Synodality and the Spirit of Peaceful Discontent

Something is Crooked…So Acknowledge the Discontent!

Did you ever sit, stare at something, scratch your head, and wonder, “What the heck does that even mean”? You attempt to make sense of it or place a definition or parameter around it and you are simply left stumped! Recently, I sat at my office desk and glanced over at what I affectionately refer to as “the wall of learning.”  What displays there are my professional certificates and academic diplomas, one of which names me as a “Lay Ecclesial Minister.” Low and behold, as my eye was drawn to “the wall of learning”, I noticed that this one certificate was actually crooked in a most distinct manner. Why was it “off”?  What caused this? When did it lose its alignment? All the others were perfectly straight, yet this one was standing out, giving me great pause, and then beckoned me to listen a bit more closely to what the Spirit was beginning to reveal…

 I diligently worked four years to achieve that “title.” I studied to earn a graduate degree in Theology. I learned about Hebrew Scriptures, Ecclesiology, Christian Spirituality, Christian Ethics, World Religions, Christian Scriptures, Catholic-Jewish Relations, Christology, Sacraments & Liturgy, the History of Christianity, Philosophical Foundations of Theology, and the Theory of Catechesis & Religious Education, I read, I researched, I questioned, I wrote, I questioned some more, I sought further conversation, and I began dipping my proverbial toe in the waters as a new “theologian”.  I gratefully and humbly received financial support for this endeavor from my diocese and my parish. I attended a multitude of pastoral, human, and spiritually formative workshops with varying, engaging presenters. I underwent psychological testing and reflected upon who I was as an individual in the roles of Catholic woman, professional, wife, mother, and daughter. I was encouraged by my pastor, my co-workers, my family, and my friends. I met and dialogued with spiritual and formational directors. I developed and wrote a formal document detailing what specifically impacted me over the course of the journey that was then discussed in an interview with my pastor and my diocesan formation director prior to my commissioning. I was featured with my colleagues in a local diocesan newspaper. I was “commissioned” by the bishop at a Mass celebrated at the diocesan cathedral. I fellowshipped with other colleagues and classmates, laity and clergy, family, and friends at a lovely reception. And ceremoniously, I received the official wall-hanging certificate.

I have shared this plethora of details above not to boast or brandish about myself, but rather to humbly display the groundwork of effort required on the journey of becoming a “Lay Ecclesial Minister”.  This movement of effort was/is much like that of clergy formation…rigorous, exuberant, and fulfilling. It is a process to note and further consider. The crooked wall hanging in my office caught my attention and, quite honestly, caught me off guard. There is something skewed in my own vision of Lay Ecclesial Ministry.  This is the working of the Spirit and how the use of that frame on the wall is prompting me, calling me, challenging me to reflect upon what else is “off” and to name it.

Proclaiming the Truth!

According to Pope Francis in his Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium, “At Pentecost, the Spirit made the apostles go forth from themselves and turned them into heralds of God’s wondrous deeds…The Holy Spirit also grants the courage to proclaim the newness…with boldness in every time and place, even when it meets with opposition.”  Ok, get ready! I am going to make a bold proclamation here that I can safely guarantee will be met with opposition from some. Here it comes:

Officially designated Lay Ecclesial Ministers (LEM’s) and most other parish and diocesan lay leaders are not valued by American clergy. Because of this devaluation and despite their education, experience, and vocation to serve, they are not allowed to be truly co-responsible. They are simply just “Father’s helpers!” The result: Jesus’ mission and the Gospel message are severely limited in its reach and effectiveness.

PHEW! Ok, I got that out. Now, before I am dismissed and labeled as the “disgruntled woman”, allow me to explain a bit further. Stay with me because my walk as a LEM, thus far, has proven quite interesting. There have been times when I sat in meetings that included laity and clergy and my input was by-passed by others to seek out the response of the clergy.  There have been times when I am engrossed in a phone call, or a Zoom meeting and parishioners, volunteers, or even other staff members (all of whom are adults) walk directly into my office. I am in mid-communication within the context of a meeting, and they begin addressing the issue they feel compelled to share with me at that exact moment. In other scenarios, when I have been in full swing coordinating/facilitating a celebration of a sacrament in the context of a Mass that is taking place, parishioners will walk up and begin addressing me with their “concern” as if I am not even tending to another family or situation. To go even one further, there have been times when a parent (who is also a volunteer) contacts me (via phone call and text) on my personal cell phone when I am not even in the church building (rather I am with my daughter on a college tour) to ask me if the doors are open or if the scheduled formation program is occurring.  Ironically, they did not even bother to attempt to try walking into the building through doors that were most definitely open. 

