Lay Catholic Theology

During an ongoing reform of parish staff led by the Church authorities ofthe Russian Orthodox Church, new positions in parishes are establishing, that of religious educator (catechist), social worker and youth worker. The principal object of this activation of parish life through structural changes is transforming parishes into missionary centers. Nevertheless, not always and not everywhere this initiative is welcomed enthusiastically or results in intensification of social, missionary and youth activities. In fact, many parishes followed the requisitions only nominally. In that context, it is only logical to consider the experience of the Catholic Church, where laypersons over half a century are holding established positions in parishes, including posts with the same responsibilities. However, if in the Russian Church the attempts to involve laypersons in parish work and emerge their role are not only conditioned but also motivated mostly by purely practical reasons, the idea of Church ministry of laypersons in the Catholic Church is based on profound theological foundations. The author sets forth premises of establishment of the parish positions for laypeople in the Catholic Church, introduced mainly at Vatican II. For this, he considers the change in expressing the idea of hierarchical structure of the Church, the council's teaching on Church ministry and relationship between priests and laity. As an example of the practical realization of these theological premises, the author cites the German Catholic Church, where due to limited number of priests lay activity in parishes is widely spread and is quite versatile.
Keywords: Second Vatican Council, ecclesiology, Catholic Church, priesthood, lay people, parish, Church ministry, catechumenate, mission, youth work.

Summary – During the last few years, the situation of the Catholic Church within Western societies has been radically shaken. The Christian can no longer live as though he were in a context of Christianity. The ideal of Christian life has itself been affected and has led to a new perception of the “good Christian”. An empirical study in French-speaking Belgium has shown that priest do not have the same common goal of pastoral care shaped by the ideal of a “good Christian” to accompany. A rereading of a model established pour catechism (A. Fossion) allows one to define this pastoral finality as a series of competencies to be acquired. These changes bring about a rethinking of the ministry of the priest-curate which is henceforth characterized by: team-work, communional pastoral care, faith recentred  on Christ the crucified and glorified Messiah with whom the Paschal crossing of each individual and collective crisis is possible.

"El sacerdote de Orihuela-Alicante, Domingo García, pronunció una ponencia sobre la formación integral del cristiano. En su exposición retomó el lema del encuentro “Verdaderos creyentes, discípulos y testigos de Cristo”. El ponente describió el creyente como aquel que tiene una fe que le hace capaz de reconocer a Jesús en su vida: “Se trata de un encuentro real con fuerza suficiente como para cambiar la vida de una persona”.
En relación con el discípulo, insistió en que ésta es una condición común a todo cristiano independientemente si es obispo, sacerdote, religiosa o seglar, y que por tanto es necesario “seguir creciendo en espiritualidad bautismal, es decir, en la conciencia de lo que une a todos los cristianos por encima de las diferencias que conlleva el servicio”. De esa consciencia del  bautismo, completaba, “surge la valentía apostólica”.
Por último, vinculaba la calidad del testigo a la calidad de su experiencia de Dios, y animaba a dar solidez al testimonio a través del estudio, la oración y la vida para aportar algo singular a la sociedad actual siendo, al mismo tiempo “uno de tantos”.
http://www.obsegorbecastellon.es/"

The North Church (Beitang) in Beijing was located in the imperial city during the Qing dynasty and was the heart of the French Jesuit mission in the 18th century. This article explores the establishment and transformation of the lay associations of the church through a comparison of Chinese and western documents. The association of Saint Sacrement, the Sacred Heart and its affiliated associations not only inherited the legacy of the Catholic communities of the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, but also introduced into China the Catholic rite of worship in France during the same period. The close collaboration between missionaries and local preachers in the development of organisational texts and rituals was a key element in the continued development of Catholicism. An examination of the lay associations and its religious life will help to better understand the everyday life of the Catholic community in urban and rural China before the Opium Wars.

Fellowship of Catholic Scholars Quarterly 37: 3-4 (Fall-Winter 2014): 23-28.  This article is an edited version of my 2014 lecture at the American Chesterton Society Conference at Mundelein Seminary.  In the essay, I discuss the nature of Chesterton's status as a theologian or "lay theologian" and identify his particular contributions to a style of theology and a notion of theology as living off of authority and freedom, both of which are applauded by Joseph Ratzinger and also the CDF in their 1990 document on the ecclesial vocation of the theologian. I close by discussing some of the specific areas of theological contribution Chesterton made that have been identified by Aidan Nichols and Ian Ker.

Vito Mancuso, one of Italy’s most famous intellectuals and author of best-selling books on religion – such as L’anima e il suo destino [The Soul and Its Destiny] (2007) and Io e Dio. Una guida dei perplessi [I and God. A Guide for the Perplexed] (2011) – is a secular theologian and philosopher of religion who promotes an anti-traditional understanding of Christianity aimed at lay people influenced by contemporary secular ideas. Mancuso’s influence appears to have reached a pinnacle since he is present in the media with various TV and internet
interviews as well as articles published in famous Italian newspapers such as La Repubblica and Corriere della sera. Moreover, his book The Soul and Its Destiny (2007) has been sold in over two hundred thousand copies which is a record for a theological work by any standards. Since he is still unknown to the English-speaking world, this paper investigates Mancuso’s notion of freedom, particularly freedom of conscience and freedom of religion, in the general context of his religious philosophy which focuses on the concept of soul. In Mancuso, a Catholic by (his own) confession, reality is essentially material, so everything which exists in the world and the universe is part of this material reality. The human being is no exception, thus its natural constitution is thoroughly material. Everything pertaining
to the human being, including the idea of soul, is material. However, the fact that ideas, such as the soul, can be conceived within the materiality of the human
being is indicative of the latter’s capacity for spiritualization; consequently, spirituality is also part of and constitutive of materiality. Hence, Mancuso’s belief that the soul is material, and so is everything traditionally accepted as spiritual, including ideas such as God and freedom. Since freedom can be connected to matter and
materiality through the concept of soul, Mancuso argues that the reality of freedom is innate in every human being; men and women, however, must become aware of it and then live it out in their daily lives by promoting as well as defending freedom of conscience and freedom of religion. Both types of freedom are compulsory not
only for the good of humankind in general, for peace, and security, but also for every particular human being who can lead an authentic life only by practicing freedom of conscience and freedom of religion without fearing repression of any sort.

