The Emerging Laity

Download or read book The Emerging Laity written by Aurelie A. Hagstrom and published by Paulist Press. This book was released on 2010 with total page 148 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of the best-kept secrets in the church is the story of the emergence of the Catholic laity from "pray, pay, and obey" passive spectators to men and women assuming their rightful roles in liturgy, ministry, and other church functions. This evolution is not merely a response to the ever dwindling number of priests and thus the need for others to assume these functions, but is primarily a recognition of the laity's call to serve through the sacrament of baptism in which they all share. In this well-researched book, Aurelie Hagstrom describes the emergence of the laity during the twentieth century and presents a compelling theology of the laity based on scripture, on a renewed understanding of the sacrament of baptism and, especially, on the great watershed in church thinking brought about by the Second Vatican Council. She assures Catholic lay persons that their everyday lives are the "stuff" by which they attain a holiness that is as valid as that lived by clergy and religious. Book jacket.