| SACRUM DIACONATUS ORDINEM General Norms for Restoring the Permanent Diaconate in the Latin Church |
| Pope Paul VI |
| Motu Proprio issued June 18, 1967 Beginning already in the early days of the Apostles, the Catholic Church has held in great veneration the sacred order of the diaconate, as the Apostle of the Gentiles himself. bears witness. He expressly sends his greeting to the deacons together with the bishops and instructs Timothy[1] which virtues and qualities are to be sought in them in order that they may be regarded as worthy of their ministry.[2] Furthermore, the Second Ecumenical Vatican Council following this very ancient tradition, made honorable mention of the diaconate in the Constitution which begins with the words "Lumen Gentium" where, after concerning itself with the bishops and the priests, it praised also the third rank of sacred orders, explaining its dignity and enumerating its functions. Indeed while clearly recognizing on the one hand that "these functions very necessary to the life of the Church could in the present discipline of the Latin Church be carried out in many regions with difficulty," and while on the other hand wishing to make more suitable provision in a matter of such importance wisely decreed that the "diaconate in the future could be restored as a particular and permanent rank of the hierarchy."[3] Although some functions of the deacons, especially in missionary countries, are in fact accustomed to be entrusted to lay men it is nevertheless "beneficial that those . . . who perform a truly diaconal ministry be strengthened by the imposition of hands, a tradition going back to the Apostles, and be more closely joined to the altar so that they may more effectively carry out their ministry through the sacramental grace of the diaconate."[4] Certainly in this way the special nature of this order will be shown most clearly. It is not to be considered as a mere step towards the priesthood, but it is so adorned with its own indelible character and its own special grace so that those who are called to it "can permanently serve the mysteries of Christ and the Church."[5] Although the restoration of the permanent diaconate is not necessarily to be effected in the whole Latin Church since "it pertains to the competent territorial Episcopal conferences, with the approval of the Supreme Pontiff, to decide whether and where it is timely that deacons of this kind be ordained for the care of souls,"[6] we therefore consider it not only proper but also necessary that specific and precise norms be given to adapt present discipline to the new precepts of the Ecumenical Council and to determine the proper conditions under which not only the ministry of the diaconate will be more advantageously regulated, but the training also of the candidates will be better suited to their different kinds of life, their common obligations and their sacred dignity. Therefore, in the first place, all that is decreed in the Code of Canon Law about the rights and obligations of deacons, whether these rights and obligations be common to all clerics, or proper to deacons—all these, unless some other disposition has been made, we confirm and declare to be in force also for those who will remain permanently in the diaconate. In regard to these we moreover decree the following. I 1. It is the task of the legitimate assemblies of bishops of episcopal conferences to discuss, with the consent of the Supreme Pontiff whether and where—in view of the good of the faithful—the diaconate is to be instituted as a proper and permanent rank of the hierarchy. 2. When asking the Apostolic See for approval, the reasons must be explained which favor the introduction of this new practice in a region as well as the circumstances which give well-founded hope of success. Likewise, the manner will have to be indicated in which the new discipline will be implemented, that is to say, whether it is a matter of conferring the diaconate on "suitable young men for whom the law of celibacy must remain intact, or on men of more mature age, even upon those living in the married state," or on both kinds of candidates. 3. Once the approval of the Holy See has been obtained, it is within the powers of each Ordinary, within the sphere of his own jurisdiction, to approve and ordain the candidates, unless special cases are concerned which exceed his faculties. Let the Ordinaries, in drawing up the report on the state of their diocese, also mention this restored discipline. II 4. By the law of the Church, confirmed by the Ecumenical Council itself, young men called to the diaconate are obliged to observe the law of celibacy. 5. The permanent diaconate may not be conferred before the completion of the 25th year. Nevertheless, an older age can be required by the episcopal conferences. 6. Let young men to be trained for the diaconal office be received in a special institute where they will be put to the test and will be educated to live a truly evangelical life and prepared to fulfill usefully their own specific functions. 7. For the foundation of this institute, let the bishops Of the same country, or, if advantageous, of several countries according to the diversity of circumstances, join their efforts. Let them choose, for its guidance, particularly suitable superiors, and let them establish most accurate norms regarding discipline and the ordering of studies, observing the following prescriptions. 8. Let only those young men be admitted to training for the diaconate who have shown a natural inclination of the spirit to service of the sacred hierarchy and of the Christian community and who have acquired a sufficiently good store of knowledge in keeping the custom of their people and country. 9. Specific training for the diaconate should be spread over a period of at least three years. The series of subjects, however, should be arranged in such a way that the candidates are orderly and gradually led to carrying out the various functions of the diaconate skillfully and beneficially. Moreover, the whole plan of studies can be so arranged that in the last year special training be given for the various functions which deacons especially will carry out. 10. To this moreover should be added practice and training in teaching the elements of the Christian religion to children and other faithful, in familiarizing the people with sacred chant and in directing it, in reading the sacred books of Scripture at gatherings of the faithful, in addressing and exhorting the people, in administering the sacraments which pertain to them, in visiting the sick, and in general in fulfilling the ministries which can be entrusted to them. 11. Older men, whether single or married, can be called to the diaconate. The latter, however, are not to be admitted unless there is certainty not only about the wife's consent but also about her blameless Christian life and those qualities which will neither impede nor bring dishonor on the husband's ministry. 12. The older age in this case is reached at the completion of the thirty-fifth year. Nevertheless, the age requirement is to be understood in this sense, namely, that no one can be called to the diaconate unless he has gained the high regard of the clergy and the faithful by a long example of truly Christian life, by his unexceptionable conduct, and by his ready disposition to be of service. 13. In the case of married men care must be taken that only those are promoted to the diaconate who while living many years in matrimony have shown that they are ruling well their own household and who have a wife and children leading a truly Christian life and noted for their good reputation.[7] 14. It is to be desired that such deacons be possessed of no small learning about which we have spoken in numbers 8, 9, 10 above, or that they at least be endowed with that knowledge which in the judgment of the Episcopal Conference is necessary for them to carry out their specific functions. Consequently they are to be admitted for a time in a special school where they are to learn all that is necessary for worthily fulfilling the diaconal ministry. 15. Should this be impossible, let the candidate be entrusted for his education to an outstanding priest who will direct him, and instruct him and be able to testify to his prudence and maturity. Care must always and emphatically be taken that only suitable and skilled men may be admitted to the sacred order. 16. Once they have received the order of deacon, even those who have been promoted at a more mature age, can not contract marriage by virtue of the traditional discipline of the Church. 17. Let care be taken that the deacons do not exercise an art or a profession which in the judgment of the local Ordinary is unfitting or impedes the fruitful exercise of the sacred office. IV 18. Any deacon who is not a professed member of a religious family must be duly enrolled in a diocese. 19. The norms in force with regard to caring for the fitting sustenance of priests and guaranteeing their social security are to be observed also in favor of the permanent deacons taking into consideration also the family of married deacons and keeping article 21 of this letter in mind. 20. It is the function of the Episcopal Conference to issue definite norms on the proper sustenance of the deacon and his family if he is married in keeping with the various circumstances of place and time. V 21. According to the above-mentioned Constitution of the Second Vatican Council it pertains to the deacon, to the extent that he has been authorized by the local Ordinary to attend such functions:
