Strengthening the Spirituality of Lay Ministers

Abstract

As I have participated in ministry at my home parish and in the broader context of the Catholic Church in the United States, I have experienced ups and downs, contributed to successes and failures, and felt closer to and farther away from God. My spiritual life has involved many struggles to discern God’s call and my response to that call. The three things that have consistently helped me to maintain my relationship with God are personal prayer, belonging to a small Christian community, and regular participation in my parish’s liturgical life. The work of ministry is demanding. It requires substantial reserves of physical, emotional, and spiritual energy. As with any of the helping professions, ministers must constantly strive to maintain the balance between their jobs, their “clients,” and their own individual lives. Jesus knew the importance of taking time to restore his spiritual strength, and he invited his appointed ministers to do the same. This article will look at some examples of how the Roman Catholic Church is working to support the spiritual needs of its lay ministers and will offer suggestions for future directions to further strengthen this element of ecclesial lay ministry. The foundation for any Christian’s relationship with God is a strong prayer life nourished by diligent reading of sacred Scripture. While all practicing Christians should take time each day to talk and listen to God, it is especially important for ecclesial lay ministers who are called to play a more active role in building up the Reign of God. Pastors and others responsible for ministry teams can easily make it a routine practice to set aside the first fifteen minutes of each workday for prayer and Scripture. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has created a space on its website (WWW.NCCBUSCC.ORG) with daily scripture readings and psalms from the Lectionary. The text is taken from The New American Bible and the site also provides a link to the electronic text of the entire Bible. The prayer lives of ordained clergy and vowed religious have benefited significantly from spiritual directors who help directees deepen