Chapter 5 Study Implications and Conclusions Section 1 5.1. Implications for Emerging Identity and Vision of the Priesthood For several centuries, before the convocation of the Second Vatican Council, especially from the scholastic era till the time of Trent, the identity and role of the priest remained largely the same. Traditionally, the priesthood was oriented towards the Eucharist and towards sacrifice. However, shortly before, during, and after the convocation of the Second Vatican Council, things were beginning to change. This was necessitated by the renewed attention that the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council gave to the subject of the priesthood. In turning their attention to the life and ministry of priests, the Council Fathers …show more content…
Through the reception of the sacrament of orders, the priest is sent by the Father through the mediatorship of Jesus Christ, in order to live and work in the power of the Holy Spirit for the service of the Church and for the salvation of the world. In being drawn into the relational dimension of the Trinity, the priest participates in the ecclesial, christological, and pastoral perspectives that are at the core of ministerial priesthood. Priestly identity is rooted in these intertwining …show more content…
The number of Catholics responding to their baptismal calling to serve the total mission of the church is increasing. Many lay men and lay women are engaged in ministry either as volunteers or as paid staff. Some of these emerging lay ministries include: lay ecclesial ministers, religious education directors, pastoral assistants, youth ministers, catechists, chaplains, liturgical coordinators, pastoral care workers, social outreach coordinators, lectors, Eucharistic ministers etc. People are getting involved in ministries based on different ministerial needs and degrees of commitments. Ironically, this development and growth in ministry is occurring at the same time when there is an emergence of a new vision of priesthood as well as a contraction of the ordained ministry. Today, in parishes, it is no longer a given that a parish is led and serviced by the priest alone. There is a diversity of roles and the presence of teams working on behalf of the parish community. It is a reality that the priest is no longer the only minister, and that ministry is no longer narrowly defined by ordained
Wilson, Barbara S., Arlene Flancher, and Susan T. Erdey. The Episcopal Handbook. New York, NY: Morehouse Pub., 2008. Print.
highlights the importance of the sacraments and the clergy, can be seen as a response on
This loss of power was a direct result of several factors: the patriarchal canons of early Eastern and Western Church councils, the conversion of the Emperor Constantine, and the decree of Emperor Theodosius that made Christianity the state religion of Rome (Lynch,10). These events led to positions in the Church such as presbyter, deacon, and bishop being held in high regard, and also hi...
Klein, Franz. "John Paul II Priests." Commonweal 132.14 (2005): 23-25. Academic Search Premier. Web. 3 May 2014.
The focus of this book is Sacred Heart of Jesus Church and Parish in Montegut, Louisiana, and the outline of the book follows the tenure of each priest. However, I could not write about Sacred Heart without writing about Montegut, Bourg, and Little Caillou. The book follows the church parish boundaries and as each new parish is created, the focus remains with the priest of Sacred Heart.
From the Catholic observation point, the Church presents two parts: One representing its divine nature as the untarnished body of Christ, and one direc...
When a person or a family chooses to participate in a religion, it is usually a big decision which entails much thought and consideration. Catholics believe that Jesus died for their sins, so that they could live. Practicing Catholics, one must follow the ways of the 10 commandments described in the bible. They attend mass and hear the readings from the priests, by which they have much respect for. Priests or Deacons are supposedly the messengers of God, and in turn they instruct their people how to act through the words of Jesus. How do you think a person would react when they hear the news that one of their priests did sexual acts to little boys? The allegations of priests molesting little boys has been rampant for many years, but nothing could hit harder when the priest actually came from their own church, especially if a family had young children who participated in the masses. The urgency to leave the parish might arise, just as Suzanne Keen did with her parish, especially having children who she wanted to protect. When the escalation of the rumors surfaced, she first ignored it as many people did. How could be chu...
“The call is something that is an indescribable joy and an indefinable burden at the same time.” (Bryant and Brunson 2007, 32). There is nothing more rewarding than seeing a congregation of the redeemed moving forward in their faith. However exciting this may be, it is usually not the thrill that propels the pastor in his service. It is the burden placed on the pastor by God that compels him in his work. The pastor understands that he is largely responsible for the work of God being accomplished by his faithfulness to his calling. “All through the Word of God and down through the annals of history, when God has moved it has almost always been attended by the preaching of the Word.” (Bryant and Brunson 2007, 31)
The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved February 21, 2010 from New Advent: http://www.newadvent.org
I agree with Kitchens, Mead, and Roxburgh who all basically say in their own way that one change in ministry that we need to focus on more is the congregational life of the church. However, I think Mead explains it best when he says that the future church must be more intentional in the spiritual formation of its laity (Mead, location 919). According to Mead, the church is moving towards becoming a more missional institution that cares for the needs of the community. Therefore, oftentimes laity will be the ones on the front lines and will need the capacity to minister to people on their own without the help of clergy. In order to do this they will need more directed and intensive training to deal with...
In the Catholic Church, priests are the moral authority. When one has questions with his faith he is taught that he can go to his priest for informed answers. In this paper I also hope to deal with how these priests failed their flock. They took advantage of men who came to them for help when in trouble and preyed on the little boys who came to the church for guidance. In addition to the tacit feeling that as a priest they will only do what is right, these men told their victims that they would deal with the moral implications.
Philosophy of Ministry: God's desires come first, I must always live my ministry God's way. I must live as a Christian (1 Corinthians 9:27) I must have a proper relationship of surrender to the Leader. In my personal life or in the Church I must understand that Christ is Head and Chief Shepherd (Ephesians 1:22, Hebrews 13:20). The “management” of Church is about relationships with God and Man, not just maintaining a social organization.
The Church was organised into a hierarchical system that sustained the Church’s stability and control over the people and lower clergy, by organising them into different groups. First there were the ordinary believers, the citizens of the kingdom who followed the Christian faith. Then there was the clergy, the members who devoted their lives to the church. Each group of the clergy was assigned specific functions by the clergy nobles to help run the Church competently. Amongst all the clergy associates, the Pope was at the top, he had the equivalent if not more power than the ruling monarch and was in charge of all political affairs and administered the clergy. He was able to dictate political laws and even comment on the Monarch’s decisions. Under the Pope, there were the bishops. The bishops directed church courts and managed cases correlated to the public such as marriage, wills and other public predicaments. Priests held religious services that consisted of sacraments, baptisms and the usual Sabbath services. The monks and nuns received manual labour that required helping clean the monasteries and assist the needy. Educated monks copied manuscripts of medieval and ancient knowledge in the Scriptorium. Finally...
The Spiritual Exercises: not only speak to the Jesuits but also to the religious of other congregations; not only to the religious but also to the laity; not only to Catholics but also to the Protestants. In other words, the Spiritual Exercises speak to all who believe in God and base their spirituality on the gospel message. First I will define what a spirituality of vocation is. Second I will explain what the Spiritual Exercises mean. Third I will try to show how the Spiritual Exercises are a representation of a universal call to the Christian gospel. Then I will conclude by stating my stand.
Turner, William. (March 1, 1907) The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume I, online edition. Retrieved February 2, 2002 from the World Wide Web: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01713a.htm