Laity

“As we reflect on the successful national laity conference, we anticipate continued growth and the role of the laity within the Church in India,” said Fr. Anthony Fernandes.

“Once the Catholic Church functioned as a bishop-priest centered church and did only what the bishop or the priest would say. Today, we no longer need such sacristy Catholics,” Cardinal Ranjith.

Bishop Stephen Chow Sau Yan, SJ, of Hong Kong Diocese, stressed the formation of laity, young people and clergy for a synodal Church in the coming years, in his advent message for 2022.

Pope Francis appointed the first lay secretary, Gleison De Paula Souza, for the Dicastery for Laity, Family, and Life on November 17. 38-year-old Souza is a high school teacher of religion and a father of two daughters.

A top Catholic official opened this year’s National Laity Week by encouraging the lay faithful to be ‘a force for the good’ in the country.

Church hierarchy including clergy needs to listen to laypeople more and give them greater opportunity to participate in the work of evangelization.

Couples for Christ (CFC) International Council member Michael Ariola presented "Mission and the Laity" at the second National Mission Congress in Cebu, Philippines, April 17 – 24, 2022.

Promoted by the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, the #IamChurch initiative consists in 5 videos demonstrating the daily struggles of persons with disabilities who, far from feeling burdensome or "set aside", provide their own specific contribution within their ecclesial communities. "I feel like part of the Church" is the title of the second video.