministry Formation on Friday, Aug. 10. Serving as keynote speaker at the opening of the center, which will prepare lay people for ministerial roles, Bishop Sklba looked at historical and practical issues regarding lay people working within the church.
Calling lay ecclesial ministry a new reality, Bishop Sklba defined it using the 2005 U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ statement, “Co-Workers in the Vineyard of the Lord.” He described it as a type of focused pastoral work which presumes professional preparation and requires formal authorization in order to function in the name of the church.
Noting that the church is in the midst of “enormous change,” Bishop Sklba said even though lay ecclesial ministry may be taken for granted in the context of parish life, it is a new phenomenon, especially from the standpoint of its professional academic preparation.
In presenting what he termed his first compelling point, Bishop Sklba noted that the concept of lay ecclesial ministry has biblical and theological roots. He stressed that it “should not be viewed as a temporary accommodation to the clergy shortage which we currently experience in the church.” Citing examples from Scripture, including Christ selecting 12 apostles and the Lord sending out missioners two by two in Luke 10:1, the bishop noted that human beings have been co-workers with God in transforming the world. He pointed out that “from the very beginning of Christian history there has also been a type of collaboration and cooperation among those ministries (lay and ordained) in service to the church.”
“My first compelling question, then, is how can we make sure that the notion of ‘co-workers’ at every level of church structure remains part of our most cherished biblical heritage and never becomes viewed as a stopgap measure in an age of fewer numbers of ordained?,” asked the bishop. “Moreover, how can we preserve the fact that from the very first years of Christianity, apostolic ministry was diversely structured and functionally differentiated? They worked in tandem, but not everyone did everything! Moreover, some were called to coordinate (not dominate).”
Speaking to those involved with the St. Clare Center, Bishop Sklba said the center would make a marvelous contribution if it could help the church return to the earliest and most accurate notion of “hierarchy,” namely, a sacred order of interrelated gifts and ministries in service to the church and its mission.
Bishop Sklba’s second question looked at the role of preaching, which he described as a primary mission of the church to the world. He said it would be logical for lay ecclesial ministry to be associated with preaching.
The spiritual wellbeing of a parish community may well also profit on occasion from the ministry of personal witness and proclamation exercised by trained lay ministers, he said.
“To take advantage of the presence of the larger numbers who gather for the Sunday Eucharist would be a practical occasion for the exercise of that ministry,” he said, adding that current liturgical law regarding the Eucharist, however, restricts that task to the ordained.
“Thus, the second compelling question for our day is the challenge to find a way of including our lay ecclesial ministers into the ministry of preaching in a way that respects the integrity of the Eucharist, the needs of our people and the gifts which these individuals can bring to the life of the church.”
Bishop Sklba’s third question looked at the issue of certification and the need for proper training.
“A third challenge, therefore, will be establishing the structure necessary to provide adequate certification of readiness for ministry on all the levels demanded by the nature of this new lay ecclesial ministry,” he said.
Placing the right person in the right position will be important so that qualified candidates are matched to the specific needs of a given parochial community, said Bishop Sklba, presenting his fourth question, “the development of some manner of introducing a missioning character by the local bishop into the selection of lay ecclesial ministers.”
Finally, Bishop Sklba examined the question of professional vs. volunteer, saying that a challenge will be “how to promote paid professional ministerial staff without displacing or demeaning others who give generously of their time and even professional skills without receiving compensation.”
“There are very generous people in every community who wish to place their talents at the service of the church. How are they to be retained as integral members when the professional ecclesial minister appears on the scene?” he asked.
Following Bishop Sklba’s presentation, a panel discussed the roles of laity in different areas of church work including parish nursing, campus ministry, correctional chaplaincy, African-American ministry and health care chaplaincy.
Opening the panel, moderator Fr. John Hemsing, pastor of St. Clare Parish, Wind Lake and a member of the Archdiocesan Council of Priests, noted when he was ordained 20 years ago, he was assigned to a parish where there was a pastor, pastor emeritus, associate and himself.
“There were four priests in the rectory and each of us were assigned to various parish ministries,” he said, noting today, with fewer priests, the role of the laity must increase. “There was even a time when some priests felt a little intimidated by the burgeoning force of lay ecclesial ministers. Today, lay ecclesial ministers outnumber those who are in ordained ministry. Priests have come to realize that the professional lay minister, properly trained, qualified and commissioned is an asset for parish life and a partner to his priestly ministry.”
The celebration for the St. Clare Center which drew about 300 people, also featured a presentation on lay ministry by Rick McCord, USCCB director of the secretariat for family, laity and youth.