23. All these functions must be carried out in perfect communion with the bishop and with his presbytery, that is to say, under the authority of the bishop and of the priest who are in charge of the care of souls in that place. 24. Deacons, as much as possible, should have their part in pastoral councils. VI 25. Let the deacons, as those who serve the mysteries of Christ and of the Church, abstain from all vice and endeavor to be always pleasing to God "ready for every good work"[9] for the salvation of men. By reason, therefore, of the order received they must surpass by far all the others in the practice of liturgical life, in the love for prayer, in the divine service, in obedience, in charity, in chastity. 26. It will be the task of the episcopal conference to establish more efficacious norms to nourish the spiritual life of the deacons, both celibate and married. Let the local Ordinaries, however, see to it that all the deacons: devote themselves assiduously to reading and meditating on the word of God; frequently and if possible every day, participate actively in the sacrifice of the Mass, receive the sacrament of the Most Holy Eucharist and devoutly visit the Sacrament; purify their souls frequently with the sacrament of Penance and, for the purpose of receiving it worthily, examine their conscience each day; venerate and love the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God with fervent devotion. 27. It is a supremely fitting thing that permanent deacons recite every day at least part of the Divine Office, to be determined by the episcopal conference. 28. Diocesan deacons must, at least every third year, attend spiritual exercises in a religious house or pious institution designated by the Ordinary. 29. Deacons are not to neglect studies, particularly the sacred ones; let them read assiduously the sacred books of the Scripture; let them devote themselves to ecclesiastical studies in such a way that they can correctly explain Catholic teaching to the rest and become daily more capable of instructing and strengthening the minds of the faithful. For this purpose, let the deacons be called to meetings to he held at specified times at which problems regarding their life and the sacred ministry are treated. 30. Because of the special character of the ministry entrusted to them they are bound to show reverence and obedience to the bishop; the bishops, however, should in the Lord highly esteem these ministers of the people of God and love them with the love of a father. If for a just cause a deacon lives for a time outside his own diocese he should willingly submit to the supervision and authority of the local Ordinary in those matters which pertain to the duties and functions of the diaconal state. 31. In the matter of wearing apparel the local custom will have to be observed according to the norms set down by the episcopal conference. VII 32. The institution of the permanent diaconate among the Religious is a right reserved to the Holy See which is exclusively competent to examine and approve the recommendations of the general chapters in the matter. 33. Let the Religious deacons exercise the diaconal ministry under the authority of the bishop and of their own superiors according to the norms in force for religious priests; they are also bound by the laws to which the members of the same Religious family are obliged. 34. A Religious deacon who lives either permanently or for a specified time in a region which lacks a permanent diaconate may not exercise diaconal functions except with the consent of the local Ordinary. 35. The provisions in nos. 32-34 regarding the Religious must be regarded as applying likewise to members of other institutes who profess the evangelical counsels.[10] VIII 36. Finally as regards the rite to be followed in conferring the sacred order of the diaconate and those orders which precede the diaconate, let the present discipline be observed until it is revised by the Holy See. Finally, after issuing these norms the desire springs spontaneously from our heart that deacons in performing their arduous functions in the modern world follow the examples which we propose for their imitation; the example of St. Stephen the protomartyr, who as St. Irenaeus says "was the first chosen for diaconal service by the Apostles,"[11] and of St. Lawrence of Rome "who was illustrious not only in the administration of the sacraments but also in the stewardship of the possessions of the Church."[12] We order, then, that what has been established by us in this letter, given "motu proprio" be firm and valid, all things to the contrary notwithstanding. Given at Rome, at St. Peter's on the feast of St. Ephrem the Syrian, June 18, 1967 in the fourth year of our pontificate. |
Thursday, February 28, 2008
SACRUM DIACONATUS ORDINEM
Permanent deacons
Permanent deacons
"A" Readings: Acts 6:1-7- 1 Pet. 2:4-9
- John 14:1-12
Purpose: (1) to explain the diaconate in the Church today; and (2) to encourage vocations to the permanent diaconate.
n Today's Gospel is a magnificent Revelation as to what God looks like, how God acts, what God thinks-truths we would have never known had not God disclosed them to us. In our limited efforts to depict God, we often miss the obvious. As Catholics we should know and ever keep in mind that we can acquire an exact and quite dramatic image of the Supreme Intellect and Will who never began to be, but who always is; who created man and the world and the cosmos from nothing; namely, Jesus Christ.
We have only to contemplate Jesus of Nazareth to know what God looks like, how God acts and thinks. We have only to contemplate Jesus of Nazareth to know all we need to know about God. This is the awesome message in today's Gospel, encapsulated in Jesus' response to the Apostle Philip: "Whoever has seen me, has seen the Father."
What does God look like? How does God think and act? Contemplate Jesus, who had compassion on the lame, the sightless, the deaf. Contemplate Jesus, who brought back to life a dead girl, and who instilled life anew in a dead young man, the only son of a widowed mother.
What is God like? Contemplate Jesus, who condemned hypocrisy and insincerity; but who exalted the downtrodden, the alienated, the impoverished, the unconsulted. Contemplate Jesus, the Suffering Servant, who, risen from the tomb, appeared to the very Apostles, who, save one, failed to remain with him during his Passion and crucifixion.
Yves Congar, the towering theologian who was made a cardinal by Pope John Paul II in the Fall of 1994, summarizes this doctrine with the thought-provoking affirmation, "God is Jesus Christ" (Jesus Christ, Herder and Herder, 1966). Thus, the only place where the Infinite, Supreme Intelligence and Will who is God, has physically touched this world, is the sacred humanity of Jesus. Jacob's ladder, with the angels of God ascending and descending, rests upon the humanity of Christ our Lord (Gen. 28:10-13, 16-17; John 1:51).
"Whoever has seen me has seen the Father." Jesus' words to Philip go to the heart of Christian Revelation. Hence, they must be heralded, preached.
Preaching in the strict sense, such as occurs in the Mass (or any part of the sacred liturgy), is an act of Holy Orders. This means that the power of the preached word is assigned by the Church, in accordance with Apostolic Tradition, to those who are ordained. Hence, priests, like bishops, are empowered to preach. Indeed, preaching is one of the two principal roles of the priest, since sacramental experience depends upon faith engendered by the preached word.
Yet, because God's Revelation-that God reveals himself in Jesus-is so crucial a message meant by the loving God for all human beings everywhere and for all time-the power to preach is also shared by deacons, whose early history is recalled in today's First Reading, from the Book of Acts. And since that First Reading does return us all to thoughts about the ongoing diaconate, we could also profitably reflect upon it today.
St. Paul, writing in the Spirit to the Philippians, describes the diaconate as a distinct order (Phil. 1:1). And in the First Epistle to Timothy the qualifications for this order are set forth (1 Tim. 3:8-10).
From the beginning, deacons functioned in three areas: (1) liturgical (i.e., they assisted at Mass, administered Baptism); (2) doctrinal-they taught and catechized; and (3) charitable-they helped administer the Church's social service apostolate.
