Lay People in the Church

"What is the province of the laity? To hunt, to shoot, to entertain. These matters they understand, but to meddle with ecclesiastical matters they have no right at all..." snorted Msgr. Talbot in 1867. In 1965, Vatican II stated: "The laity derive their right and duty to work in the apostolate directly from Christ himself, not from the Church or its clergy." In 2014, laity ask in disappointment: To whom are bishops and priests accountable? What, when clergy breach the trust reposed in them by the laity? In our day and in the future, ordained persons, who respect the role and mission of laity and those who domineer over them will exist side by side. The present book sets such issues in historical perspective. The pilgrim Church in its sacraments and institutions takes on the passing forms of this world, yet these embody a genuine though imperfect holiness. Laity have always been active - not always in "churchy" activities - but striving to build up the community. Laity need motivation to continue their efforts believing that their activity embodies genuine though imperfect holiness. Laity worship as priests, rule as kings and, so, transform the world.