Lay Preaching Allowed?

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I’m an avid reader of Steve Ray’s Blog. In a recent blog he said:
In two hours I am on my way to Texas to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

A blog reader objected to how he said this. The reader said:
You said in your response to the Jehovah Witness people that you were about to go and preach the Gospel in a few hours. It seems unlikely that (being married) you are an ordained Priest. Are you then an ordained Deacon? Otherwise, however astute you are in apologetics (and no one can deny that you are astute), you have no authority to preach. Perhaps you meant to say “teach” or “train people.”

I assume this reader must have been a protestant because I’ve never heard a Catholic getting upset over a comment like this.

Of course the dictionary has alternative definitions for preaching being teaching…but I’m wondering if “preaching” should be a reserved word for ordained ministers. I was trying to find some Catholic documents that talk about this but all I could find are documents that refer to preaching in the aspect of giving a homily or allowing lay people to “preach” in certain cercumstances where a priest cannot be present.

What do you guys think?

Here is the original link to the blog if you are interested:

catholic-convert.com/2012/01/13/jehovahs-witnesses-came-by-today/
 
I think he needs to lighten up and examine what preaching means.
 
A layperson may not preach (or even read the Gospel) at a Catholic Mass. These functions are reserved to ordained ministers (deacons, priests, or bishops). Not even a Religious sister or brother may do this.

(Note: In a seminary, special dispensation is often granted by the local Bishop to allow (non-Ordained) seminarians to perform these duties when the congregation includes only other seminarians and their (Ordained) instructors; this is part of their course of study.)

But this limitation applies ONLY to a Catholic Mass. It does not apply to Catholic “street preachers” or evangelists (or apologists).
 
DavidFilmer said:
A layperson may not preach (or even read the Gospel) at a Catholic Mass. These functions are reserved to ordained ministers (deacons, priests, or bishops). Not even a Religious sister or brother may do this.

(Note: In a seminary, special dispensation is often granted by the local Bishop to allow (non-Ordained) seminarians to perform these duties when the congregation includes only other seminarians and their (Ordained) instructors; this is part of their course of study.)

But this limitation applies ONLY to a Catholic Mass. It does not apply to Catholic “street preachers” or evangelists (or apologists).
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Just a note about what generally happens in the seminaries–those in Theological studies generally begin taking homiletics classes fairly early; here it’s in the second semester of 1st Theology. However, while they have to write and give a number of homilies, this is always done in the context of the homiletics class–never during a liturgical function. The only people in the seminary community who may preach are the ordained–priests, whether faculty or visiting (including the bishops), and transitional deacons. No non-ordained seminarian is allowed to preach at a liturgical function. I would suspect that nowadays it’s the same elsewhere too, at least for the most part.

-ACEGC
 
All lay people are called to proclaim the Gospel.
The Catechism states:
3. Those who with God’s help have welcomed Christ’s call and freely responded to it are urged on by love of Christ to proclaim the Good News everywhere in the world. This treasure, received from the apostles, has been faithfully guarded by their successors. All Christ’s faithful are called to hand it on from generation to generation, by professing the faith, by living it in fraternal sharing, and by celebrating it in liturgy and prayer.

As stated above, in a liturgical function only the ordained can preach.

But, right before mass starts, for example, a lay person can certainly teach or preach.
I lead the Rosary in the front of Church before mass, and right after the Rosary, and before the Mass starts my pastor has given me permission to give a 1 minute talk on why we pray the rosary before mass. (since many people are reading, looking around, or just looking bored).
 
nickybr38 said:
I think he needs to lighten up and examine what preaching means.
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Thanks for the replies everyone. I think we are all on the same page. Steve wasn’t talking in the same context “preaching” during a mass.

It’s things like this that sometimes make it difficult for me to have conversations with non-Catholics about religion because it seems like they can have some very strong stances on the use of certain phrases and can get offended when someone doesn’t know of their sensitivity to the term. I try to never make someone feel uncomfortable when they innocently say something that may be considered rude to me…but I know they didn’t mean to be.

I go back to a CD Scott Hahn talked about where a muslim walked out on him because he used the term Father to describe God. He rudely scolded Scott for this and after Scott slipped a third time he walked out. How can you have a dialog with someone like that?!? I don’t think I would even want to. I’d need to let the Holy Spirit soften him up a little before I could have a calm and respectable debate 🙂
 
This topic brings up an interesting question to me. I was at a “Communion Service” which is not a Mass. A sister got up to preach a “homily”. I did not know if that was allowed since it was not a “Mass”. Does anybody know if it is allowed in this instance since it was not a Mass?

mdcpensive1
 
mdcpensive1 said:
This topic brings up an interesting question to me. I was at a “Communion Service” which is not a Mass. A sister got up to preach a “homily”. I did not know if that was allowed since it was not a “Mass”. Does anybody know if it is allowed in this instance since it was not a Mass?

mdcpensive1
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It is not a homily, but yes a reflection is permissible at a communion service.
 