The diaconate went into decline during medieval times. Several reasons are cited; most entail a lengthy historical discussion. During World War II, new interest in the order emerged. One reason was a practical response to difficult, priestless situations occasioned by war (e.g., in concentration camps, in the Iron Curtain lands); another was a frank attempt to address shortages of priests in general. Against this background, Vatican Council II called for the restoration of the diaconate "as a proper and permanent rank of the hierarchy." Specifics for the implementation of Vatican Council II's proposal were issued by Pope Paul VI on 28 June 1967, in the motu proprio, Sacram Diaconatus Ordinem. In this document, the Roman Pontiff explained:
For even though some of the functions of deacons are usually committed to laymen, especially in missionary lands, still "it is helpful to strengthen, by the imposition of hands-which goes back to apostolic tradition-and to link more closely with the altar, men who are to perform truly diaconal functions . . . so that through the sacramental grace of the diaconate they will be enabled to fulfill their ministry more effectively." This will be ideal to highlight the special nature of this order, which should not be regarded as just a step toward the priesthood, but rather as enriched with an indelible character and a special grace of its own so that those who are called to it can "serve the mysteries of Christ and of the Church" in a stable fashion.
Whether and where the permanent diaconate is established has been left to the determination and judgment of national conferences of bishops and, of course, individual bishops in their own dioceses. Pope Paul VI specified eleven areas in which deacons can function to the extent that they are authorized by their bishop: (1) to carry out, with bishop and priest, all the roles in liturgical rites which the ritual books attribute to them; (2) to administer Baptism solemnly and to supply ceremonies that have been omitted at Baptism in the case of infant or adult; (3) to have custody of the Eucharist, to distribute it to themselves and to others, and to impart Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament to the people with the pyx; (4) to assist at and bless marriages in the name of the Church when there is no priest present, with delegation from the bishop or the pastor, so long as everything else commanded in the Code of Canon Law is observed . . . ; (5) to administer sacramentals, and to preside at funeral and burial rites;(6) to read Scripture to the faithful and to teach and preach to the people; (7) to preside over the offices of religious worship and prayer services when there is no priest present; (8) to direct Bible services when there is no priest; (9) to do charitable, administrative and welfare work in the name of the hierarchy; (10) to guide outlying communities of Christians in the name of the pastor and the bishop; and (11) to foster and aid the lay apostolate.
The Catholic Church also recognizes several nonordained ministries. These were most recently spelled out in an Apostolic Letter, Ministeria Quaedam, issued by Pope Paul VI and dated 15 August 1972. What this document did, was: (1) suppress the ceremony of first tonsure (a cutting of the hair, which for many centuries constituted the rite of entrance into the clerical state); (2) suppress, at least as a universal norm, the subdiaconate together with the minor orders of porter and exorcist; and (3) retain just two minor or nonordained ministries in the whole of the Latin Church: that of lector and acolyte. Henceforth, entrance into the clerical state was to occur through ordination to the diaconate. This norm was reaffirmed by the new Code of Canon Law in 1983 (can. 266).
Thus, the diaconate is now reflected in two modes: (1) the transitional diaconate, which is conferred upon those in progress toward priestly ordination; and (2) the permanent diaconate, conferred on those who intend to remain deacons.
The diaconate, because it entails the Sacrament of Holy Orders, is conferred only upon baptized men (can. 1024). Whereas celibacy is required of transitional deacons (those intending to go on to priesthood), as well as of unmarried permanent deacons, married men are ordained to the permanent diaconate, but are held to celibacy in the event of the death of a spouse (cans. 1037 and 1087).
Again, deacons are empowered to preach in the strict sense, to give the homily even at Mass. Deacons share directly in making Jesus known, Jesus who is the keystone of our faith, as today's Second Reading reminds us, Jesus who reveals the Father to us and consequently helps us know what God looks like.
With Philip, the deacon today, as well as the priest, can preach with certitude: "He who has seen Christ, has seen the Father." For this reason alone, the diaconate is a privileged calling.
Suggested readings: Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1536-1571.Reflections on the Diaconate, Permanent and Transitional, in the Australian Church in the Twenty-First Century*
Reflections on the Diaconate, Permanent and Transitional, in the Australian Church in the Twenty-First Century*
Most Rev Dr Anthony Fisher op
In his very recent book, Leadership in the Church (New York: Crossroad, 2003) Cardinal Kasper reflects upon the definitive teaching of the Second Vatican Council that the episcopate, presbyterate and diaconate all belong to the one sacramental ordained ministry (conferred by the laying on of hands and prayer) and the pastoral decision of the same Council to re-establish the permanent diaconate. He suggests that in doing this the Council was looking past the pre-modern withering of the diaconal ministry – looking past it in two directions: on the one hand, forward to the projected ministerial needs of the Church in the century ahead; on the other hand, backward to the early Christian era which was a golden age for the diaconate. Like the renewal of the liturgy, this renewal of the diaconate was made possible by recourse to early liturgical and patristic texts:
the repristination of the diaconate as a sacramental-ecclesial office was the fruit both of a pastoral reflection on present-day needs and of a theological reflection on the authoritative sources of the Church’s faith. Only this double movement allowed the renewal of the diaconate to take a binding form in the Church. (p. 17)
It is to those authoritative sources that I will turn today as I reflect with you upon the nature and future of the diaconate in our part of world, with help of two contemporary German theologians, Walter Kasper and Gerhard Müller (Priesthood and Diaconate, San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2002), and a fifteenth-century painter-theologian, Blessed Fra Angelico.* I want to suggest ten themes regarding the future of the diaconate in our part of world worthy of continuing exploration by you and the rest of the Church.
1. Diaconate is God-given
A point logically and ontologically prior to all others about the diaconate is that the diaconate is a vocation from God, not merely a human invention, inspiration or aspiration. A lot of talk about the diaconate reduces it to a human resourcing issue: a new strategy or plan or career by which certain jobs might get done. But it is about far more than human ambitions, rôles and job-sharing. In the century ahead the challenge for the reinvented diaconate will not be to find jobs for deacons to do – or even to find deacons to do the jobs. Rather, it will be to avoid reducing diaconate to function(s) and instead theologizing and spiritualizing this vocation rather more richly than has occurred to date. Kasper suggests that
Institutional and structural reforms too can be ‘useless flesh’ (to use this biblical image), if they are not borne up by the life-giving Spirit. This is why the renewal of the diaconate is first of all a spiritual task. The basic spiritual attitude of the deacon must make it clear that the Christian path is not an ascent or a triumphal march in glory, but a path that looks downward, following Jesus Christ, who descended from heaven. This ‘downwardly mobile career’ is described in the Christological hymn in the Letter to the Philippians (2:6-11), which prescribes the basic Christian virtue, as the spiritual tradition teaches, namely, the attitude of humility, which is a willingness to serve. This must a fortiori be the basic attitude of the deacon. (p. 37)
We need deacons who are down-to-earth (humble) men, yet up-to-heaven (spiritual) men, men with their feet on the ground yet aware that their’s is a calling given by God through his Church.
2. Deacons are made by sacrament
Secondly, deacons are what they are by virtue of a special sacrament. Other ministries such as acolyte, lector, extraordinary eucharistic minister, catechist… are rôles and offices rather than sacramental orders. The Church teaches that an indelible, permanent, sacramental character is conferred at the ordination of deacons, by the sacrament Holy Orders. Deacons are, as it were, deacons forever. Kasper points out that before Vatican II Rahner, Congar and others demonstrated that diaconate is not a lay apostolate, but a special articulation of the ordained ministry in the Church. This view was far from uncontroversial, but was confirmed by the Council.
