Who are we?
We are a network of professional Catholic ministers empowered by baptism, theologically trained, and called to serve the mission of Christ in and on behalf of the Church. The vision of the Church being renewed toward the vision of synodality has brought us together.
While diverse, we hold essential things in common:
- We are Theologically educated,
- We are formed for ministry,
- We possess pastoral competence
- Our competence is reflected in skills for theological reflection informed by our diverse pastoral challenges and cultural contexts
- We are lay, non-ordained ministers
Vision & Aims
One in the vision of a synodal church, we want to grow as a worldwide network of professional ministers. Committed to inspire and assist one another in orchestrating new networks of ministers in their own contexts, we hope to participate in building deeper communion, authentic participation, and border-crossing mission.
Visions & AimsNews
1st World Meeting of Lay Ministers
On the occasion of the World Synod of Bishops in October 2023, theologically educated pastoral lay ministers from all continents met in Rome. These professional lay ministers got to know about each other, meet and listen to each other. The world meeting aimed at an empowerment of lay ministers in various countries all over the world, i. e. of non-ordained but theologically educated professional pastoral ministers.
Statements
„The meeting helped me to understand the varied contexts in which lay pastoral workers are engaged around the world. I felt a deep resonance with their joys and struggles. The processes we engaged in helped us to articulate our hopes and aspirations, as we reflected on what truly constitutes a synodal church. We also connected with each on a personal level and realised how wonderful it is to be part of a movement for collective good.“
„The meeting was a valuable experience for me. One of the things that surprised me, is that our situation as lay pastoral workers in the Austrian dioceses is fortunately much better than in other dioceses around the world. What was valuable about this meeting was the mutual appreciation and recognition of the diversity and colourfulness of our profession!“
„The gathering was a moment of reflection for me both inwardly and outwardly with respect to inclusiveness. In order to cultivate an atmosphere of optimism, our church must strive to be hospitable and embrace individuals from various backgrounds. This entails actively embracing diversity across various dimensions, such as color, ethnicity, culture, age, gender, socioeconomic background, and others. By cultivating an atmosphere characterized by tolerance and respect, we may establish a secure and inclusive environment where persons from many backgrounds feel esteemed and honored.
„The meeting was a total “game changer” for me. For the first time I had an opportunity to receive, first hand, the experience of other professional lay ministers from around the world. We are so different and yet we hold so much in common—especially a love for the people of God. Thanks to this meeting and, especially the individual relationships we got to develop, I learned how a synodal process actually looks and what it feels like.“
„A dream has come true. For several years I have been wishing that it would be possible to network professional theologians in pastoral ministry internationally. The exchange with colleagues from so many countries in Rome was a great experience. Despite all the differences in cultures and church realities, we have a lot in common. And we are a reality that is still far too little recognized in the church. It is important to me that we now take further steps towards networking internationally and together. The church in Germany may have the most financial and structural resources, but many other resources are needed to create a genuine global network.“
Documents
We want to formulate clear positions and proposals for action for a people-centred
church. The documents that have been published so far can be found here:
Latest Document
Summary of the 2nd Meeting of Lay Ministers
(28th–30th October 2024 online)
