A New Vision of Church

On September 28, 2003, a significant event in the life of the Church took place in the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles.  It was the commissioning ceremony for the first group of pastoral associates of the archdiocese.

Among those commissioned was Columban Sister Margaret Devlin who presently works in St. Thomas More Parish in Alhambra, California.

Full-time pastoral associates working in collaborative ministry and leadership in local parishes is a new concept in many dioceses.  In Los Angeles it came about as a result of the recommendations of a recent Synod that called for greater collaboration in local church leadership between clergy and laity.

Preparation for this new role in the parish life of the archdiocese takes place over a three year period and involves supervised in-service in a parish and participation in an ongoing program run by the archdiocese.  In addition, each new pastoral associate is expected to hold a master’s degree in theology or a related field.

For those who participated in this commissioning and those who attended the ceremony, they were, perhaps without knowing it, taking part in the birth of a new vision of church, one in which laity and clergy together can support each other in  proclaiming to the world God’s message of love and of peace.

                                

Contact us: columbansrs@eircom.net