In the twenty-first century the Church will have to overcome the continuing tendency of some to think and talk about ‘lay deacons’ or ‘installing deacons’. Deacons are clergy and they are ordained to their order – as truly as any priest. I think that for the same reason we should avoid the practice, common in many places, of commissioning laypersons for various ministries using rites deliberately made to look like ordination rites (cf. Kasper pp. 16f).
Furthermore, as Kasper insists, while deacons are not lay people in dress-ups but truly clergy, they are also not mini-priests. “The deacon is not a ‘mini-priest’ who fills gaps left where no priests are available, nor is his ministry a mere transitional stage on the path to the priesthood. It is an autonomous ministry, a specific articulation of the ministerial service entrusted to the Church by Jesus Christ.” (p. ???) Of course, some deacons belong to that order only for a short time: but even ‘transitional deacons’ are true deacons during that ‘transitional’ period, neither laymen not priests but Christians with a specific vocation. Müller puts it thus:
The diaconal ministry has all the characteristics of the Sacrament of Holy Orders: originating in the salvific mission and will of Christ for the Church; sustained by his abiding efficacy as the glorified Lord in the Spirit; connected with the mission of the apostles through the imposition of hands by the bishop… conferring the Holy Spirit and grace which makes the recipient a suitable minister of Christ; ordained in a non-repeatable way (character indelibilis), with the specific ministerial responsibilities designated in the ordination prayer. (p. ???)
3. Deacons as contemplatives
A recovery of a sense of the God-given and sacrament-made nature of the diaconate should encourage reflection upon the need for deacons to be true contemplatives, both in who is chosen for the office and what they are to be thereafter. Nemo dat non quod habet: no-one can give what he does not have. If deacons are to be and do all those things that the Church asks of them and humanity needs from them, they must first make space for God and the things of God in their own lives. They must be devout meditators upon the sacred page, enthusiastic students of theology and spirituality, and thoughtful reflectors upon human experience in the light of revelation. They must be deacons before they can do diaconate – and that means constantly refilling the wellsprings from which they draw their inspiration, direction, energy in their life of service.
This presents its challenges and opportunities. In the busyness of our lives it is all too easy to put prayer and contemplation lowest on the list of priorities; to postpone them or squeeze them in only when we have little time or energy. Deacons must be countersigns to this. Somehow, somewhere, they must find the space in their busy lives of family, workplace, study and ecclesial service, to keep open the lines of communication with God and to bring to him the concerns of those very worlds which compete for their attention.
4. Deacons as pray-ers
This leads me to a related aspect of the diaconate today: deacons are ordained for the Prayer of the Church. Deacons pray the Divine Office and assist at Mass not just on their own behalf but on behalf of the whole Church. Through her professional pray-ers – the clergy and religious – as well as the non-commissioned ‘widows’ constantly at prayer, the Church of God is continuously offers God praise and petition on behalf of all humankind.
Deacons know what an enormous privilege it is to help others to pray, especially outside the Eucharist. As the recent Church documents on devotions and on the rosary have reminded us, there is much more to the prayer life of ordinary Christians than going to Mass. Deacons of the twenty-first century must embrace the opportunity to be themselves models to others as men of prayer and to lead others in worship beyond the altar. That presents its own questions: how well are deacons formed in ways of prayer? How much space do they make for prayer in their own lives? What opportunities are there for deacons to accompany others in the life of prayer?
5. Deacons as servants of the altar
It is sometimes suggested jocosely that acolytes are merely glorified altarboys: well, in that case, deacons are very glorious altarboys indeed! They are of course much more than this: deacons are ordained for service at the altar. They serve the Bishop (and sometimes priests) as extra hands in the Sacred Liturgy. As early as the second century, deacons distributed the chalice and proclaimed the Gospel at Mass. In addition to this they may today, in certain circumstances, perform baptisms, marriages, benedictions, viaticum and funerals: tasks which many people in the past saw and many probably still see as specifically priestly works.
To put it visually: deacons are never more truly themselves than when they are in dalmatics – not because of the grandeur of the vestment, let alone because their identity is tied up with the dress-ups, but rather because this reveals their closeness to the Eucharistic action and yet the distinction of their contribution to that action from that of the be-chasubled bishop or priest. The liturgical rôle of the deacon is likely to be extended and better appreciated in the century ahead.
6. Deacons as hospitallers
Ite missa est. Service begins at the altar but extends beyond the doors of the church to the world beyond the dismissal at the end of Mass. Hospitality, especially towards the poor – understood both in the narrow economic sense and in the broader sense of those impoverished in any way – is a duty of all Christians. But as early as the Acts of Apostles, The Shepherd of Hermas and the writings of St Polycarp, this task was given in a very particular way to the deacons. As the very word diakonia indicates, deacons are ordained for service, especially to the poor. The deacons were the Church’s first hospitallers with respect to widows and orphans, the poor and needy. They were the friends of the poor. More than anyone else, they were to be the compassionate face of Church.
Müller writes about the Christological aspect of the deacon-as-servant, especially of the needy:
If one reflects that service to one’s neighbour in need makes Christ present and mediates his saving love, indeed, that in the needy persons Christ himself is served, then the ministry of the deacon in the social and charitable sphere proves to be a mission thoroughly inspired by the Holy Spirit, a mission that creates a special personal relationship with Christ, the Head of the Church, and which therefore is specifically conferred by the laying on of hands in ordination. (p. 195)
Kasper likewise notes (p. 22f) that while all Christians are called to service, to exercise the diakonia of Jesus Christ, especially vis-â-vis the poor and suffering, deacons represent in special manner the specifically diaconal dimension of all Church ministry.
This, the Cardinal suggests, is why the Fathers of the Church thought the presence of a functioning and fruitful order of deacons is essential to the Church.
As the local Church, every community must ensure the realization of diaconia, which provides orientation for faith and preaching, for the Eucharist and the liturgy. Faith without diaconia is not Christian faith; preaching without diaconia is not Christian preaching… it is dead… The Church is [only] alive where the corporal works of mercy are performed: feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked, giving shelter to strangers, freeing captives, visiting the sick, and burying the dead. The Church is likewise alive where the spiritual works of mercy are performed: correcting sinners, teaching the ignorant, giving good counsel to those in doubt, bearing patiently with those who are burdensome, gladly forgiving those who insult us, and praying for the living and the dead. (pp 26-27)
That little catalogue offers quite a checklist for the contemporary deacon looking for something to do! Of course this raises all sorts of questions for deacons in twenty-first century Australia : to what extent and in what ways do modern deacons put themselves at the service of the most needy?
