Salisbury Parish Cardijn Gospel Group
INQUIRY: THE LAY FAITHFUL
There is a new document from the Catholic Church called, ‘The pastoral conversion of the Parish community in the service of the evangelising mission of the Church.’ In this study circle we will inquire into the role of the laity.
SEE
How are the Catholic laity performing their Christian mission within your parish?
What about in the world?
How conscious are we of a Christian calling as a lay person both in the parish and in the world?
JUDGE
Can you sum up what you think about the discussion so far?
Please consider the extract below from, ‘The pastoral conversion of the Parish community in the service of the evangelising mission of the Church.’
“The Parish community is composed in a particular way of the lay faithful, who, by virtue of their Baptism and the other Sacraments of Christian initiation, and in many cases by matrimony, participate in the evangelising action of the Church, since “the essential vocation and mission of the lay faithful is to strive that earthly realities and all human activity may be transformed by the Gospel”.
In a particular way, the lay faithful, who have a specific secular character, “seek the Kingdom of God by engaging in temporal affairs and by ordering them according to the plan of God”. They “can also feel themselves called, or be called, to work with their pastors in the service of the ecclesial community for its growth and life, by exercising a great variety of ministries according to the grace and charisms which the Lord is pleased to give them”.
The lay faithful are called upon in our present age to make a generous commitment to the service of the mission of evangelisation, first of all through the general witness of their daily lives, lived in conformity with the Gospel, in whatever environment they are in and at every level of responsibility; in a particular way, they are called to place themselves at the service of the Parish community.”
What do you believe about what this is saying about our role in the parish and in the world?
ACT
Are there actions you will take:
In your parish?
In the world?