     The lack of courtesy or etiquette and respect toward me is something they would never consider doing to Father. There are times when I am directly questioned about why I am continuing to further my education in doctoral studies because “after all, women cannot really advance in the Catholic Church”.  Then there are other times when someone will avoid me as a Eucharistic minister in the Communion line at Mass simply so that they can receive from Father.  Hmmm…what is askew here? How are the people of God perceiving lay leadership? What is “off”?  Images of that “non-aligned” certificate on my wall of learning return to mind, bright and brilliant.

The recently completed Synod on Synodality highlights the co-responsibility of all the baptized for the vitality of the Church, for her work in the world as the very presence of Christ. For this to become what the Spirit is imagining, the current leadership structures will need to include the full recognition of lay ecclesial ministers as called, formed and commissioned for animating the baptized into mission. LEM’s are not “Father’s helpers.” Rather, they are co-responsible leaders, serving the coming of the Kingdom through their designated responsibilities in the areas of teaching, sanctifying, and governing of the people of God...all focused on equipping the baptized to be Christ in the world.  Respecting the notions of orders, of charisms, of needs, and of human limitations is vital between clergy and laity so they may journey together to serve effectively in ministry. From my perspective and observation, THIS is the heart of the problem:  We are often still seen as “Father’s helpers” because our LEM commissioning does not come with the requisite respect from clergy or fellow laity. We remain second-class or third-class servants, instead of fully commissioned, co-responsible ministers.

True synodality yearns for MORE of this co-responsibility and it needs to be studied further. Conversations in the Spirit between clergy and LEM’s would be a fruitful beginning. Why? By numbers alone, clergy will not be able to animate the gifts of the laity in service to the coming Kingdom by themselves. The true recognition of the ministry of a Lay Ecclesial Minister as someone who is co-responsible with the clergy for the care of the flock is a first step in extending the pastoral care necessary to effectively form missionary disciples. To unleash this gift of grace that will allow for an even greater missional Church will mean that this role will need to be re-defined according to its authority, autonomy, and responsibility and then will require an institutionalized recognition by the universal Church. Here is one such area of LEM responsibility that requires an official designation: the ministry of accompaniment.

 How will this come to pass?  Official designation of any aspect of LEM will require several steps: 1) a revisiting of the theology of baptism to embrace the truths regarding the Holy Spirit embedded therein but overshadowed by the emphasis on baptism as saving us from original sin; 2) a further confronting of sexism and misogyny that are part of the current clerical culture; and, 3) an embracing of the need for more healers, more spiritual guides and accompanists, and more recognition of the authority of LEM’s to actually carry out this work. Allow me to share just a few of my emerging thoughts in these areas.  The theology of baptism will need distinct re-visiting and proclamation. As opposed to solely the forgiveness for original sin and membership in the Body of Christ, the Holy Spirit’s work celebrated in baptism needs amplification.  This will lead to a further deep dive into how synodality and pneumatology impacts the LEM role. Additionally, lay theologians are particularly equipped for this scholarship since they bring both education and personal experience to the table and may exponentially assist leaders in ministry.

There is a “newness” to be dreamt of and to strive toward. This is the work of the Holy Spirit, and it will mean confronting clerical misogyny and sexism.  It calls for removing the sign from the door of the “Good Ol’ Boys” club and ceasing its power. The sign would be replaced by one that says, “Wounded Welcome” and inside the Church seekers would find those who heal, the field hospital, and those who genuinely teach rather than admonish or demoralize. This comes to a beautiful fruition when clergy and LEMs serve together, called and gifted by the Spirit to heal the wounds of the People of God

Inside this field hospital the seeker would find a Church whose governance and accountability structures promote rather than inhibit the flow of grace possible when the Spirit’s power is not viewed as exclusive to the clergy. In other words, everyone inside the Church truly serves the People of God in mission as the hands and feet of the Gospel in the world today. Structures and systems are designed to respect both ordered roles and those flowing from other officially designated roles, and the entire purpose is to mediate God’s grace.

Well, that was certainly a mind-full, huh? Visit me on any given day at home or at work and I will attest quite confidently that my brain is heavily trafficked with questions, ideas, circumstances, excitement, joy, sadness, wonder, and everything else in between ALL THE TIME! So, I have acknowledged, and I have proclaimed. There is a sense of peaceful discontent within me that is cultivated by the Spirit as I proclaim what is “off”.

When I proclaim it, I own it; when I own it, I am compelled to do something about it: delve further, read further, dialogue further, discern further. This peace surrounding the ownership provides me with a sense of strength, capability, and courage to face the inevitable opposition regardless of where it will take me as I follow the Spirit’s lead.