7. Deacons as administrators
From the earliest days of the Church deacons assisted the Bishops in their administrative responsibilities. Kasper notes that “the [Second Vatican] Council sees them as collaborators of the bishop, dependent on him and subordinate to him. Their ministry is to represent the bishop who needs collaborators and helpers because of the sheer volume of work that is expected of him.” (p. 17) While as early as the Didascalia Apostolorum deacons were called “the bishop’s ear, mouth, heart and soul”, they were assumed to be rather more world-wise than those bishops of whom they were the ears and mouths. In particular their ministry to the poor required that they have ready access to the Church’s charitable resources. This aspect of the diaconal ministry is yet to be much explored here in Australia , but minimally we might expect that deacons took an active part in the parish councils, parish finance committees, St Vincent de Paul groups etc. that already exist.
8. Deacons as preachers
Another insight of the Second Vatican Council was that deacons are ordained for ministry of the Word and especially to evangelisation. This was not always clear. In the Acts of the Apostles the first deacons were appointed so as to free up the Apostles for the preaching: the assumotion was that the apostles would do the preaching while the deacons would perform other important tasks. Yet Stephen was out preaching within a few verses of his ordination! Perhaps it was the way deacons preached which distinguished them from the other evolving orders of clerics. The First Letter of Timothy suggests that it is more by their care for their families and their style of life than by their words that deacons demonstrate their faith and character. Ignatius of Antioch has the deacon ‘helping’ the bishop in proclamation of the Word, perhaps as a sort of senior catechist. Their works of mercy, corporal and spiritual, were undoubtedly a powerful form of evangelisation, as Christian action so often speaks louder than words.
Thus Kasper notes that in addition to those in physical need to whose service deacons are ordered, there are also
those starving intellectually and spiritually, and all too often they are left alone in their searching. Therefore, evangelizing too is a service to others. Teaching the ignorant has always counted as one of the spiritual works of mercy, and a widespread lack of orientation makes this all the more important today. (p. ???)
When the Dominicans hit the scene in the early thirteenth century as an Order of Preachers a misapprehension arose that they must be an order made up entirely of bishops. That was because at that time only bishops regularly preached. Priests were, as it were, ‘extraordinary ministers of the word’ just as some lay people today are ‘extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist’. Priests were not sufficiently educated to do more than offer customary homilies on the big feasts. The advent of the friars preachers changed all that for the priesthood. Likewise the diaconate at the beginning of the twenty-first century must further develop its preaching rôle, not just in the liturgy but outside it, so that deacons are seen as ordinary preachers and evangelists in the Church not just ‘fill-ins when father can’t be bothered’. This will require not only an enthusiasm for the ministry of the Word but ongoing theological education of one kind or another.
9. Deacons as bridge people
Another aspect of the diaconate worth exploring in the century ahead is that of deacons as bridge-people people between clergy and laity, the celibate and the married, the ecclesiastical and the everyday. Transitional deacons are very much men on the cusp between states. But permanent deacons, too, bring the world of ordinary work and family life to their ministry in a way that means that are well-placed to be bridge-builders. Once again, this presents both challenges and its opportunities. Two challenges that occur to me are that deacons may feel at times ‘neither fish nor fowl’, neither lay nor clerical; and that, at other times, as they immerse themselves in ecclesial ministry, that they may be tempted to lose sight of the wider church and society from which they come.
The possibilities for such ‘bridge people’, however, are enormous. Kasper suggests that deacons have a particular call to recognize the signs of times and be attentive to the joys and hopes, sorrows and fears of their fellows, sharing in these, articulating and interpreting them, and bringing them healing. He suggests that
it is the deacon’s special call to be on the front line, an attentive listener and a pioneer who leads the Church’s response to these challenges. As a married man and father, the deacon can often find it easier to make contact with people than a celibate priest. This is why deacons should not seek to take over as large a slice as possible of the specifically priestly ministry of leadership: their task is different, and it is important and urgent enough! For before a community can be guided and before the Eucharist can be celebrated in it and with it, it must first be gathered together and built up. The deacon’s place is in these marginal areas of Church and society, where breakthroughs can occur. He is not to think only of those who “still” belong to the Church and to accompany them, but also to invite those who perhaps may belong to the Church tomorrow. His communio-diaconia means that he builds up the Church in view of the future. This is an absolutely essential contribution to the “new evangelization” about which we hear so much today. (p. 36)
10. Deacons as alteri Christi
Finally, deacons must identify themselves totally with life, death and resurrection with Jesus Christ. They must be icons of Christ in all aspects of their ministry, as Stephen was even in the words and manner of his death. Paul in his Letter to the Philippians tells how God in Jesus Christ emptied himself, taking on the form of a servant or deacon, being born in likeness of men. And being found in human form he humbled himself further, even to accepting death, death on a cross (ch. 2). The Lord of all becomes servant of all and in the process subverts all ordinary human thinking about power and authority and service.
Mark in his Gospel relates Jesus’ teaching that the first among his disciples is the one who is willing to become diakonos and doulos (servant and slave) of all ( 10:43 ). John tells how at the Last Supper, to horror of his own, Jesus washed their feet and mandated them to do the same. (Kasper sees this as Christ instituting the order of deacons, just as when at that same supper he institutes priesthood with the Eucharistic charge ‘to do this in memory of me’.) They were right to call him Lord and Master, Jesus explains; but they had also to learn to call him Friend and Servant: the Proto-deacon in whose image they must learn to serve. (Jn 13:13-15)
Ignatius of Antioch in the next century wrote of deacons in grand Christological terms: “Let everyone revere the deacons as Jesus Christ, the bishop as the image of God the Father, and presbyters as God’s senate and the assembly of the apostles. For without them one cannot speak of the Church.” This is a very important claim. The Church is not truly herself without all three ranks of the ordained in evidence: the Trinity is not properly imaged in her ministry if Christ the Deacon is not in view. Müller, too, offers a Christological hermeneutic for the diaconate: all thinking about the diaconate must begin and end with reflection on Christ’s own ministry:
In obedience to his Father, therefore, Jesus brought about the divine rule by virtue of his messianic activity and destiny, not with a display of imperial power, courtroom rhetoric, intellectual superiority, political cunning or dazzling self-promotion, but rather in the utmost submission of his life… (p. 184)
All truly apostolic ministry is thus a representation of Christ’s diakonia to the Church: the ordained diaconate must in turn be a radical representation of this ministry of all Christians.
Conclusion
In this lecture I have touched upon ten themes which I think are worthy of continued reflection amongst you in your national convention and thereafter. I thank-you again for this invitation to join you in this time you are having together. I will conclude with a last thought from Cardinal Kasper:
spiritually motivated, well-trained deacons, employed in meaningful tasks, are a necessity for the Church today. They are neither substitutes for a parish priest nor social workers. They represent the deacon Jesus Christ in a sacramental manner, bringing into our world the love of God, which the Holy Spirit has poured out into our hearts (Rom 5:5). They are pioneers of a new “civilization of love.” They are a blessing for the Church and for the people entrusted to us. This is why we must press on with renewal of diaconia and of the diaconate, translating ever more fully into the reality of ecclesial life the impetus given by the Holy Spirit through Vatican II. (p. 44)
BEC – A Model of Being Church
BEC – A Model of
By Fr. Sim Sunpayco, S.J.
Our discussion is about the Church itself and not merely about a Church organization. We are familiar with the Church in its units: the parish with priests as pastors, the diocese with the bishop, then the universal Church with the pope as chief shepherd.