As a new mother, something that is constantly on my mind is how to teach my daughter morals and values.  She just turned three and has a strong awareness of what is going on around her.  Her vocabulary is vast and continues to grow daily.  I know that if I don’t start teaching her values now, I am missing out on an important opportunity.

Although I was raised Catholic and consider myself a “cultural Catholic,” I am uncomfortable with Catholic traditional prayers because of their lack of gender inclusiveness, among other things.  We don’t attend church as we have not yet found a community that we feel is a good fit for our family.

“Now the Vatican says that nuns are too interested in “the social Gospel” (which is the Gospel), when they should be more interested in Gospel teachings about abortion and contraception (which do not exist).  Nuns were quick to respond to the AIDS crisis, and to the spiritual needs of gay people—which earned them an earlier rebuke from Rome. They were active in the civil rights movement.  They ran soup kitchens.” –  Roman Catholic Women Priests (via Facebook)

I once had a conversation with my New Testament Professor about the issue of women ordination.  He was optimistic and thought there might be a possibility that change was in the air – that was six years ago.  The basis for his statement had to do with language.  Of the journals and articles read, he felt the language used was more inclusive and that once people adjust to this discrete change in gender inclusive language, change for women in the Church can come.

He was right about change coming.  The result was not equality and ordination for women, but an attempt to silence and force these women back into their habits and cloisters.

Language here is vital.  Language is an extension of power – a weapon of enforcement, abuse, and control. If we examine language, four important points show a movement to undo almost fifty years worth of progress in the Catholic Church.

The first is the issue of Vatican warnings issued, especially against Roger Haight S.J. and Jon Sobrino S.J.  John L. Allen, Jr. in 2007 predicted, or shall I say prophesied, that the Vatican’s warning against Liberation Theologian, Jon Sobrino S.J., was the sign of things to come.  Specifically Allen states that the issue of “low Christology,” or the focus on the humanness of Jesus, is at issue.  Allen states that the problem, according to Pope Benedict XVI, is:

“If Christ is seen as merely a human being, then Christian service to the world could be reduced to a “purely sociological” endeavor, as opposed to something that points to a spiritual message about supernatural redemption and salvation.”

This message is troubling.  Works and charity are being de-emphasized, almost eliminated with the current controversy surrounding the U.S. Catholic Sisters, in favor of a “high Christology,” or focus on the spiritual or supernatural “Christ.”

The second is the change in words and gestures used during Liturgy.  While sold as a more accurate translation of the Latin (Vulgate as opposed to Koine Greek or Ancient Aramaic), this is a return to language and gestures used during Liturgy before the Second Vatican Council.  One only needs to talk to someone familiar with the Church prior to the Second Vatican Council to confirm this.

In 1965, the Council document Perfectae Caritatis, Decree on the Adaptation and Renewal of Religious Life, encouraged women religious to situate themselves and their vocations in the social milieu to which they belonged.  Each religious community adjusted rules and customs to accommodate the needs and demands of particular ministerial vocations. For those communities that embraced Perfectae Caritatis entered into a complete paradigm shift in thinking that changed forever how they understood themselves and their chosen vocations. I recall vividly the morning, when, in 1968, Sister Mary DePatzie entered our classroom clad in a shorter habit and dress revealing the startling fact she 1) indeed had brilliant, beautiful red hair; and 2) rather shapely legs even in her sensible shoes.  For  Sandra Schneider, communities of women religious and priest read Perfectae Caritatis through the lenses of Guadium et Spes and Lumen Gentium, which is to say their way of viewing and being in the world no longer took the form of a medieval monastic paradigm. And now, forty years later, those sweeping changes of Vatican II are going under the knife by Pope Benedict and his desire to turn back the hands of time to a medieval paradigm of control over women religious.

Review: Pink Smoke Over the Vatican (2010)

Award-Winning Independent Documentary Film

Directed by Jules Hart

By Kate Conmy, MA.

Membership Coordinator of the Women’s Ordination Conference.

Last weekend I had the honor of joining over eighty Women’s Ordination Conference members and supporters in Claremont, California for a screening of “Pink Smoke Over the Vatican” followed by a distinguished panel discussion.  WOC board member Miriam Todoroff of Pilgrim Place hosted the event, along with Rev. Kathleen Jess, ECC, with local support from Theresa Yugar. “Pink Smoke Over the Vatican” has recently been made available for purchase, but for the past couple of years the film has starred in women’s ordination movement circles, drawing hundreds to cinemas, churches, universities, and homes for a peek at the controversial and moving film.