I’d have to disagree about it being, “… fundamentally… a waste of time.” Often it takes someone on the outside looking in to provide some perspective that we have a difficult time seeing. Given, such advice should, perhaps, not be accepted entirely unquestioning, but it would also behoove us well to examine it carefully for truths which may help us to grow rather than simply dismissing it out of hand.
I don’t disagree with you either, now that I think about it.
I can’t deny this. Getting involved in parish life can and often does mean getting involved in a lot of problems, including personal ones and other people’s “axes to grind”!
I am Catholic and I can tell you that 1234 is correct about needing the laity to help run the parish. A lot depends on the parish, its location, and the number of families it has to minister to. If Seminarian X wants to get rid of all the laity working in his parish then he should try it. I can assure him that within a week he will be looking to hire them back.
I’d disagree about this. If it “doesn’t get done” it may leave people unministered to or walking away from the faith to get some sort of spiritual/human nourishment elsewhere. That doesn’t mean that lay persons must take on quasi-priestly roles, but it does mean that they step up to the plate in other areas of parish and Catholic life.
I’m not sure why you assumed that lay people who want to help in a parish are trying to assume the priestly duties? There are things that are not the exclusive realm of the priest or deacons. Lay people can provide comfort to the grieving or ill in between the times that the priest can visit. Lay people can do the mundane administrative things that are not priestly in the least but take up many priest’s time. A good leader knows how to train people to do the things within their capability to assist him and he knows how and when to delegate.
What we clearly don’t need are any priests who answer a sincere response with sarcasm and disparagement of lay people. This is the attitude of which I spoke. We can trust in God to provide for us without dismissing what we cannot do personally as being unworthy of attention. It appears that you have not considered that God’s provision for our priests could be lay people willing to help them shoulder their burden. The sin of pride often makes us think that we are the only one capable of doing a certain thing. I have struggled with it myself.My external formater doesn’t seem to think I have a rigid attitude. Quite the contrary. He seems to think I’m too soft.
Laymen can do all the administrative tasks they wish or anything else for that matter. Just as long as they know their proper place.
Yes. If there’s one thing the Church needs more of, it’s priests who do not think God will provide.
I am wondering, which roles that the laity currently hold in most parishes would you eliminate? As a pastor, do you think you would have the time or expertise to fulfill all those roles? Would you keep the DRE on staff or would you run the program all by yourself, training all the catechists, running all the meetings, taking calls from irate parents (this happens a lot). Would your parish have a very active Adult Education program? Would you teach all the courses yourself? How about RCIA, Pre-Cana, Baptism classes, youth group, Parish Social Ministry, Bereavement sessions, communion to the homebound, assessing the real needs of the poor in your community, dealing with paperwork regarding such services? Would you direct the choir and prepare all the minute details of all liturgical celebrations, counsel each and every person that came to your door, even if all they wanted to do was sit and have someone listen? Put on top of that all the sacramental duties, diocesan obligations and meetings, meetings with the school board, finance counsel, visits to the sick and dying, confessions, masses, visits to the school, weddings, funerals, preparing daily homilies (assuming you may be in a one priest parish). Sound to me like you would be one very busy priest…and one that would burn out before the year is out.My external formater doesn’t seem to think I have a rigid attitude. Quite the contrary. He seems to think I’m too soft.
Laymen can do all the administrative tasks they wish or anything else for that matter. Just as long as they know their proper place.
Yes. If there’s one thing the Church needs more of, it’s priests who do not think God will provide.
You can always go to God through the son Jesus. You can pray directly that is one reason Jesus died on cross. So if your priest isn’t available uh Jesus is, hes just a prayer away.
I am trying to understand where you are coming from, and I mean no disrespect. I have worked with too many priests who think they are the “king” of their parishes and have alienated many parishioners (on both sides of the fence), because of an “attitude” that he knows best. Yes the buck stops at the pastor, but he should be wise enough to hire competent lay people to run the many many programs that happen in the parish and to be trusting enough that those who work for him will get things done. There is also a spirit of collaboration that is all important. I have worked in three parishes. All three pastors basically have given me carte blanche to do what I want in my areas of expertise. They knew that I knew more about my areas than they did and they trusted me. All except for one associate pastor (who did his own thing anyway and eventually the pastor asked him to leave), I have gotten along perfectly with all asociates, liberal and conservative alike, and none of them question what I do. But they never told me what to do. They may make suggestions or give me their opinion if they didn’t like something and we talk it out and come to a compromise. That is collaboration. Actually I am developing a course for lay people and clergy on collaboration because it is such an important issue.
Hi there 1234…I am taking it you are responding to my Post meaning that the quotation is on perhaps the tombstones of Wyatt Earp and Kurt Russell…if something is obvious and I have missed it, apologies…but typical