The Vatican II document on the Church [Lumen Gentium] presents it as a mystery. Mystery is a truth and a reality that cannot be fully understood or explained by the human mind. But God gives us a glimpse or some understanding of a mystery.
We look at two dimensions of the Church to help our understanding of, and the way we tell people or explain to them the mystery, that is, the Church. First, the nature, life of the Church, presented in three ways or aspects [models]: (a) Mystical Body [refers to the
interior or spiritual life of the Church. We are all like living parts of the BODY with
CHRIST as the HEAD]. (b) People of God [clergy and laity: are the members of the
Church in the world] (c) Institution of religion, with its own creed [body of doctrine and beliefs], code [laws and regulations administered by the hierarchy, pope, bishops and priests], cult [way of worship, and ceremonies].
The Jesuit theologian, Cardinal Avery Dulles, calls these aspects models of the Church. There are other models, other ways of presenting the mystery of the Church. We choose these three commonly used descriptions in this discussion about the life and nature of the Church. Second, the work or mission of the Church. The Church shares and carries out
the same mission as the mission of Christ. This is to proclaim the good news of the
is different from the others; needs, problems and challenges are different. Blocks to the establishment of the of God are also not the same. The Church employs different methods, structures, priorities in its mission of evangelization. Otherwise it will not be relevant or effective: different questions, different answers, different sickness, different
medicine. And there is analysis before solutions, like diagnosis before treatment!
The different forms and methods assumed and used by the Church to be effective in carrying out its mission with and for Christ are also called by a theologian from Latin-America, Fr. Jose Marins, “model” or way of being Church for its mission of evangelization. The model of church described by Avery Dulles, S.J. refers to the life and
nature of the Church. This is always the same in all places at all times. Anywhere,
everywhere, at any period of history theChurch is always 1) the Mystical Body of
Christ, 2) the People of God, 3) an institution of religion to articulate, regulate and
celebrate the Faith. But the same Church must assume different ways of being Church, live and use new ways and methods of evangelization. These models of evangelization are changed to meet different situations in different places and at different periods of
history. .
A Glimpse at Significant Models Assumed by the Evangelizing Church in History
33 – 100 After Pentecost the early Christians formed a Church of small communities
of love and sharing, written about in the Acts and Pauline letters [e.g. Acts 2:41–47]. The precursor and paragon of our Small Caring Groups and B.E.C.
100 – 300 During the persecution the most heroic way of proclaiming the good news of God’s Kingdom [evangelization] was to give witness to the Faith unto death. This was the Church of the Martyrs; prominently found in the Catacombs.
300 – 600 After the persecution the Christians came out from hiding and organized their creed + code + cult; the beginning of the Institutional model of Church, hierarchical, bringing gospel values, evangelizing
600 – 1300 The tribal “barbarians” of
much of Roman civilization. Converted to Christianity the evangelizing work of the monks focused on the economic life of the nomadic people: teaching them in the monasteries how to settle down, to build their houses, to raise domestic animals, to plant crops, to read and write, to pray. This was the Monastic Model of being Church.
1300 – 1600 When most of
1600 – 1960 With power came wealth, that, brought corruption into the monasteries,
and up to the papacy. There was rebellion: the so-called Reformers protested against the power of the bishops, got rid of the sacraments, denied Catholic doctrine, founded their own sects. The very existence of the Church was threatened. In reaction to this, the Church closed itself and became defensive against the Protestants [katolikosarado].
Uniformity was imposed all over the world: the Church became “Roman”, Latin was its language even in the liturgy. People all over the world; liturgical vestments and style were as they were in
change was considered sinful. Whereas in past ages evangelization was to bring the good news to the economic, political and cultural life of the people, at this time the main preoccupation was the creed, code, cult, of religion, the domain of the clergy, controlling activities mostly inside churches. Colonization that accompanied evangelization developed for it a favored clientele, [mga suki] the well-to-do, those in position of power and authority, schooleducated elite. Such are the characteristics of the Parish model of being Church that lasted 400 years and still in tension with aggiornamento’s renewal and reform.
1960 till the end of time. The HolySpirit of the Risen Lord blows and inspires the People of God where and how it chooses. It was in 1958 that Giuseppe Angelo Cardinal Roncalli who never left his grassroots orientation, was elected Pope and convened Vatican II in 1962. But for many years before that he had observed “the women liberation movement”,
witnessed colonies clamoring for independence, labor and peasant unions demanding
fair treatment and justice from their employers, participation in the affairs that affect their life. Pope John XXIII read in them the signs of the times: women and men aspiring for dignity, for a share in the fruit of their labor, for freedom and justice to be fully human: for social transformation, not merely personal conversion and salvation of souls. But in all this the Church was “locked up in the sacristy” in endless war with Protestants over the creed-codecult of religion, over the mysteries of the faith which were beyond their human understanding. Then in spite of progress in means of travel, of communication, in the social and psychological sciences, advance in technology [or because of them] humanity suffered in two world wars, was trembling in the Cold War between the East and the West. There were two
millions were homeless and refugees! But did He not promise “I will be with you
till the end of time”; hence, Pope John’s optimism. Pope John XXIII ordered the
Holy Spirit, urged on dialogue with non- Catholics, cooperation with all people of
good will for peace and unity, for total human development; for enculturation, adaptation of the expression and celebration of faith-life to the culture and language of the people: aggiornamento [return to the sources, renew inspiration, reform methods, update the Church], [ecclesia simper reformanda]—in an era of permanent change The hour has come! The Holy Spirit unleashed its power over human resistance to change. Inspired
by Pope John’s optimism other people in and outside the Church introduced movements
that over the years updated the Church and made its evangelizing mission more effective: New approaches to biblical studies, Catholic Action, Legion of Mary, Cursillo, Better World Movement, Family Life Apostolate, Charismatic Renewal. In the
Parish and BEC—
Independently of one another Small Communities began to appear in some countries of South America, Africa and in Mindanao with these characteristics: 1) composed of lay people in small communities, 2) mostly from the poor and lower class, 3) coming for fellowship—friendship, sharing and caring, 4) listening to the Word of God, 5) planning action to attend to their needs and the needs of others and 6) praying together. Not all of them profess or live up to all the six qualities mentioned above. Some carry strong religious or liturgical orientation, others with more projects [developmental], still others adding justice issues, with or without ideologies. They also are called by different names:
B. C .C. - Basic Christian Community BCC-Co - Basic Christian Community –Community Organizing B. E. C.s - Basic Christian Communities [plural, many small units] M. S. K. - Munting Sambayanang Kristiyano: M. P. K. - Munting [Mumunting]
Pamayanang Kristiyano G. K. K. - Gagmay [Ginagmay] Kristohanong Katilingban
KRIS-KA - Kristohanong Kasilinganan, - Cebuano ; [Kasilingan - Ilongo], Kistiyanong Kapitbahayan – Tagalog; Christian Neighborhood Community These are small units, no exact size but small enough for easier sharing, big enough to have enough resources for their needs in their life and work as small communities: “igo-igo ka daku”.—just the
right size!”— “katamtaman ang laki.”
