That will likely have a dramatic impact on how Catholicism may influence and interact with American social and political values.

The situation arises from the precipitous drop in vocations.

We still have bishops, priests, and deacons, of course, but there's no way to imagine a Church in which there's a priest for every parish—except by importing clergy from other countries.

Meanwhile, a recent study from the Catholic University of America shows a notable drop in the levels of trust and confidence that priests have in their bishops.

This "organisational" schism would be cause for concern in any organization, but especially in a religious one.

Almost two years ago, Pope Francis opened the instituted ministries of lector and acolyte to women, but that has failed to capture the attention of most women who already serve in the Church or would like to.

Among bishops, it has sparked even less enthusiasm.

The same could be said for the creation of the instituted ministry of catechist by Francis in May 2021.

In an evangelizing Church that wants to be all-ministerial, the very idea of ministry is still identified with ordination.

The predicament is even more pronounced for the ministry of bishops.

The post-conciliar crisis of the priesthood and religious orders is not surprising, given the perfunctory treatment Vatican II and its final documents gave to those ministries and their role in the Church.

But the bishop situation is surprising.

Vatican II was not just a council made by the bishops but also in some sense for the bishops: it offered them episcopal collegiality, a new language for local pastoral ministry, more control over diocesan clergy and, especially, over religious orders in their dioceses.

The very celebration of Vatican II was evidence that from thereon, the episcopacy would not only exist but matter.

The new USCCB leadership will be at the helm through the 2024 U.S. presidential election, when we may learn how much American Catholic support there is for American democracy.

Signs of an episcopal crisis are obvious:

• the high number of priests who are chosen to become bishops but who decline the appointment;
• the number of bishops resigning because of burnout;
• the cases of bishops quietly removed (and without any transparency, especially for the victims) by the Vatican over accusations or for being found guilty of abuse or cover-up.

This also all has significant impact on ecclesiology and Church governance—especially in the United States, as I've noted before, where the bishop's position has become more managerial and bureaucratic.

Functioning increasingly like the administrator of a mid- or large-sized firm, or even as a CEO overseeing legal, financial, and PR operations, the modern bishop is more and more at odds with the Patristic and Tridentine model that Vatican II had in mind when writing and approving the decree Christus dominus, as well as the constitution Lumen gentium.

Inspiring figures like St Charles Borromeo, bishop of Milan in the early stages of the application of the Council of Trent, commanded a degree of respect in the Church and in the public square that the Catholic episcopate cannot even imagine today.

In some cases, the job of bishop is interpreted to be more like an influencer selling products than a servant of Church unity as Vatican II imagined.

It further translates into a crisis of mission, something that's become clearer in the course of Francis's pontificate. Continue reading

Pope Francis made the comments while participants in a meeting promoted by the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelisation on Friday.

He was following up on the comments he made at St Martin's Cathedral, Bratislava during his pastoral visit to Slovakia.

Urging catechists to face their task with the passion, drive and creativity of the Holy Spirit, he reminded them of Saints Cyril, Methodius and Boniface who beat new paths, invented new languages, new "alphabets", to transmit the Gospel, for the inculturation of the faith.

Francis said this "requires knowing how ... to listen to the peoples to whom one is proclaiming: listening to their culture, their history; ... to truly listen, and to compare those cultures, those languages, even and above all the unspoken, the unexpressed, with the Word of God, with Jesus Christ, the living Gospel."

The great European Christian tradition must not become a historical relic, Francis emphasised, recalling comments he made in Slovakia earlier in the week.

Urging catechists to be passionate and creative; with the impetus of the Holy Spirit, Francis said tradition is either alive or it is not and if it is not alive it is a relic.

In his view, evangelisation is the most urgent task of the Church among the peoples of Europe.

Francis said the catechist needs to free themselves allow themselves to embrace the reality they find, and then transmit the Gospel with great creativity.

If they don't do this, they are not catechists, he said.

"We must insist on indicating the heart of catechesis: the risen Jesus Christ loves you and never abandons you! We can never tire or feel we are being repetitive about this first proclamation in the various stages of the catechetical process," he said.

Francis says, in May, he instituted the new ministry of catechist hoping it would help "awaken this vocation" in people called to serve the Catholic Church as teachers of the faith.

