A lust for service, rather than a lust for power is what should drive the Church’s lay-leaders, Pope Francis says. Their “mission is to serve, not to wield power or exert control over others.” Francis made the comments in a meeting last Thursday with moderators of Catholic lay associations, ecclesial movements and new communities. Many Read more
A small ecclesial revolution; a laboratory for lay leadership is currently taking place in the Catholic Diocese of Lausanne, Geneva and Fribourg in Switzerland. But it likely would not have come about so soon without COVID-19 as a detonator. “The pandemic has precipitated a situation that I expected to see in 20 or 30 years: Read more
Petertide — the days around the feast of St. Peter on June 29 — is traditionally one of the most joyful seasons for the Church of England, a time for the ordination of new priests and deacons. But this year’s Petertide has been marred by what many have interpreted as an attack on the future Read more
The most critical shift emphasis since Vatican II is the appreciation and understanding of God’s calling for us laypeople. “They are the Church – co-responsible with bishops, priests, and religious for Christ’s mission on earth” writes Martin Work in “Laity” an introductory observation prefacing Apostolicam Actuositatem. (The decree on the laity). We are the People Read more
Liam Greer has been appointed as the general manager of the Palmerston North diocese. Greer, whose family has a five-generation association with the diocese, grew up in Palmerston North, attending St Peter’s College. He has a degree in valuation and property management and worked as a property valuer for a few years. Read more in Read more
A New Zealand cardinal told a conference on the future of parishes in Ireland that his diocese benefited from the appointment of church workers known as lay pastoral leaders who exercise many functions that normally would be the responsibility of a parish priest. Continue reading Related Posts:Priest shortage presents ‘great challenges’ in IrelandHow to revitalise Read more
Cardinal John Dew will be giving talks in the Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly and in the Archdiocese of Dublin as part of a pastoral conference at the end of the month. He has been invited by the Irish archbishops to speak about the Wellington Archdiocese’s experience with its own Launch Out programme, established to Read more
In 1999, Mike Sexton’s adoptive parents had died, and he thought it was time to seek out his birth mother. He encountered in Maureen Laws an independent, well-educated, well-travelled woman with a great many threads to her life: a pioneering nurse, who broke new ground for many in her profession; a devoted Roman Catholic, who Read more
The Catholic Institute of Aotearoa New Zealand (TCI) will be teaching a paper from the Australian Catholic University’s four paper Graduate Certificate in Leadership and Catholic Culture (GCLCC) next year. The graduate certificate programme is aimed at developing leadership capabilities for people who work, or wish to work, in Catholic organisations. The paper being presented Read more
Since the late 1970s David and Bronwyn Lea have been active in the Marriage Encounter movement. They became co-ordinators for the Pacific in 1995. And then came the call to lead the global programme. Between 2005 and 2010 they travelled the world encouraging individual countries to promote and develop Marriage Encounter. And during that time Read more