What is the role of the laity in the Church

Rediscovering their role in the temporal affairs of the Church, bishops, priests, religious and the laity reflected on the role of the laity especially that the Church is celebrating the Year of the Laity.

During the quarterly meeting of the Davao, Digos, Tagum, Mati (DADITAMA) ecclesiastical subregion March 3-4, the bishops, priests, religious and laity rediscovered the essence of the work of the laity in the life of the Church.

A professor of the St. Francis Xavier Regional Major Seminary (REMASE) and priest from the Diocese of Digos Fr. Ronald Lunas explained about the Dignity and Mission of the Laity tracing the history of the word Laity and their role in the Church today.

He said the word ‘laity’ comes from the Greek Word Laikos. During the old times, the laity is called people of God and is dignified in the Church. This view changed the early middle ages when the laity were considered second to the ordained and even third next to the consecrated and the ordained in the high middle ages. Thanks to the modern times and then Vatican II for the revival of the positive view of the laity “those faithful who by virtue of their baptism are made one body with Christ among the People of God”.

Fr. Lunas noted that despite the differences on how time looks at the laity and their role in the Church, today especially in this year of the laity, the Church should look at the laity as missionaries because the works of those who are ordained will not be effective without the participation of the lay faithful.

The bishops, priests, religious and the laity were grouped into five and discussed about how they can fruitfully and meaningfully celebrate the year of the laity.

Pope Francis has declared 2014 as year of the laity after the Church celebrated last year the Year of Faith.

In the Archdiocese of Davao, Abp. Romulo G. Valles has often said in different gatherings that every year in the archdiocese is year of the laity. He said one cannot think of the local church without thinking about the Basic Ecclesial Communities or Gagmay’ng Kristohanong Katilingban.

He added that the laity composes the different GKK. He also said that the different organizations in the Archdiocese are composed of the laity and even those who are actively supporting the Church in its programs are the lay people.