THE FUTURE OF ECCLESIAL MINISTRY

1 Emmanuel Akpobolokemi

THE FUTURE OF ECCLESIAL MINISTRY

Introduction: Scope, Limitation and Purpose of Essay

Ecclesial ministry, which is a continuation of the ministry

and mission of Christ, has undergone continuous evolution from the

inception of the Christian faith till date. In the early church,

both ordained and lay ministries abound: but with the passage of

time, ecclesial ministry, for many reasons, was gradually reduced

to ordained ministry (which took a more cultic dimension) such

that the laity did almost nothing in the Church for centuries.

However, the Second Vatican Council with its emphasis on

ecclesiology of communion and common baptismal priesthood ushered

in a new era of ecclesial ministry, involving the active

participation of the laity. From an almost exclusively “in persona

Christi”, “alter Christus” understanding, the priest is now more

understood in terms of “in persona ecclesiae” or “repraesentatio ecclesiae”

with implications for the priestly life, role and identity.

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This calls for a new approach to the formation of ecclesial

ministers, taking into consideration the complex dimensions of the

human person. The relevance of this new approach is more visible

when we consider the many challenges facing ecclesial ministry

currently and in the recent past, some of which will be reflected

on this paper. In the light of the above, this article will have

as its focus the formation of ecclesial ministers from a person

centered perspective. Of the four areas of formation, spiritual

and human formation will be given primary focus. For want of

space, other areas of ecclesial ministry like the historical

development and evolution of ecclesial ministry, the ecclesiology

and understanding of Priesthood in Vatican II, and the evolution

of lay ministry in the post-conciliar church will not be discussed

in this brief article.

My thesis statement is: Looking at the history of the

practice of and formation for ecclesial ministry and current

practices, authentic spiritual and human formation is a “sine qua

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non” for future effective ecclesial ministry. It is my contention

that unless both those in charge of formation and the candidates

for formation themselves, pay serious attention to spiritual and

human formation, the future of ecclesial ministry will be

jeopardized. These two areas are the pillars upon which formation

for ministry stands. This article will limit itself to the

following areas: meaning and nature of ecclesial ministry,

challenges and problems facing ecclesial ministry, spiritual and

human formation for ecclesial ministers as solution to the

challenges (lay, religious and ordained), and implications for

different categories of persons and conclusion. The ecclesial

documents for priestly formation, especially Pastores Dabo Vobis of

John Paul II, the United States Bishop’s Conference documents on

formation and Luisa M. Saffiotti’s “Forming Ministers for the

Twenty-First Century” among others will be quite helpful as they

shed significant light on the areas of formation for ecclesial

ministers.

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MEANING AND NATURE OF ECCLESIAL MINISTRY

Different people have construed ecclesial ministry in

different ways. However, certain features cut across the

definitions and descriptions offered by many scholars. Yves Congar

in his defining features of ecclesial ministry highlights the

following: an essential service that is peculiar to the church (e.

g. catechesis, celebration, and diaconia), stability which may or

may not be life-long, and recognition by the highest authority (if

possible by the bishop of the Local Church). 1 In Lennan Richard,

the following features among others emerge: activity that

witnesses to the reign of God inaugurated by Christ and carried

out after his model as teacher, healer, reconciler, through the

power of the Holy Spirit and directed to building up the communion

of disciples for mission (ad intra and ad extra), grounded in

baptism and orders, inseparable from call and discernment both by

1 Fifty Years of Catholic Theology: Conversations with Yves Congar, ed. Bernard Lauret, tr. J Bowden (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1988), p. 65-67.

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the individual and the community, endorsed by ecclesial

recognition, requiring co-responsibility and collaboration in its

practice, nurtured by ‘word and sacrament’ in the worshipping

community, thus serving as stimulus for the ongoing conversion of

the minister and formalized in enduring historical structures that

are open to continuing development.2

Similarly, from the perspectives of “the priority of the

baptismal call of the Christifideles, the church’s call to mission in

the world, and the church as an ordered communion”,3 Richard

Gaillardetz defines ecclesial ministry as: “…any and all

ministries that, once formally undertaken, draw one into a new

ecclesial relationship within the life of the church; in

undertaking an ordered ministry, one is ecclesially re-

positioned”. 4 2 Richard Lennen, Notes Given in Class on the Course: TMST8017 Ecclesial Ministry (BostonCollege- School of Theology and Ministry, Spring Semester, 2015).

3 Richard R. Gaillardetz, “The Theological Foundations of Ministry within an Ordered Communion,” in Ordering the Baptismal Priesthood: Theologies of Lay and Ordained Ministry, ed. Susan Wood (Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2003), 31.4 Richard R. Gaillardetz, “The Ecclesiological…”p. 36. Cf. also Thomas O’Merra, Theology of Ministry, rev. ed. (New York/Mahwah: Paulist, 1999) p. 141.