Courage to Face the Opposition!

I sit here muddling through the skewed LEM certificate hanging on my wall having acknowledged the need for change based upon my own experience, and I wonder, “Where will this go?”  Well, NEWSFLASH: This is only the beginning! Here is what this Spirit-inspired peace is showing me: It is ok to be transitional, in flux while reflecting and pondering. It is ok, even expected, to not have all the answers immediately. The Spirit’s peace gives me and our entire Church the courage to inquire, to plan, to develop, to grow. In other words, to be “peacefully discontent.” The pieces of the puzzle come together one at a time at exactly the right time.

There is a hope and a dream for our Church nestled in the spirit of true synodality. Synodality provides nourishment, inclusivity, compassion, and vibrance all in existence together within the tapestry of who we are as Christians in mission. According to the Final Document of the Continental Stage in North America (57) that developed from the most recent Synod on Synodality,

The gift of being together in one place and listening to each other is the best lesson learned…(because) ‘People enjoyed sharing, rather than just being talked to—there is no going back.’ The benefits of being intentionally synodal was a common theme. As was mentioned by a bishops’ group, ‘The synodal process has not been perfect, but it has been good.’

There is HOPE! It is not only my dream, but it is the dream that we are all together on the way to bringing to reality the synodal Church in mission! There is not one single pathway to achieve this. There are indeed many paths to thriving and achieving a vital community of faith, hope, and love as God created us to be. Why? Because according to The Synod of Synodality’s Instrumentum Laboris: Part 2 Pathways (54), “A synodal Church in mission is grounded in the ability to listen, which requires recognizing that no one is self-sufficient in the Church’s mission and that everyone has a contribution to offer and something to learn from others.”  We do it together, arms linked, ears listening, dialogue happening, the Spirit stirring and moving. Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini once said, “We don’t get to choose how we come into the world, but God gave us the freedom to choose how we live in it…focus on the mission and the means will come.” I know what moving into the vision of the Church in mission will demand. Facing clergy who are opposed to shared power and authority, those believing in themselves as solely equipped to teach, sanctify, and govern. Facing clergy opposed to designating others officially...creating another ministry or order with which they will have to collaborate. This is what moving into synodality will demand.

Also, there is another opposition that need to be faced…all the rest of the baptized who choose to believe that the priest is somehow bestowed with a supernatural kind of knowledge, skill, and practice that makes him uniquely suited to the work such that no one else could ever possibly do or strive toward. Ahh, those darn Lay Ecclesial Ministers who are foiling their plan and getting in the way! “Who do they think they are anyway?” This oppositional force is quite real and active in the Church in much of North America. I have experienced it and so have other LEMs. We are called, gifted, formed, and even sort of designated, yet still without the kind of shared leadership a co-responsible Church needs. I wish I had a nickel for every time I shared a piece of my story, and the response was, “I’ve never heard of such a thing!” followed by, “Are you sure this is what happened?” This great silence, enormous woundedness and the loss of all these gifts is a travesty, a sin and its invisibilities are still perpetuated. Without some sort of repentance that starts with acknowledging this level of clerical abuse, then a co-responsible, recognized role alone may not be enough.

I do not yet know how all the means will unfold for me as a LEM and for my fellow LEM’s, but I do know there is work to be done and that is where my focus, my research, my discussions, my writing, and my listening remains. A synodal Church in mission requires new ministries, new types of leaders, and a fresh outlook at the roots and work already present. The Spirit is nudging me and all of us toward this. Hence, these blogs formulated as a first step toward the process of: acknowledging of what is “off”, proclaiming the truth surrounding it and clearly describing at least one part of the current reality based in fact and experience, and then facing the opposition with courage, strength, grace, and dignity. All this work is ongoing while LEMs across the US Church continue to allow the Spirit to guide and infuse their service to the People of God. They are continually serving, but a synodal Church requires their autonomous service to be supported by authority as fully co-responsible for the vitality of the Church in mission.

Alas, friends! When my brain is heavily inundated with that “traffic” I spoke of previously, I realize that I must rest, breathe, take a break, and recharge to be able to keep forging on. This is when I dream of the future days of our synodal Church in mission, relishing in the joy of the path that I have traveled, thus far, praying for strength to navigate the challenges that myself and others face…all within the comfort of my home, my back yard, at a park, in a coffee shop, or wherever…lifting my hot air balloon fired by the wind of the Spirit, led by the sunlight of creation, and always remaining steadfast and diligent…peacefully discontent in the solace of divinely-inspired scripture, “As for me, I will always have Hope” (Psalms 71:14).