Thanks 1ke, I was wondering if it was in cannon law somewhere.

mdcpensive1
 
DavidFilmer said:
But this limitation applies ONLY to a Catholic Mass. It does not apply to Catholic “street preachers” or evangelists (or apologists).
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You have brought up a very important point. There are, indeed, settings in which certain Catholic laity can preach, such as during retreats (although, of course, outside of any Masses which may happen at such retreats). Some dioceses even have lay-evangelist training programs to help staff such endeavors with qualified preachers.
 
Interesting topic - in fact, one I was going to open a thread on soon.

I actually think Catholics could use this lay preaching to our considerable benefit. Why not, for example, have the ability for lay people to remain after mass and provide their own views on scripture, God, etc? Allow people to sign up to provide their own sermons following the conclusion of the mass.

Obviously it would have to come after the last mass of the day, but It could look something like this:

11:00 AM - Mass
12:30 PM - Social
1:00 PM - lay discussion of scripture, etc.
2:00 PM - adjournment

Actually getting more Catholics to do something other than show up five minutes before mass and leave ahead of the Priest would be a huge improvement itself.
 
JGMendes4049 said:
What about non–Mass liturgies? For example, at a celebration of the Office.
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During the regular celebration of the Office, we don’t typically have any kind of homily given. On certain feasts, there is sometimes one given, but it is invariably by a priest or deacon (Not to mention certain important events, like blessing new seminarians or conferences addressed to the whole community; in this case a lengthy homily is given in the context of the Office but again, always by a priest). I’m not sure what the rubrics are regarding this and would be happy to look it up. I would say that if the Office is being prayed in a public setting, then it would still be the proper place of the ordained to preach, but if it is being done in private, and without being led by a cleric, then there’s nothing prohibiting reflections or the like (besides, if there is a group of non-clerics praying the Office together, none of them are canonically bound to do it, assuming they are not religious non-clerics, and so it constitutes private recitation anyway. But by then, you’d not be giving a homily anyway).

-ACEGC
 
One_Church said:
I’m an avid reader of Steve Ray’s Blog. In a recent blog he said:
In two hours I am on my way to Texas to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

A blog reader objected to how he said this. The reader said:
You said in your response to the Jehovah Witness people that you were about to go and preach the Gospel in a few hours. It seems unlikely that (being married) you are an ordained Priest. Are you then an ordained Deacon? Otherwise, however astute you are in apologetics (and no one can deny that you are astute), you have no authority to preach. Perhaps you meant to say “teach” or “train people.”

I assume this reader must have been a protestant because I’ve never heard a Catholic getting upset over a comment like this.

Of course the dictionary has alternative definitions for preaching being teaching…but I’m wondering if “preaching” should be a reserved word for ordained ministers. I was trying to find some Catholic documents that talk about this but all I could find are documents that refer to preaching in the aspect of giving a homily or allowing lay people to “preach” in certain cercumstances where a priest cannot be present.

What do you guys think?

Here is the original link to the blog if you are interested:

catholic-convert.com/2012/01/13/jehovahs-witnesses-came-by-today/
Click to expand...
I think this sounds more like a very hard-core, perhaps older, Catholic who is in need of some catechesis about the subject including the role of the laity. Perhaps someone who grew up in the era I did where the layman would not dare think of preaching, as that was the job of the priest or associated lay preaching with Protestants. Most Protestant bodies don’t have qualms about the laity preaching, and some of them have leaders who aren’t even ordained and did not attend a seminary. I had an Aunt who was an Evangelist for her denomination and used to stomp around her neck of the woods preaching the Gospel. She was very dedicated, lively, full of zeal, and unordained. Also most Protestants don’t know that Deacons preach in the Catholic Church and are ordained. That’s why I think this is a Catholic.
 
edward_george said:
Just a note about what generally happens in the seminaries–those in Theological studies generally begin taking homiletics classes fairly early; here it’s in the second semester of 1st Theology. However, while they have to write and give a number of homilies, this is always done in the context of the homiletics class–never during a liturgical function. The only people in the seminary community who may preach are the ordained–priests, whether faculty or visiting (including the bishops), and transitional deacons. No non-ordained seminarian is allowed to preach at a liturgical function. I would suspect that nowadays it’s the same elsewhere too, at least for the most part.

-ACEGC
Click to expand...
At our seminary the seminarians preach at morning and evening prayer.
 
mburn16 said:
Actually getting more Catholics to do something other than show up five minutes before mass and leave ahead of the Priest would be a huge improvement itself.
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I think it would still be a challenge to rope some of these people in. Sometimes I sit in amazement at how quick a Church clears out after mass is over. Every week it the same people that are left behind that socialize with each other. I’m proud to say I’m a member of that group 🙂

I had a buddy who tried to start a prayer group at his church…unfortunately after all of the advertising nobody showed up for several weeks in a row. I was proud of him for trying through.
 
CB_Catholic said:
Also most Protestants don’t know that Deacons preach in the Catholic Church and are ordained. That’s why I think this is a Catholic.
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Very good Carolyn. I did some digging on the blog poster and found out he’s a “devout Catholic”. Had to go through a lot of different pages to figure that one out…he seems to be a complex guy…but I prefer that to someone who is lukewarm 🙂
 
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