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Ecclesial ministry flows from the ministry and mission of

Christ and the Holy Spirit, who were sent on mission by the

Father. It continues the ministry of Jesus and it is enlivened by

the power of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, it has as its paradigm

the ministerial model of Christ who came to serve in loving

humility. Just as the ministry of the church is a continuation of

the ministry of Christ, the ecclesial minister, chosen from the

community, has no ministry of his/her own distinct from that of

the church. The ultimate goal of ecclesial ministry is to see that

the community of disciples is enabled to live out their Christian

discipleship in a more authentic way through “internalization of

the enduring values of the Christian tradition”5, that finally

ends in eternal communion with God and the blessed in heaven.

Also, ecclesial ministry is not limited to ordained ministry as

Gaillardetz observed when he states: “Ordered church ministry is a

reality broader than the ministry of the ordained (though

5 Peter Chirico, “Pastoral ministry in the Church in the Light of the Critical Priest Shortage,” in The Clergy Review 69 (1984): 79-87.

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inclusive of it) and narrower than Christian discipleship”.6

Finally, ministry flows from mission and is at the service of

mission. The ministry of the church is at the service of the

church’s mission. And while all the baptized are called to share

in the church’s mission, not all are called to its ministry. 7

SOME CHALLENGES IN ECCLESIAL MINISTRY IN RECENT TIMES

In this section, I wish to highlight briefly some of the

challenges that are encountered both in the past and present in

ecclesial ministry, ordained and non-ordained, but with more focus

on the ordained ministry.

1. Poor collaborative attitudes: One fundamental problem in

ecclesial ministry is poor collaborative attitudes. Some of the

6 Richard Gailladetz, “The Ecclesiological foundations…” p. 36.7Richard Lennan, class note.

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negative elements experienced include adversarial attitudes, where

parties see themselves as rivals rather than working together for

a common purpose, stereotypes, lack of continuity in parish work

team as a new priest comes on board, fear among priests and others

that collaboration will undermine their priestly identity, and

financial pressure.8 When the relationship between priest and

religious and non-ordained is characterized by coldness, suspicion

and rivalry, there is bound to be tension and retrogression. Often

while the ordained is adequately catered for, non-ordained like

catechists who are on full time ministry are acutely under

remunerated. This happens sometimes even when the means to ensure

just remuneration and training is available. The lay minister

therefore cannot give his/her best.

2. Psychological Imbalance: This is a situation whereby ministers

are not psychologically integrated or balanced, carrying

psychological baggage, which interferes considerably with their

capacity to attend meaningfully and substantially to beyond their8 Bishops Conference of England and Wales, The Sign We Give (1995).

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own personal issues. Such imbalance reveals itself in the

following among others as Luisa M. Saffiotti puts it:

…lack of a clear personal identity, emotional andrelational immaturity, low self esteem, personalityproblems, histories of interpersonal trauma, low-gradedepression, issues of loss, fear of discomfort andinsecurity, a tendency toward conformity and harmavoidance, absence of models of fidelity andperseverance in their lives and difficulty trustingthat fulfillment can indeed come through healthy self-sacrifice and dedication to ideals of service.9

The psychologically sick individual develops a false self who

acts from a sense of deprivation and impingement, carries a

feeling of alienation or superficiality, and so does not

experience a sense of authenticity. They act as if they are

morally superior to others; project inferiority into their

subjects in manners of control, domination, demand for

unquestionable obedience, exploitation and abuse of vulnerable

ones. Such personalities of narcissistic pathology do exhibit

notable visible grandiosity, but underneath is a cover over a

9 Luisa M. Saffiotti “Forming Ministers For The Twenty-Firstcentury” in Human Development 26, (2005) p. 11.

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split-off sense of worthlessness and damaged self-esteem.10 Such

ministers abound in the pastoral field with negative impact on the

apostolate. Fighting, quarrelling, anger and dissention accompany

such a figure in life. Imagine a parish priest attacking the

parishioners from the pulpit instead of proclaiming the message of

salvation to them. In this way such priests have depopulated

parishes and it is difficult to change such attitudes.

3. Sexual Abuse: One of the plagues that devastated the church in

the west is the clerical sex abuse scandal. Through it many

priests and religious have been dismissed from active service, and

parishes and church properties have been sold to settle cases of

abuse. Both the clergy and laity are thoroughly embarrassed,

broken and humiliated by such events. In the words of Gerard J.

McGlone,

10 Cataldo Lisa M., “Being a Minister and Doing: A PsychologicalApproach”, in Reflections on Renewal: Lay Ecclesial Ministry and the Church, ed. DonnaEschenauer and Harold Daly Horell (Collegeville: Michael Glazier, 2011)p. 91, 93, 96.