At present the rite for the ‘creation' of catechists is being prepared by the Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, he said.

Francis said Catechesis should not be understood as "an abstract communication of theoretical knowledge to be memorized as like mathematical or chemical formulas.

"It is rather the mystagogical experience of those who learn to encounter their brothers and sisters where they live and work, because they themselves have met Christ, who has called them to become missionary disciples".

Sources

• Holy See Press Office
• Catholic News Agency
• Image: Catholic Philly

She made the comment on Flashes of Insight, a conversation between herself, and fellow theologians, Fiona Dyball, Elizabeth Young and Jo Ayers.

The women discussed the newly approved ministries for women of Lector, Acolyte and Catechist.

"I think it is helpful that Canon Law has been changed and women are formally allowed into ministry.

"It's got to be helpful that women because of the ‘womenness' are no longer excluded from ministry.

However, her view is not all ‘clear water', Bell telling the conversation she has a slight concern that formal recognition of these ministries might alienate the baptised who have been performing them for a long time.

"The people of God, the baptised, might become further disenfranchised from ministry by yet another layer and another process."

While keen to see the introduction of formal ministries Bell does not want ministry to happen only when it is recognised.

"It's the job of all of us to be involved," she said.

Host, Joe Grayland politely suggested Bell was ‘sitting on the fence'.

Pushing her, he made the choice concrete, asking would she support the introduction of these ministries at the Palmerston North Cathedral. (Where Bell works).

Bell ‘weighed up the balance' telling Flashes of Insight that while in the past the parish there was less formality involved with those ministering as Catechist she will support the introduction of the ministry.

"The ministry of Catechist would be perfect for those ministering in the area of marriage preparation", she said.

It is a point echoed by Fiona Dyball, adding that Pope Francis' statement makes the changes very clear.

"It is obviously something very dear to his heart", she said.

Dyball said that women have been performing these ministries for a long time, but in some places, it was said that women do not fit these roles and so were prevented from doing them.

She describes the changes as "a welcome clarity; because these things matter".

The Church has known for a long time that women have these gifts Dyball says.

She sees this as an important step for the church to legitimately use the gifts to help it accomplish its mission, in its service of the community.

Jo Ayers an Auckland theologian and lecturer however took a different perspective.

Responding to Dyball, Ayers said, "I was going to say one thing but Fiona's nearly persuaded that the institute of Acolyte and Reader is a good thing."

The persuasion was a near thing as Ayers went on to describe the institution of these ministries for women as, "crumbs from the table" and "another layer of clericalism.

Ayers says she is looking for real power-sharing.

However, Elizabeth Young RSM, a theologian and pastoral worker in Forbes echoes Dyball, but with a difference, saying it is important for people taking part and for those receiving the benefits of the service to know the minister is authorized.

"Signs make a real difference", she said and so she welcomes that these ministries are now officially open to women.

• Kate Bell, Elizabeth Young RSM, Fiona Dyball, Jo Ayers

You might have questions about what this ministry is and who it is for.

What is the instituted ministry of catechist?

An instituted ministry is a type of formal, vocational service within the Catholic Church. It can be either lay, such as lector or acolyte, or ordained, such as deacon or priest.

The newly instituted ministry of catechist is for laypeople who have a particular call to serve the Catholic Church as a teacher of the faith.

The ministry is "stable," meaning it lasts for the entirety of life, independent of whether the person is actively carrying out that activity during every part of his or her life.

But catechists already exist. How is this different?

Many catechists today serve the Church at the parish level, but the instituted ministry of catechist will be tied to the diocese and be at the disposal of the diocesan bishop.

Archbishop Rino Fisichella explained at a Vatican press conference May 11 that "the institution of a ministry by the Church is confirmation that the person invested with that charism is performing an authentic ecclesial service to the community."

Fisichella is president of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization, which oversees the Church's instituted ministries.

The institution of this ministry, together with the lay ministries of lector and acolyte, "will make it possible to have a laity that is better prepared in the transmission of the faith," the archbishop said.

He also emphasized that the instituted catechist is dedicated to the transmission of the faith through proclamation and instruction — he or she does not have any kind of liturgical responsibility.

