| "Greet all those workers in the Lord ..." |
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| "Greet all those workers in the Lord..." - Rom. 16:3, 12 |
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Image Copyright (c), Michael O'Neil McGrath, OSFS and Bee Still Studios, Inc.
All rights reserved. Used with permission.
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The National Association for Lay Ministry, in conjunction with and through the generous support of the Unites States Conference of Catholic Bishops Secretariat for Family, Laity, Women and Youth, welcomes you to this website dedicated to providing an online portal for lay ministry in the Roman Catholic Church in the United States.
In the fall of 2005, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, after several years of consultations with theologians, priests, lay ministers, and lay ministry organizations throughout the United States, formally approved a statement entitled Co-Workers in the Vineyard of the Lord: A Resource for Guiding the Development of Lay Ecclesial Ministry. This document lays out a theological foundation for understanding what is being recognized as new developments in Catholic lay ministry. These exciting developments have demonstrated a need for a new way of speaking about and understanding the ministry of dedicated lay women and men who serve the People of God in diverse ways.
“Lay ecclesial ministry” is an way of speaking about ministry by lay people in the church that has resulted from appropriate discernment of God’s call, been shaped by strong human skills formation and theological education, and has been confirmed through authorization by recognized church leaders. It is recognized by the U.S. Bishops as “the working of the Holy Spirit” in the Catholic community (Co-Workers, p. 14).
Recognizing that “[t]he Church’s experience of lay participation in Christ’s ministry is still maturing” (Co-Workers, p. 15), this website is designed to provide a rich diversity of helpful information and inspiration for lay ministers, those discerning a call to ministry, as well as for dioceses, religious communities, and other organizations who seek to develop, promote, and sustain effective lay ecclesial ministry in the Church.
Thus, this website, begun in the faith and promise of God’s good work, remains a work in progress that we hope will change and grow with the needs of the church and of lay ecclesial ministers. We hope that many will find not only useful information here, but also ways of growing through networking through the web of relationships that technology affords us. Therefore, we welcome and encourage your feedback and suggestions about this site.
Like the beautiful contemporary image of Paul, Prisca, and Aquila above, beautifully rendered by artist Michael McGrath, OSFS, we recognize and claim the giftedness of many workers in the vineyard of Jesus Christ and value the charism of collaboration between all who minister in God’s Name. We embrace the guidance of the Holy Spirit who journeys with all of us in the great ship that is the church — ancient and new — as we travel to the “new shores” to which the great needs of our church and world invite us to prayerfully and actively respond with the Good News of the Gospel.
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| Co-Workers: The Document & Study Guide |
This document was developed by the Committee on the Laity of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). It was approved by the full body of bishops at its November 2005 general meeting. It is available in English and Spanish.
Click here or on the picture to the right to view or download a PDF version of the document. (You will need the Adobe Reader program to view the file. If you do not have the program, click here to download it.)
Click here to view or download a PDF version of the document in Spanish. (AND, put this in Spanish w/ link as well)
Click here to order softcover copies of the English document (or other lay ministry resources) from the National Association for Lay Ministry (NALM). (The link will open as an MS Word document.)
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| U.S. Statement Guiding the Development of Lay Ecclesial Ministry |
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Co-Workers also has a companion tool, a study guide designed for individuals, small groups, or parish organizations for deeper understanding of the USCCB document. The study guide is available exclusively from NALM and can be purchased here.
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co-workers in the vineyard have visited this site since November 20, 2007.
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Co-Workers.org is a service of
The National Association for Lay Ministry
6896 Laurel St., NW, Washington, DC, 20012
Phone: (202) 291-4100 Fax: (202) 291-8550
Generous financial support provided by
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
3211 4th St., NE, Washington, DC 20017
Content & Web Editor
Marc DelMonico, M.Div., M.A.
To report website errors or problems, please click here.
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