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They (clergy) reported shattered images ofministry and priesthood, lost hopes and dreams,about who they saw themselves to be and what theyhad hoped their leadership to be in the face ofsuch horrible betrayals and tragedies. Time aftertime, they lamented most especially the brokentrust between themselves and their bishops,between themselves and the leadership of Rome, andthe shattered trust among themselves as priestsand those they serve in their apostolic works.11

The abuse story reveals the psychological and emotional immaturity

of some ecclesial ministers. It has thoroughly disfigured the

church and its ministry, indeed becomes an object of scorn for its

enemies to ridicule. Regrettably, many ministers have not learnt

from these ugly experiences.

4. Lack of Pastoral Zeal: It is crystal clear that many ecclesial

ministers (here, I am particular mostly about priests and

religious), have no zeal for the apostolate or for the salvation

of souls. The time committed to active apostolate is not

commensurate with the hours spent on leisure, watching movies,

11 Gerard McGlone, “The Inner Life of Today’s Celibate,” in The Inner Life of Priests, ed. Gerard McGlone and Len Sperry (Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2012), 83.

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champion leagues and pastorally and spiritually unrewarding

projects. How can priestly ministry be reduced to the less than an

hour time that is spent in the church for mass? There is no

enthusiasm in proclaiming the Life-giving Word of God; lack of

well-prepared homilies; there is lack of spiritual activities that

will boost the spiritual life of parishioners. And this

unfortunate scenario stems from lack of authentic spirituality on

the part of the minister. Intense and mature prayer life is the

soul of the apostolate; so, once this is absent the zeal for the

apostolate withers naturally. The interior life fosters love for

souls, and love for souls inspires zeal for the salvation of

souls; zeal fosters initiatives.

5. Materialism and Lack of Concern for the Poor: The last

challenge or problem I want to address in this essay is the

problem of materialism and lack of concern for the poor or

disinterestedness in the fight for social justice in society.

Materialism has eaten deep into the fabric of the priesthood in

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certain parts of the world, such that if care is not taken, it

will lead to disastrous effects in the future. Associated with

materialism are clericalism and the ambition for higher

ecclesiastical power; hence, the destruction of personalities

through blackmails when for example a new bishop is to be chosen.

Unfortunately many priests are implicated in this vice which St.

Paul calls “the worship of a false god” (Col. 3: 5). Imagine a

priest having many cars at a time, many landed properties like

gigantic storey buildings and business; this of course is in

contrast to the kind of life he is called to live when he now

denies the poor and identifies himself with the rich and powerful,

and so becomes a terrible scandal to the people of God. Often such

wealth is ill gotten or gotten through enslavement of the self to

the “rich and powerful” of society. A materialistic minister

cannot successfully project the reign of God, characterized by

justice, peace, and love.

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AUTHENTIC SPIRITUAL AND HUMAN FORMATION AS “SINE QUA NON” FOR

EFFECTIVE FUTURE ECCLESIAL MINISTRY

Having highlighted some of the challenges to ecclesial

ministry, I will now propose as a solution authentic spiritual and

human formation- for the issues border more on a lack of authentic

spirituality and integrated personality. But before then I will

briefly state the other two key areas of formation: intellectual

and pastoral. It should be noted that intellectual and pastoral

formation are by no means relegated to the background by the brief

attention given to them. Their importance cannot be

overemphasized. However, I want to give primary attention to

spiritual and human formation in this essay; a thorough formation

in these two areas readily leads to good pastoral and intellectual

formation. Moreover, all the areas of formation interpenetrate one

another and none is in isolation.

Intellectual formation: “Intellectual formation seeks to develop

the lay ecclesial minister’s understanding and appreciation of the

Catholic faith, which is rooted in God’s revelation and embodied

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in the living tradition of the Church”.12 This (which applies to

the ordained as well) implies that only candidates that are

intellectually competent to a certain acceptable degree can be

admitted to ecclesial ministry, since the leader must know enough

to lead others. While the chief focus of studies for ministry

should be on the sacred sciences, the human and social sciences

should be taught as well.13

Pastoral Formation: This entails the cultivation of “the

knowledge, attitudes, and skills that directly pertain to

effective functioning in the ministry setting and that also

pertains to pastoral administration that supports direct

ministry”.14 Pastoral formation implies formation for putting into

practical use the knowledge and skills gotten through intellectual

formation. It involves some elements: methods for providing

12 USCCB, Co-Workers in the Vineyard of the Lord: A Resource for Guiding the Development of LayEcclesial Ministry, (Washington DC: United States Conference of CatholicBishops, 2005), p. 42.

