White Robed Monks of St. Benedict

Office of Lay Minister

May the peace of Christ be with you and yours.

Introduction The Office of Lay Minister

Ministry means "service." The Church is the People of God (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, II) who engage in a variety of ministries (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, n. 18; Decree on Ecumenism, n. 2). All human beings, by Baptism, share in the ministry of Christ as prophet, priest, and king. "Everything which has been said so far concerning the People of God applies equally to the laity, religious, and clergy."(Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, nn. 30). We limit our conversation here the Office of Lay Minister. This office is open to all Christians, not necessarily just those preparing for Orders.

Whereas the emphasis of the Diaconate is Service, the emphasis of Lay Ministry is Charity:

The greatest commandment in the law is to love God with one's whole heart and one's neighbor as oneself (cf. Matt. 22:37-40). Christ made this commandment of love of neighbor His own and enriched it with a new meaning. For He wanted to equate Himself with His brethren as the object of this love when He said, As long as you did it for one of these, the least of My brethren, you did it for Me (Matt. 25:40). Assuming human nature, He bound the whole human race to Himself as a family through a certain supernatural solidarity and established charity as the mark of His disciples, saying, By this will all men know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:35).*

For a formal contextual background, please refer to *Decree on the Apostolate of The Laity by the Presiding Bishop of the Roman Catholic Church, November 18, 1965. In addition, please refer to On the Vocation and The Mission of the Lay Faithful in the Church and in the World by the Presiding Bishop of the Roman Catholic Church, December 30, 1988.

Within the context of these two above documents, and for a historical review of Lay Ministry from a Benedictine perspective, please refer to Historical Perspectives on Lay Ministry. Finally, please carefully review the Mission Statement of the White Robed Monks of St. Benedict and Authenticating One's Mission.

If you should wish to discern further your formal vocation to Lay Ministry, please complete Application for Authorization to serve as a Lay Minister Once received we will set-up a communication tree with one of our priests with whom you will unfold your vocation. In the meantime, we will also ask for three (3) letters of recommendation from people who know known you or at least 3 years.

Thank you very much and may many blessings be to you and yours.
Peace and Joy!
White Robed Monks of St. Benedict

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after the Gospel/Homily on Charity

Prayer of Blessing for those who exercise Pastoral Service

Lord God, in your loving kindness
you sent your Son to be our shepherd and guide.
Continue to send workers into your vineyard
to sustain and direct your people.
Bless N.N
. Let your Spirit uphold him/her always
as s/he takes up his/her new responsibility
among The People of God.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
R. Amen.

The Liturgy of the Eucharist continues...

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