Daniel Blackman, a layman and theology graduate, has started a blog called Apostolate of the Laity. The blog takes its impetus from the Vatican II Decree on the Lay Apostolate Apostolicam Actuositatem.
I believe that this important teaching has been neglected in favour of a strong, and in some cases exclusive focus on "lay ministry" in the Church associated with the Liturgy. The Lay Apostolate has a relation with the hierarchy, of course, but it is a specifically lay enterprise in which clerics might offer spiritual support but do not appropriately engage in as lay people do. It would be wrong, for example, for a priest to become active in a political party or a trade union; but it is vital that good Catholic laity do become involved in these areas of life. On this subject, it is always worth re-visiting Christifideles Laici.
Congratulations to Daniel on this new blog and I wish it every success.
1 comment:
The Legion of Mary is the greatest gift of the Lay Apostolate given the Church this past century; Frank Duff's genius,(spiritual) saw the essential role of the laity to convert the world, and Our Lady's essential role as the Mediatrix of the needed graces, for this action; all intertwined in the sublime spirituality of St Louis Marie de Montfort, apostle of these latter days. Sadly even the Legion has been sidetracked into 'playing at priests', abandoning the crucial lay apostolate; and anyway,was rarely given the priestly support needed to perform its role to multiply the Priests' presence in society.
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