Preaching outside of Clergy Hierarchy

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If you’re a man (or woman) called to study and spread the Scriptures, but not called to be (or incapable of being) part of the clergy, does the Church authorize lay preachers?

My question is aiming more towards that evangelical style of preaching, like preachers in Times Square, dial in “Jesus saves” billboard ads on the highway…stuff like that.

I know that preaching within the Order of Mass is reserved for the ordained.
 
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does the Church authorize lay preachers?
The Church wouldn’t call them that, I don’t think.

But yes, the Church authorizes many lay ministries and organizations.

An example of the type of evangelization/apologetics you describe would be something like the Catholic Evidence Guild started by Frank Sheed and others. They spoke regularly at Speaker’s Corner in Hyde Park, London.

There have been a number of papal documents encouraging what is dubbed the “new evangelization”, which is focused on lay evangelization.
 
If you’re a man (or woman) called to study and spread the Scriptures, but not called to be (or incapable of being) part of the clergy, does the Church authorize lay preachers?
They’ve authorized them for at least 800 years: we lay Dominicans are one such group. Preaching and studying are part of our charism.
 
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Is this about you preaching? Because you say “I’m aiming more towards…”
Obviously if it’s about you preaching then you need to talk to your Episcopalian clergy or spiritual directors about this, since you’re not Catholic.

If it’s a general question about Catholics preaching, then yes, there are lay preachers all over the place outside of Mass. Preaching at Mass can only be done by the priest or deacon in the homily.

You can find lay preachers (which would include regular single and married Catholics who aren’t clergy, as well as members of religious orders who are not clergy) at many retreats, prayer groups, presentations, Catholic events, etc. If they’re putting on some public event or appearing at a Catholic church, then typically they have to have some authorization from the church pastor, the diocese, the organizers of the event, etc. Often they are invited/ booked to come and present. As Fauken noted, some orders have preaching as part of their charism and do it a lot.

Whether they use an evangelical style or a quieter style is a matter of their individual choice. Some groups and events want an evangelical style and some do not. Charismatic preachers often use an evangelical style. There are also Catholic priests who work as evangelists and use an evangelical style. There are also evangelical groups under the direction of Catholic spiritual directors and with clergy involved/ overseeing the group, who might use street preaching as part of their ministry, although a lot of them prefer evangelizing in other ways.

If a private Catholic person wanted to go preach, like go down to Speakers’ Corner and get up on a soapbox, he could do that too. I could go out on the public sidewalk and preach right now if I felt like it. However, the person would have to abide by whatever laws applied to preachers. Also, if he claimed to be a Catholic and then said anything publicly against Catholic teaching, the local priests and bishops would probably step in and issue a correction or make it clear he was acting on his own.
 
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Im aiming more towards the evangelical style of preaching, like preachers in Times Square, dial in “Jesus saves” billboard ads on the highway…stuff like that.
St. Paul Street Evangelization comes immediately to mind. It is a lay apostolate. There are others such as lay missionaries. And, there are communal organizations such as SOLT, Regnum Christi, Opus Dei, etc.

There is also the wonderful Dominican tradition of preaching. The laity can become members of the Dominican family.

There are amble opportunities within the Catholic Church for the laity to preach/minister whether male or female.
 
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Many years ago the catechist for our CCD class wasn’t able to show up. The sister in charge of the DRE couldn’t find a substitute. She had to do it herself.
What she said I will never forget. The theme of what she talked about was knowing Christ.
 
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