About CFOTAE 2011

Catholicism at the Crossroads: How the Laity Can Save the Church

With

Christine Schenk csj and Paul Lakeland

it seems like every time you turn around these days, someone has another suggestion about how to reform the Catholic Church. No matter which author you read, which magazine poll you peruse, which list you scan there is always one constant. This constant is seen by every author, pollster, op-ed writer as the “sine qua non” for reform, some would even suggest salvation of the Catholic Church.

Empower the laity

The responsibilities and rights of the laity to participate in the work and mission of the Church are based on Scriptures and tradition, formulated in Church teachings—especially those from the Second Vatican Council — and codified in Canon Law.

“According to the knowledge, competence, and prestige which [the laity] possess, they have the right and even at times the duty to manifest to the sacred pastors their opinion on matters which pertain to the good of the Church and to make their opinion known to the rest of the Christian faithful,”.”
Canon 212 §3

The laity derive the right and duty to the apostolate from their union with Christ the head; incorporated into Christ's Mystical Body through Baptism and strengthened by the power of the Holy Spirit through Confirmation… For the exercise of this apostolate, the Holy Spirit.. gives the faithful special gifts to build up the whole body in charity. From the acceptance of these charisms,, there arise for each believer the right and duty to use them in the Church and in the world for the good of men and the building up of the Church, in the freedom of the Holy Spirit …
Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity #3

The most basic reason for the newly-acquired importance of the Catholic laity, an importance which the Church sees as positive and enriching, is theological. In the course of the last century, especially, the true role of the laity within the People of God has become increasingly clear, finding expression in two documents in the Second Vatican Council which describe in depth the richness and characteristics of the lay vocation: the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church(Lumen Gentium) and the Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity(Apostolicam Actuositatem)
Lay Catholics in Schools: Witnesses to Faith #2