Vatican Clarifies "Lay Ministry"
from the January-February 1998 issue

This past November (1997), the Vatican released a new document entitled On Certain Questions Regarding the Collaboration of the Non-ordained Faithful in the Sacred Ministry of the Priest (OCQ). The purpose of the document is "to provide a clear, authoritative response to the many pressing requests [concerning] new forms of ‘pastoral activity’ of the non-ordained." The instruction points out that certain practices (as outlined below) are harmful to ecclesial communion, and it requires that all bishops correct any abuses of the existing norms as outlined.

The importance of this document can be underscored by the fact that it is the first Vatican document ever issued signed by officials from eight different Vatican offices. More importantly, OCQ was approved by Pope John Paul II in forma specifica and has the canonical force of a formal papal act.

Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk of Cincinnati, addressing a workshop on "lay ministry" at the U.S. bishops’ November meeting in Washington, D.C., characterized the Vatican document as "anxious" in tone. Later that month, the archbishop addressed the Synod of American Bishops in Rome on the topic of "lay ministry." In his Nov. 18 speech he revealed that there are "nearly 30,000 non-ordained women and men who work full-time or part-time in professional compensated Church ministry" in the United States.

The OCQ instruction is clearly aimed at correcting certain widespread violations of canon law pertaining to the exercise of clerical roles by the laity. Archbishop Pilarczyk, and many other U.S. bishops, however, are playing down the significance of the new document. In reality, though, the bishops understand well that they have been called to take specific actions to correct widespread abuses which have become so common that they are understood as normative in their dioceses. "Where abusive practices have become widespread, it is absolutely necessary for those who exercise authority to intervene responsibly so as to promote communion which can only be done by adherence to the truth," reads OCQ.

Need for appropriate terminology
The OCQ instruction purposefully avoids using the term "lay minister" since it can so obviously be misconstrued as meaning the layman is substituting for an ordained minister rather than collaborating with him. The document lays out the theological principle of ministry as regards laymen: "Only in some… functions, and to a limited degree, may the non-ordained faithful co-operate with their pastors should they be called to do so by lawful Authority and in accordance with the prescribed manner. The exercise of such tasks does not make pastors of the lay faithful, in fact a person is not a minister simply in performing a task, but through sacramental ordination." The instruction goes on to say that the non-ordained faithful—those who act in the capacity of catechists, acolytes, lectors etc., may be generically designated "extraordinary ministers." The key word here is "extraordinary."

The popular misuse of the terms "minister" and "ministry" is exemplified by the Athenaeum of Ohio’s "Lay Pastoral Ministry Program" which produces "pastoral ministers" (usually women) who serve their parishes in paid positions.

The syllabus of abuses
The instruction lists numerous violations of Church norms along with the corrective measures to be applied by the bishops in their dioceses. These violations include (this list is by no means exhaustive):

Unlawful titles for laymen
It is unlawful for lay faithful to assume titles such as "pastor, chaplain, coordinator, moderator, or other such similar titles which can confuse their role and that of the pastor." Such titles are liberally applied in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and the Diocese of Covington. Common titles locally used are 1) "pastoral associate," which is used to designate a non-ordained man or woman as the assistant to the pastor, or, in effect, the associate; 2) "pastoral administrator," which is used to designate a non-ordained man or woman (usually a woman religious) as the "head" of a parish which does not have a resident priest; and 3) "minister of service," which is used to designate some special pastoral privilege to a non-ordained man or woman.

Other dubious titles commonly used include: initiation minister (those who facilitate RCIA programs), youth minister, minister of music, minister of liturgy, and eucharistic minister. Each of these latter titles, indicative of a layman’s specific duty or position, are most inappropriately named. The proper name for eucharistic minister, for example, is "extraordinary minister of the eucharist."

Who can deliver the homily
According to OCQ: "The homily… during the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, must be reserved to the sacred minister, priest or deacon, to the exclusion of the non-ordained faithful." This includes, of course, women religious.

Proper role of parish councils
Parish priests must preside over parish councils, and "any deliberations entered into (or decisions taken) by a parochial council which has not been presided over by the parish priest are to be considered invalid, and hence null and void."

Prayers and postures proper to the priest
"In the celebration of the Eucharist it is not licit for deacons and lay persons to say prayers, in particular the eucharistic prayer, or to perform actions which are proper to the celebrating priest." This includes the orans posture: outstretched open hands, which a growing number of the laity are using in imitation of the priest’s gestures. This posture is reserved for the priest alone, although the American bishops have, in the last year, appealed to Rome to have this posture approved also for the laity. Mimicking the actions of a priest during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is strange to say the least.