They are SMALL COMMUNITIES that also are COMMUNITIES of the “SMALL” not in stature but in status, the marginalized poor in economic, political, cultural and religious institutions. We identify three types of these Small Caring Groups: 1) Six to nine families in the same neighborhood called in some places KRISKA ‘selda’; since it’s not monastic or the prison cell, better if “celula” is used— living cell of an organism! 2) Six to 12 individuals from the same SECTOR, students, teachers, vendors, drivers [sectoral].
3) Prayer Groups: some of them in remote chapels gathering for Liturgy of the Word.
The 1968 Medellin Conference of the
on Evangelization, the 1979 Puebla Conference in
The
G. S. K. Gagmay Simabahanong Katilingban. In English: B. E. C. Basic Ecclesial Community - - - - [singular] In Tagalog: S. M. S. Simbahang Maliliit na Sambayanan o kaya M. S. S. Maliliit na Sambayanang Simbahan Their essential elements: 1) community 2) ecclesial, 3) new way of being Church.
1) COMMUNITY – KATILINGBAN – SAMBAYANAN: Not just people living
or working together in a place, but Christian Community, people knowing, caring
for one another as friends in the Lord: a socialization of Trinitarian life, thus becoming
truly God’s likeness.
2) ECCLESIAL – CHURCH (SIMBAHAN in Tagalog and Cebuano). (1) Faith-life in Christ: (2) Filled with Gifts of the Holy Spirit, (3) Listening to the Word of God (4) Nourished by the Sacraments & the Eucharist (5) With Bishops [& priests] as Servant–Leaders [Pastors] (6) under the tender care of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Both Church models, parish & new way must be community and church [ecclesial]. But one of them is “BASIC” and the other “traditional PARISH”. Most parishes now display some of the characteristics of the new way of being Church. But take note: B.E.C. is CHURCH, “sacrament” of the
and was perfect [love] in Him on the Cross; but among us it is still in process. . .Aggiornamento, resulting in B. E. C... The Parishes follows a similar process: alreadybut- not yet!
The Dream: Confusion and Problems: The Challenge
This article has no more pages left to say something about the spirituality of B.E.C. or to return to the 1991 PCP II crafted Vision-Mission of the Church of the Philippines which now seems to be a “hidden secret”, pinakatagong lihim, in the Church. Ten years later in 2001, The National Pastoral Consultation on Church Renewal evaluated and lamented our failure to implement PCP II Acts and Decrees. But the N.P.C.C.R. also failed to ignite our fervor to do so. For brevity the confusions and problems will be presented as challenges and what obviously are the responses [perspiration with inspiration] will hopefully bring about the ideal [aspiration] . . .
1) B.E.C. is considered as an organization and worse, carrying with it a “new canonicalism” or legalism: “those who are not members of our B.E.C. may not have
their babies baptized nor may they stand as baptismal sponsors.”—more Catholic
than the pope—when the new way of being Church should be more compassionate,
and more friendly, even with non-Catholics.
2) “But the rich are also poor”. There are three kinds of poor: (a) the morally poor
[sinner vs. saints], (b) the marginally poor [the least, last, lost, helpless, hopeless—
Christ’s preferences and our priority], (c) the evangelically poor [no luxury, with
less wants while attending to basic needs, diligent in work, generous in sharing, available
for service, dependence for effectivity on the power of the Word and the Holy Spirit, not on one’s own expertise, or latest gadgets.]
3) Newly ordained priests are invited by well-to-do friends to bless, offer Mass,
give talks, etc. How can they refuse good people asking them to do good things? No
such invitation from the marginalized poor. Sooner or later one has no more time, nor
energy, nor desire to go to the poor for their conscientization, evangelization and
formation into Small Caring Groups.
4) Seminarians are trained to pray in the seminary setting; assisted by schedules, routine atmosphere conducive to silent study and reflection with duly appointed spiritual directors and rector to look after their formation. After ordination they are on their own, with people and relatives claiming their attention and time: in conventos at times full of relatives, with annual retreats that at times look like jamborees or spiritual tourism. Nobody denies that solid prayer life is essential to a dedicated priesthood, but too often it is taken for granted; only presumed to be all right. Hence crisis of faith, of celibacy, of
authority, of permanent commitment, producing stray shepherds for the “assist
program.”
5) To live and act as shepherds of the Small Caring Groups priests must always renew a deep commitment to the person of Christ and involvement in His mission and priorities. If only they join their flock in regular and consistent dialogue of life [with
the poor and youth as priority] instead of merely waiting for them in the church to be
“hatched”, “matched”, “dispatched”— bunyag, kasal, lubong. Time and persevering
efforts are needed for the training of Parish Formation Teams and Small Caring Group leaders. Prayer Life of the priests and of the people will be a real Spirit-given gift when Small Caring Groups have their regular prayer sessions joined in by their pastors who go around the neighborhoods visiting and joining them.
6) Dangers: (a) the bishop’s priority of providing inspiration, guiding formation and coordination gives in to his becoming a decoration in festive events. (b) When reshuffled in the parishes, the first thing a new pastor does is to erase the memory of his predecessor—thus sowing again confusion among the people.
7) Needed is the political will of the bishop to implement the Acts and Decrees of PCP II. The Vision-Mission Statement of the Philippine Church must be resuscitated and not replaced by another vision-mission. All his priests must agree to study, to implement the same vision-mission, the same triple thrust: (a) to become a community of disciples, (b) a Church of the poor, (c) engaged in integral evangelization in every parish, assisted by all the schools, organizations and movements in the diocese without exception—even by the nuns in cloister. Together they produce the essentials of a Christ-centered, holistic,
ongoing formation process. Every priest is assigned to a vicariate or deanery or district, primarily to organize a Parish Formation Team in his own parish. Once a month the deanery with all its priests and a couple of lay formators gather for a whole day recollection-meeting for sharing reports of pastoral priorities, reflection and evaluation, planning and praying as partners of Christ in His mission of Evangelization by means of Small Caring Groups. Irony: good priests with good people doing good things are blocks to B.E.C. if the good they do are according to the Council of Trent, not according to Vatican II and PCP II!
Promoting and Forming Basic Ecclesial Communities
Promoting and Forming
Basic Ecclesial
Communities:
Problems and Prescriptions
Fr. Amado L. Picardal, CSsR, STD
One of the significant developments in the Church after Vatican II is the emergence of Basic Ecclesial communities (BECs) in various parts of the world including the
The promotion and formation of BECs is one of the means of renewing the Church which was the aim of Vatican II. The communitarian vision of the Church as Communion and as People of God—a priestly, prophetic kingly people—has made it possible for BECs to emerge. The Second Plenary Council of the
people, and as the Church of the Poor—a church that is renewed—is today finding expression in one ecclesial movement. This is the movement to foster Basic Ecclesial Communities.” (PCP II, 137) PCP II has further decreed that the formation of BECs be “vigorously promoted in urban and rural areas in the
For some dioceses the BECs as envisioned by PCP II is already a reality. For others it remains a dream. In the course of promoting and forming BECs, a lot of problems and concerns have emerged that need to be addressed.
Problems and Concerns
1. Sustainability. Many BECs that have been formed could not be sustained, especially when the parish priests who initiated them were transferred and those who took their place were not supportive. This was also the case, when external pastoral agents who helped form BECs were gone. Some BECs have a ningas cogon mentality. The members were very enthusiastic at the start but they lost interest after a while.
