His name is Lawrence Stephens. He is one of the only two lay persons (read: non-ordained) in the world who have been appointed as General Secretary of a Bishops’ Conference. I interviewed Lawrence about his experiences as General Secretary of the Bishops’ Conference of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands. We also talked about the special role of the laity in the church.
In the Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity, Pope Paul VI , proclaimed that the acitivity of the laity “is so necessary within the Church communities that without it the apostolate of the priests is often unable to achieve its full effectiveness”. In this episode you will also hear an alternative Christian song entitled “Proclaim”.
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Role of the Laity in the Church (MP3 download 18Mb)
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Gospel Acclamation of the Day: "You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy people. Praise God who called you out of darkness and into his marvelous light." (1 Pt 2:9)
Well, i find this podcast loaded with humility and gratitude. To know that the Church recognizes the fact that laymen & women play an important role to achieve effectiveness in the church is something. And to know that there is indeed someone, a layman, who has become a general secretary of a Bishop’s conference is encouraging. Long live to those who serve the Church, ordained or otherwise.
everything’s great and gosh, i like the song and the accompaniment-the drums put me on high, the lyrics are great!!!!!
Congratulations, since your blog has been chosen as the blog of the week! Wow! Lahi ra gyud! I am also happy and proud of you and your mission. I am also inspired of this role of the Laity in the church. I am now in Reggio Calabria for my one month exposure with the migrants and this is my third day of my stay. I already observed that the migrants here especially the filipinos and the polish people are so active in the church activities. They are really missionaries of faith. I’ll share with you my experience here as I finish my exposure. I love the people here and the place, too. Let’s continue to pray for our missions with the laity who continue to spread the Good news. Thanks and God bless! Padayon.
Hello man0y! Just droppin’ by to say hi! Hi!