Towards Co-Responsibility of Priests and Laity:
Wisdom from the Past, Hope for the Future
6 June – 11 June 2010
In his address to the Opening of the Pastoral Convention of the Diocese of Rome on the Theme: "Church Membership and Pastoral Co-Responsibility" on 26 May 2009 at the Basilica of St. John Lateran, Pope Benedict XVI asked the following question:
“To what extent is the pastoral co-responsibility of all, and particularly of the laity, recognized and encouraged? In past centuries, thanks to the generous witness of all the baptized who spent their life educating the new generations in the faith, healing the sick and going to the aid of the poor, the Christian community proclaimed the Gospel to the inhabitants of Rome. The self-same mission is entrusted to us today, in different situations, in a city in which many of the baptized have strayed from the path of the Church and those who are Christian are unacquainted with beauty of our faith. . . .”
In this year dedicated to the priesthood, it seems appropriate to reflect on the treasures of our tradition which speak to the ways that co-responsibility has been promoted in the past while recognizing, in the words of Benedict XVI, that “[t]here is still a long way to go. Too many of the baptized do not feel part of the ecclesial community and live on its margins, only coming to parishes in certain circumstances to receive religious services. Compared to the number of inhabitants in each parish, the lay people who are ready to work in the various apostolic fields, although they profess to be Catholic, are still few and far between.”
- Using Rome as a classroom, this program will offer an historical and theological survey of how laity and ordained have promoted the communion and mission of the Church.
- Some key historical figures to be included in the program are St. Paul and his co-workers, St. Justin Martyr, St. Lawrence, St. Gregory the Great, St. Vincent Pallotti and John Henry Newman.
- Special attention will be given to the ways co-responsibility is lived today by focusing on some specific examples: the Sant’Egidio Community and other new lay ecclesial movements.
- Using the US Bishops’ Document “Co-workers in the Vineyard of the Lord” as a base for discussion, there will be an international colloquium of priests and laity who will reflect on pastoral co-responsibility in the context of communion and mission.
Practical points to keep in mind for program:
• Venue: parts of the program each day will take place at the Lay Centre with its spectacular new grounds. See the video and the link for images of Lay Centre on the homepage of www.laycentre.org
• Graduate credit: Seton Hall University’s School of Theology and St Meinrad’s School of Theology will offer graduate credits for this study program for their students. Seton Hall University students may also receive credit for successfully completing the Lay Centre’s “Praying with the Saints in Rome Study Program” which will run from Sunday, 30 May through Saturday, 5 June 2010. See www.laycentre.org for more information and consult your dean about receiving credit for both programs.
PROGRAM CONTRIBUTION
$700.00
This includes lectures, site visits, city bus tickets, six meals at Lay Centre and six coffee breaks. Airfare and lodging not included.
PROGRAM FEATURES
+ daily liturgical
celebrations
+
presentations by experts from various pontifical universities and Vatican
officials
+ discussions with lay ministers from various countries
+ guided visits to significant churches and Christian sites
+ opportunities for fellowship and experiencing Roman culture and
cuisine
Click here for the Tentative Program
Schedule and Registration Information