2. Attendance and participation. There are BECs, where only a few actively participate in the ongoing activities (e.g. the weekly bible-service and biblesharing). Most of those who attend are women. The men and young people are seldom seen. Attendance and participation may increase during community masses and during fiesta, Christmas and Holy Week.
3. Policies and Sanctions. In order to ensure maximum attendance and participation, some dioceses especially in some parts of
4. Leadership. Some BECs have leaders who are incompetent and lacking in commitment. Others have leaders who are very authoritarian and dictatorial. Some are acting like “pari-pari” or little-priests, falling into a new form of clericalism of lay leaders. The leaders lack team-work. Many don’t go out of their way to reach out to the members and to encourage them. Others resort to policies and sanctions to assert
their authority.
5. Relations with Lay Organizations, Movements and Associations (LOMAS). In many cases the relationship between BECs and lay organizations, movements and associations
(LOMAs) tend to be problematic. Some members of LOMAs regard BECs as
just another organization and because of this there is no need to participate in
the BECs since they already belong to an organization. Others claim that their
organizations can be considered as BECs—so again there is no need to be members of the BECs in their neighborhood or village. In some cases, members of BECs who become members of LOMAs stop participating in their BECs. Consequently, a spirit of antagonism and competition prevails between BECs and LOMAs.
6. Responding to Social Concerns and Issues. Many BECs remain inwardlooking
communities that lack social concern. Their activities revolve around bible-sharing and liturgical celebrations. They do not respond to social problems and issues that they
face—e.g. poverty, hunger, criminality, injustice, armed conflict, the destruction
of the environment, etc. These BECs feel helpless in the midst of poverty and armed conflict. They are either incapable of addressing these concerns or they think that BECs
should only focus on spiritual concerns.
7. Understanding the vision and nature of BECs. Many practitioners and members of BECs do not have an adequate understanding of the vision and nature of BECs. There are many who associate BECs exclusively with the small group or cell, composed of six to
ten members, who gather weekly to reflect on the word of God. The BEC becomes just an activity (bible-reflection) or that small exclusive group. With this understanding of
BECs, any small group can be considered as BECs—the small cells in the neighborhood,
inside the classrooms, within the seminary, a small prayer group (SPG) or the CFC
household unit. The focus is on the smallness, rather than community dynamics and
ecclesiality. Most of these problems and concerns are interrelated. The problems of sustainability and poor participation in BECs may be the result of problematic
leadership, the use of coercive policies and sanctions, problematic relationship
with LOMAs, failure to respond to social concerns and inadequate understanding of
the vision and nature of BECs.
10 Prescriptions for Forming Sustainable BECs
In view of the problems and concerns, the following prescriptions may be helpful in the more effective promotion and formation of BECs. These are based on the lessons learned from the setbacks as well as the successes of BECs for the last four decades. These may be helpful for those who are just starting to form BECs and also those who want to revitalize BECs that have become stagnant or dormant.
1. The promotion and formation of BECs should be adopted as the thrust of the local Church, the diocese and the parish. It has to be regarded as a means of renewing the local Church in the spirit of Vatican II and PCP II. Thus, the formation of BECs is not merely optional. It is the obligation of the bishop, the clergy, religious and lay faithful in
every diocese to promote and form these communities. The diocesan commissions (especially worship, education, social action, youth) should be oriented in implementing the BEC thrust.
2. A leveling off regarding the vision and nature of BECs needs to be done. The PCP II provides a holistic vision of BECs—community of disciples, living in communion, participating in the mission of Christ as a prophetic (evangelizing), priestly (worshipping), and kingly (serving) communities and the Church of the Poor. The BEC must be understood as a way of life or culture— a communitarian way of living the Christian life where there is communion (a sense of belonging, participation and
sharing) among the members, where they come together regularly to reflect on the Word of God and to celebrate their faith in the liturgy, and where they work together for social transformation— for total human development, peace, justice and the integrity of creation. The BEC should be understood as the community in a locality which may be composed of cells and family groupings that are interconnected. It has to be seen as the most local expression of the Church at the grassroots, village and neighborhood.
3. A BEC parish formation team has to be formed for each parish. Imbibing the BEC culture, filled with missionary dynamism and adequately trained, this team can assist the parish priest in the formation of BECs. Team-work between the priest and the members of the formation team is very important. They need to regularly come together for planning, monitoring and evaluation.
4. A Pastoral/Strategic Plan for the parish must be drawn up by the parish priest, parish formation team and selected lay leaders. This pastoral plan includes the vision-mission, an external and internal analysis of the parish (SWOT analysis), goals, strategy selection, operational plans, monitoring, and evaluation mechanism.
5. A renewed evangelization is an essential component in the formation or revitalization
of BECs. The BEC is the fruit of evangelization and corresponding personal conversion that the members need to undergo. The parish should not rely on coercive policies and sanctions to evoke the active participation of the lay faithful in the BECs. An evangelization program for communities, families, men and youth should be drawn up.
6. Lay organizations, movements and associations should be given orientation on BEC and encouraged to actively participate in the formation of BECs in their village or neighborhood.
7. BEC Core groups should be formed in each village or barangay. They will function as light, leaven and salt in the midst of the community. Filled with missionary dynamism
they can help in the ongoing evangelization and in the expansion of the BEC. From among them will emerge the leaders of the community. A leadership formation program
should be set up at the parish level. This program should promote a participatory type of servantleadership. The commitment and competence of the leaders should be developed
as well as their teamwork. They should eventually function as the council of leaders.
8. In large villages or barangays, as the BECs expand and more people become active, it may be helpful to subdivide the community into cells or family groupings. This can
facilitate close relationship among the members. The cells should have their own
regular gatherings. The cells should be linked together and understood as part of the BEC.
9. Regular/sustainable activities and structures should be introduced to facilitate the growth of BECs as witnessing, worshipping, and serving communities. This may include weekly bible-reflection in the homes for cells or family groupings, weekly bible-service or liturgy of the word in the chapel for the whole community, monthly or bi-monthly BEC mass, monthly general assembly, etc. These regular activities should help deepen
the bond of unity and friendship among the members and help develop the BEC culture. The WESTY (worship, education, service/social action, temporalities, youth) committees may be set up at the BEC/Barangay level as well as the parish level. Neighboring BECs should be linked as zones. The BEC zones should be represented in the Parish Pastoral Council.
10. The BECs should eventually be mobilized to engage in renewed social apostolate. This means developing their social awareness and their capability to respond to the pressing social concerns (poverty, injustice, armed conflict, destruction of the environment, etc.). If necessary, the BECs should help develop livelihood projects that can help in poverty-alleviation, set up peace zones in areas of armed conflict, resist logging and mining operations, help in reforestation projects, participate in prayer rallies
in support of the CBCP or NASSAinitiated nationwide campaigns, change the political culture at the grassroots level. In this way John Paul II’s vision of BECs becomes a reality: “They take root in less privileged and rural areas, and become a leaven of Christian life, of care for the poor, and of commitment to the transformation of society” (Redemptoris Missio 51). Ultimately, BECs can only be sustained if they truly become a way of life for the lay faithful and if they can truly respond to their needs—whether material, social, spiritual. These communities can make a difference—in renewing the Church and transforming Philippine society.