By Father Peter Choy Wai-man
After the Second Vatican Council, the identity and role of the laity in the Church was reaffirmed and given new importance. For example, the Diocese of Hong Kong has actively involved them in Church affairs, sharing many of the responsibilities of the communities and carrying out evangelisation tasks. At the parish management level, lay people can participate directly, lead parish work, and make decisions by forming a parish council. Participating in family visitation, hospital chaplaincy, hospice care, prison visitation, and social concern groups, laity can serve as witnesses of love in society. The variety of their ministries is diverse and innovative.
In addition, the participation of lay people is not only at the parish level, but also in overseas missionary work. In the late 1980s, the Hong Kong Catholic Lay Missionary Association was established in the diocese to nurture and send local lay people to serve in overseas missions. From the active participation of these lay people, it is evident that they are aware that they have become part of the Church through baptism, and that they participate in the mission of Christ in different ways in the Church.
In May last year, Pope Francis issued the apostolic letter, Antiquum ministerium [Ancient Ministry], in which he stressed the importance of catechists in the development of the Church from ancient times to the present, and proposed that the local Church revitalise the role of lay people as catechists. In response to the pope’s appeal, the diocese set up an ad-hoc working group to formulate the formation process, to define the standard and content of the ministry, and to design the most appropriate service to respond to the needs of the present Church community, so that the called lay people can carry out this ecclesial task with their gift of the Holy Spirit.
The ministry of catechists is not new to the Church in Hong Kong. The role of catechists has evolved from the early days when there were a few full-time teachers to today’s approximately 2,000 volunteers serving as teachers in catechism classes and Sunday schools.
Some people have questioned the difference between the duties of the newly established ministry of catechists and the current volunteer teachers in catechism classes and Sunday schools. Why is it necessary to add the new ministry if there is no difference? Will the ministry institutionalise and complicate the current simple service, stifling the flourishing development?
Some believe the difference lies in the public acceptance of the office and that the ministry was created to emphasise the Church’s public acceptance. If that is the case, all volunteer teachers currently serving in catechism classes will have to become catechists. Otherwise, their role will be unclear.
Thus, instituting the ministry of lay catechists is not primarily for strengthening and institutionalising the current catechetical work or recognising their status or qualifications. Instead, the new ministry affirms the gift of vocation lay people have received by accepting them as catechists in the Church. Through their openness to the ministry and the acceptance of the Church, they will receive the necessary formation and have the chance to further develop their gift. In the process of building up the Church, they will deepen their relationship with the Church and become an integral part of the Church’s ministry.