Other local parishes observe the abusive custom of standing with one hand outstretched during the priest’s recitation of the eucharistic prayer, as if the congregation together with the priest confects the Blessed Sacrament. In the words of the instruction: "Every effort must be made to avoid even the appearance of confusion which can spring from anomalous liturgical practices."

Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist
"The ordinary minister of Holy Communion is the bishop, the priest, and the deacon. Extraordinary ministers may distribute Holy Communion at Eucharistic celebrations only when there are no ordained ministers present, or when those ordained ministers present at a liturgical celebration are truly unable to distribute Holy Communion."

Note again here that the proper term is "extraordinary minister" rather than the misnomer, "eucharistic minister." The Catechism of the Catholic Church mentions the term "eucharistic minister" only once, and only then when referring to the ordinary ministers of the eucharist, that is, the bishop, priest and deacon.

Distribution of Communion
"Certain practices are to be avoided and eliminated: extraordinary ministers receiving Holy Communion apart from the other faithful as though concelebrants…[and] the habitual use of extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion at Mass." These abuses pertaining to extraordinary ministers are so prevalent in our local parishes that most Catholics have come to fully accept the use of so-called "eucharistic ministers" as normative. Nevertheless, these practices are unacceptable. For a great many of Catholics, women and men buzzing about the sanctuary prior to Communion creates a serious distraction and disturbance of the peaceful atmosphere that should rightly surround the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

Provision is made in the OCQ instruction for the use of extraordinary ministers to distribute Holy Communion "at eucharistic celebrations where there are particularly large numbers of the faithful and which would be excessively prolonged because of an insufficient number of ordained ministers to distribute Holy Communion." The document is careful, however, to warn against the "habitual use of extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion at Mass, thus arbitrarily extending the concept of ‘a great number of the faithful.’" It would stand to reason then that the priest alone should distribute Holy Communion at daily Masses attended by fewer than 50 people. The norm, however, in Cincinnati and Covington, is to enlist as many extraordinary ministers as possible. At the daily Masses offered at Cincinnati’s Cathedral of St. Peter in Chains, for instance, three to five women will surround the priest in the sanctuary for distribution of Communion. The daily Mass is typically attended by fewer than 50 people.

Adequate formation
Should it become necessary for laymen to assist the pastor in any way, he is bound to "select lay faithful of sound doctrine and exemplary moral life. Catholics who do not live worthy lives or who do not enjoy good reputations or whose family situations do not conform to the teaching of the Church may not be admitted to the exercise of such functions."

The proper role of the Seminary
The lay faithful are to be educated "in environments other than that of the Seminary, as this is reserved solely for those preparing for the priesthood. Great care must be exercised so that these courses conform absolutely to the teaching of the ecclesiastical magisterium and they must be imbued with a true spirituality."

Seminarians from several Midwestern dioceses, including the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and the Diocese of Covington, attend Cincinnati’s Mount St. Mary’s of the West Seminary. The Seminary happens to be located at, and incorporated into, the Athenaeum of Ohio, which is a center for training what the Archdiocese calls "lay pastoral ministers." In other words, the laity, against the proper norms of the Church, study alongside priests in the same classrooms, at the same library and so forth. The Vatican has now authoritatively stated that this is an abuse of Church law and harmful to the health of the priesthood.

Many courses offered to both seminarians and the laity at the Athenaeum cannot be said to be courses which conform absolutely to the teaching of the ecclesiastical magisterium. See St. Catherine Review’s May/June 1997 issue for a review of some highly questionable offerings through the Athenaeum of Ohio.

The easiest, and most logical, solution here is to close the Mt. St. Mary’s of the West Seminary, which sees only a handful of priests ordained each year, and to send the seminarians to study at Seminaries which are dedicated to the formation, education and proper training of Roman Catholic priests. Seminaries enjoying a reputation of offering courses which are faithful to the teachings of the magisterium include St. Charles Borremeo Seminary in Philadelphia, Mt. St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland, St. Joseph Seminary in Yonkers, New York, and Holy Apostles Seminary in Cromwell, Connecticut.

No excuses, no disclaimers
The document ends, stating in no uncertain terms, that there are no exceptions to the norms as outlined in the instruction: "All particular laws, customs and faculties conceded by the Holy See ad experimentum or other ecclesiastical authorities which are contrary to the foregoing norms are hereby revoked." Clearly, no excuses may be proffered to justify allowing any of these abuses to continue. —Michael S. Rose

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