Santa Teresa Church in San Jose was filled with lay ecclesial ministers, March 18, for Morning Prayer with Bishop Patrick J. McGrath, sponsored by the diocesan Council of Lay Ecclesial Ministers (CLEM).

The Council also honored those who retired last year and who are retiring this year, including Sheila Baldi, pastoral associate at St. Julie Parish; Marilu Eder, chaplain, detention ministry at Elmwood; Carol Ellenberger, pastoral associate at Christ the King Parish; Joy Hill, pastoral associate at Holy Spirit Parish; Jeanine Jensen, pastoral associate at St. Julie Parish; Ginny Silvers, coordinator of sacramental preparation at Holy Family Parish; and Maureen Wright, director of catechetical ministry at Sacred Heart Parish, Saratoga.

Bishop McGrath presented gifts to the retirees and thanked all the lay ecclesial ministers present for “your service in our diocese.”

Sister Rosheen Glennon, CSJ, gave the Reflection at the prayer service, quoting a poem by e. e. cummings: “we are a little church… our life is the life of the reaper and the sower; our prayers are prayers of earth’s own clumsily striving (finding and losing and laughing and crying) those whose any sadness or joy is our grief or our gladness…”

The poem “is a song about each of us, the lay ecclesial ministers of the San Jose diocese, living fully the sacramental mystery of ordinary life,” she said.

“What cummings celebrated is familiar to us who have experienced the power of ministry to uncover God’s power flowing both ways while serving others.

“By getting involved in the needs of others, we have learned the holy truth that we ARE the Church and as such, sure channels of grace and mystery,” Sister Rosheen said.

She noted that, through Baptism, “we were admitted into the common priesthood of which Jesus is the ‘High Priest.’”

She quoted from the U.S. Bishops’ document “Co-Workers in the Vineyard of the Lord”: “Sharing in the function of Christ, priest, prophet and king, the laity have an active part of their own in the life and activity of the Church.

“Their activity with the Church communities is so necessary that without it the apostolate of the pastors will frequently be unable to obtain its full effect.”

“We, lay ecclesial ministers, minister with the ordained through different ministries according to the grace and charisms which the Lord has been pleased to bestow on us,” Sister Rosheen said.

“We must seek diligently to nurture and develop the gifts that God has given us to live out our Baptismal call to priestly ministry.

“We must seek to grow in love toward one another. We are spokespeople for God, not for ourselves. We are serving on behalf of God. It doesn’t come from us, but from God, and we are to minister with this clear recognition.

“We lead others to God and not to us. We need to have a God-ward motivation for all things. The responsibilities of our ministries cause us to speak as God would speak, and to act as God would act.

“We are blessed to have such gifted and generous co-workers in the vineyard of the Lord to which we have all been called. Let us continue to work together as a community of people united in Christ and guided by the Holy Spirit in our pilgrimage toward God’s kingdom, bearers of a message for all humanity,” she said.

Lynda DeManti, Chair of CLEM, thanked three retiring pastors, Father Justin Zawadski, and Monsignors Terrence Sullivan and John Sandersfeld, for “fostering support and nurturing lay ministry. We owe them gratitude for their service and their openness to lay ministry,” she said.

CLEM sponsored the first diocesan recognition of parish lay ecclesial ministers in 2007 as part of the Jubilee Year celebration of the 25^th anniversary of the founding of the Diocese of San Jose.

After Bishop McGrath’s approval was given, CLEM was formed in 2006 and consists of 10 representatives of parishes/deaneries and bishop’s appointees.

It represents lay parish ministers and provides a voice for their concerns in ministry, the diocese and the Church. In addition to DeManti as CLEM Chair, other officers include Kathy Schlosser, Vice-Chair, and Jeanine Jensen, Secretary.

CLEM advises the bishop on matters relating to lay ministry; develops mentoring processes for new lay ecclesial ministers; collaborates with organizations engaged in formation of lay ministers; develops commissioning rites; and promotes professional standards and certification based on national standards recognized by the U.S. Bishops’ Conference.

In November 2005 the U.S. Bishops voted on “Co-Workers in the Vineyard of the Lord,” regarding lay ministers and their role in the Church.

Nationwide there are thousands of lay ministers serving in parishes and in various special ministries.

According to the U.S. Bishops’ document, lay ecclesial ministers are those who have been called to serve in a worshipping community; have at least five years experience in a specific ministry; work in collaboration with the ordained; have been through prayerful discernment, formation, education and training; serve in a formal and public role; and are commissioned in ministry by the bishop.

Specifically, in parishes, these ministers might be a Parish Pastoral Associate, Director or Coordinator of Religious Education, Master Catechist (who may be a DRE), Youth Ministry Director, Director of Liturgy, Director of RCIA, Pastoral Care Coordinator, or Minister of Parish Life.

A pastor may suggest an additional ministerial role that he feels fits the guidelines for experience and formation.

Special non-parochial ministries might include a chaplain for detention ministry or a director of a Catholic center at a secular college or university.

Lay Ecclesial Ministry is defined as “a way of serving the mission of Christ that flows from Baptism and the gifts of the Spirit, involves a commitment and responsibility for ecclesial leadership, and requires appropriate formation and authorization to collaborate with the ordained in their work of pastoring the People of God.“

“Lay Ecclesial Ministry” is not a specific title, but a general name for a variety of ministerial roles.

Lay ecclesial ministry is a particular way of responding, through prayerful discernment, to the baptismal call to further the mission of Christ. It involves a significant and long-term commitment, though not necessarily a life-long commitment.

It is often marked by employment (full or part-time) on a parish staff, in diocesan offices, or within Church-related organizations.

In the Diocese of San Jose, parish lay ministers are often graduates of the Institute for Leadership in Ministry (ILM) which was founded in 1997 and provides a three-year program of education and formation.

The year 2000 marked the first graduates and on April 20, the Class of 2009 will be the 10^th graduating class to receive certificates from Bishop McGrath.