The catechist collaborates with the local bishop and priests in the teaching of the faith to the local community. And it can be a benefit in places where priests are scarce.

Pope Francis "is well aware of how many areas of Latin America and Africa today still have catechists at the head of the community," Fisichella said. He stressed the unique nature of each ministry, noting that they are not interchangeable.

"At stake here is much of what is new in this ministry," he said. "Men and women are called to express their baptismal vocation in the best possible way, not as substitutes for priests or consecrated persons, but as authentic laymen and laywomen who, in the distinctive nature of their ministry, are able to experience the full of extent of their baptismal vocation of witness and effective service in the community and the world."

Who is qualified to be instituted into the ministry of catechist?

Pope Francis' letter said that a layperson called to be instituted in the ministry of catechist should have "deep faith and human maturity," be an active participant in the life of the Christian community, and "capable of welcoming others, being generous and living a life of fraternal communion." Continue reading

Millions of laypeople around the world are already recognized as catechists in their parish or diocese.

Francis's apostolic letter "Antiquum Ministerium" (Ancient Ministry) instituting the ministry will be released from Rome on Tuesday.

The pope has spoken of the importance of selecting, training and supporting catechists. They are called to lead people to a deeper relationship with Jesus, prepare them to receive the sacraments and educate them in the teachings of the churc.

In many parts of the world, especially in communities without a resident priest, catechists lead the local Catholic community. They evangelise, convoke and guide their fellow Catholics in prayer and charitable works.

In missionary territories under the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples' guidance, catechists already serve with a specific mandate from their bishop.

The Congregation's 1997 Guide for Catechists notes:

"the Code of Canon Law has a canon on catechists involved in strictly missionary activity and describes them as ‘lay members of Christ's faithful who have received proper formation and are outstanding in their living of the Christian life.

"Under the direction of missionaries, they are to present the Gospel teaching and engage in liturgical worship and in works of charity.'"

In some communities, bishops may entrust catechists with:

• preaching to non-Christians; catechizing catechumens and those already baptized;
• leading community prayer, especially at the Sunday liturgy in the absence of a priest;
• helping the sick and presiding at funerals;
• training other catechists in special centers or guiding volunteer catechists in their work;
• taking charge of pastoral initiatives and organizing parish functions; helping the poor and working for human development and justice."

According to the Vatican's Statistical Yearbook of the Church, as of Dec. 31, 2019 there were over 3 million catechists serving the church.

Successive Synods of Bishops over the past 30 years have highlighted lay catechists' important role in building and sustaining local Christian communities.

They have also called for more resources to be devoted to catechists' training and support and for greater recognition and respect for their contributions.

The pope's decision to formally institute the ministry of catechist follows his decision in January to open the ministries of lector and acolyte to women.

While in most dioceses women already served as readers and altar servers at Mass, they were not formally instituted in those services on a stable basis.

In his January decision, the pope cited the request made by members of the 2019 Synod of Bishops for the Amazon, asking that the church "promote and confer ministries for men and women in an equitable manner.

"The fabric of the local church, in the Amazon as elsewhere, is guaranteed by small missionary church communities that cultivate faith, listen to the Word and celebrate together close to the people's life.

"It is the church of baptized men and women that we must consolidate by promoting ministries and, above all, an awareness of baptismal dignity," he stressed.

Source

• CruxNow
• Image: NZ Catholic

Want, the first Fijian with Indian ethnicity to become a Catholic catechist, said at the moment there was no staff member with such a background at the centre.

He feels if he joins the training centre then more Fijians with Indian ethnicity would be interested to join.

Want attended the Catechist Training Centre at Navesi in Kinoya, but is originally from Naleba, Vanua Levu.

The retired school teacher said he was privileged to be a catechist and the support from the community had been extraordinary.

Source

• The Sun
• Image: The Sun

He had accused Catechist Ioane Sao'aiga of selling properties belonging to the Afega Catholic Church, the Police said. Earlier this year, the accused returned the properties namely an amplifier and a speaker to the Police's Afega Branch, saying he had not stolen them. "It is believed the properties had been misplaced," said Le'aupepe.

During a meeting between the complainant and the accused, the Catechist knelt before Fata Pemila seeking his forgiveness, the Police said.

Source:

Samoa Observer