Co-Workers in the Vineyard of the Lord: A Resource for Guiding the Development of Lay
Ecclesial Ministry. A Statement of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Washington, D.C.:USCCB Publishing, 2005.
This pastoral and theological reflection by the U.S. bishops provides a "common frame of reference" for the continued development of lay ecclesial ministry "in ways that are faithful to the Church's theological and doctrinal tradition" and which responds to today's pastoral needs.
Called and Gifted for the Third Millennium : Reflections of the U.S. Bishops on the 30th
Anniversary of Called and Gifted. USCCB Publishing. Washington, D.C. 2003.
The U.S. Bishops' address to the entire Church on the vocation and mission of lay persons. Their reflection revolves around four "calls"-The call to holiness; the call to community; the call to mission and ministry; and the call to Christian maturity.
Fox, Zeni. New Ecclesial Ministry: Lay Professionals Serving the Church. Revised Expanded
Edition. Wisconsin: Sheed & Ward, 2002.
A comprehensive and far-ranging description of who lay ministers are and what they do in and for the Church. Includes a survey of major documents related to ministry, and lay ministry in particular.
Hannenberg, Edward P. Ministries: A Relational Approach. New York: Crossroad Publishing,
2003.
Hannenberg describes the Church's "expanding ministries" and the "relationship of service" which is at the heart of a relational approach to ministry among the baptized, both ordained and lay.
Pastoral Letter of Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio
The New Evangelization in Brooklyn and Queens. A Pastoral Letter by Most Reverend Nicholas
DiMarzio, Bishop of Brooklyn, October 3, 2004. Available from the Pastoral Institute.
The focus of Bishop DiMarzio's first pastoral letter as bishop of Brooklyn is the "revitalized proclamation of the Gospel as a lived experience in the concrete events of daily life for those already baptized and active in the Church."
Includes a study guide of general discussion questions regarding the new evangelization.
Pastoral Statement of the National Conference of Catholic BishopsWelcoming the Stranger Among Us: Unity in Diversity. National Conference of Catholic Bishops/United States Catholic Conference, November 15, 2000.
The U.S. bishops' response to the new immigrants in our midst is guided by the vision of "unity in diversity" reflected by all those who gathered in St. Peter's Square for the Eucharistic celebration by John Paul II for the Jubilee Day for Migrants and Refugees in June 2000. Each of us is called to foster an attitude of communion with our brothers and sisters through acts of hospitality which promote an understanding of "the other" as neighbor and friend.
Mahony, Cardinal Roger. "Parish Ministry Today: We're All in it Together." Adapted from
Cardinal Roger Mahony's pastoral letter on ministry. St. Anthony Messenger Press, Catholic
Update CO401.
A concise treatment of ministry in and for the Church as a sharing in the one ministry of Jesus Christ brought into being by the gifts of the Spirit given in Baptism. In ever greater numbers, trained and formed lay persons are responding to the pastoral needs of the church in roles once filled by the ordained or vowed Religious. Cardinal Mahony spells out the implications of the "new horizons" towards which the Holy Spirit is leading the Church in ministerial practice today.
Schreiter, Robert, C.P.P.S. "Ministry for a Multicultural Church." Origins, May 20, 1999.
This is the text of an address given by Father Schreiter to a gathering of priests on a topic
of importance for all who minister in the church. He names the goals of effective cultural interaction as recognition of the other, respect for cultural difference, and healthy interaction between cultures. Schreiter reminds us that the many cultures in the one church are a blessing and "an invitation to expand our horizons and nurture new relationships."