13 USCCB, Co-Workers… p. 42, 46.14 USCCB, C0-Workers… p. 47.

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formation for others, leading at community prayer and preaching,

pastoral ministry skills, family mission and family perspective,

effective relationship and communication skills, collaboration,

discernment of the signs of the time, gift discernment and

volunteer ministry management and change, conflict management

skills, basic counseling skills, culture and language studies,

administration skills, leadership and organizational development,

applicable civil law and ministerial code of ethics.15

Spiritual formation: Spiritual formation which has as its aim, “to

arouse and animate true hunger for holiness, desire for union with

the Father through Christ in the Spirit, daily growing in love of

God and neighbor in life and ministry, and the practices of prayer

and spirituality that fosters these attitudes and dispositions”,16

is a basic pillar as far as formation for ecclesial ministry is

concerned. To take this pillar lightly is to ridicule the whole

process of formation for ministry. The reason for this is not far-

15 USCCB, Co-Workers… p. 47-49.16 USCCB, Co-Workers… p. 38.

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fetched: God is the source of ministry and mission and the sole

purpose for ministry is “salus animarum”. But souls can be

adequately approached only with apostolic zeal, and apostolic zeal

comes from God through the interior life. The interior life is a

means through which one seeks union with God and dives deeper into

that union in the process of which the concerns of God become the

concerns of the human person. As God’s heart is full of compassion

and love for his creatures, the human heart too flows with

compassion and love for wretched souls; and as God, driven by this

unfathomable mercy condescended to becoming a human being and

dying for us, so does the heart set on fire with divine love for

souls, follow the path of divine condescension and sacrifices

everything including martyrdom for the salvation of souls. The

most powerful soul-winners in church history were not necessarily

the most intelligent, but the likes of Ss. John Mary Vianney,

Louis Maria de Montfort, Padre Pio, Francis of Assisi, Anthony of

Padua, Mother Theresa of Calcutta, Ignatius of Loyola, Pope John

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Paul II who were spiritual heroes, who spent considerable time

praying, fasting, meditating and doing penance for the flock.

Spiritual formation involves loving people, thus serving them

in humility and disinterested fashion, in imitation of the sacred

heart of Jesus pierced and wounded by divine love for sinners.

17Having encountered the God of love in the interiority of their

being, how could they not invest all their time and life for the

salvation of souls redeemed by the precious blood of their master?

How could they not get converted to the Lord daily? For spiritual

formation “promotes and strengthens that fundamental conversion

that places God, and not oneself, at the center of one’s life.

Openness to this ongoing conversion is a prerequisite for fruitful

spiritual formation”.18 In authentic prayer life, the soul receives

light from the source of light- “... in your light we see light”

(Ps. 36: 9) -; it discerns the emptiness of wealth and harmful

ambitions (of power, authority and fame) and detaches him/herself

17 John Paul II, Post-Synodal Exhortation, Pastores Dabo Vobis (1992), 49.18 USCCB, Co-Workers…p. 38.

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from materialism; it discerns the material and spiritual plight of

people and thus provides for the materially and spiritually needy

(the dimensions of serving with compassion and prophecy, in

poverty and without power is very important; for lack of

compassion, love of wealth and power easily blinds the

conscience),19 while striving to eradicate the structures and

systems of injustice and oppression.

Thus, there should be training for genuine concern for the

poor. But this training should take a practical dimension such

that candidates for formation are made to work in rural

communities, hospitals, refugee camps, and prisons where the poor

and suffering are dramatically encountered. This can lead to

change in disposition, mentality and sharpens one’s concern for

the poor and thus help one to avoid the temptation to greed. In

this light, the words of the United States Catholic Bishops

19 John Sobrino, “The Foundation of all Ministries: Service to the Poor and Victims in a North-South World,” in Ministries in the Church, ed. Susan Ross, Diego Irarrazabal, and Paul Murray (London: SCM, 2010) [Concilium,2010/1], 16.

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Conference are relevant: “When formation program participants

perform corporal or spiritual works of mercy and take action on

behalf of justice, they fulfill the Lord’s command and deepen

their spiritual growth. Prayer and reflection before and after

such activities further enhances growth”.20 I can still vividly

remember the deep impressions hospital visitations and prison

apostolate voluntarily undertaken in seminary days made on me.

Therefore, the antidote to the minister’s greed for possessions is

first, authentic spiritual formation, as John Paul II states:

It is vital to educate future priests to have thevirtue of penance, which the church wiselynourishes in her celebrations and in the seasonsof the liturgical year, and which finds itsfullness in the sacrament of reconciliation. Fromit flow the sense of asceticism and interiordisciple, a spirit of sacrifice and self-denial,the acceptance of hard work and of the cross”.21

Elements of spiritual formation include: a living union with

Christ, spiritual formation built on the word of God, spiritual

20 USCCB, Co-Workers… p. 42.21 John Paul II, Pastores Dabo Vobis, 48.

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formation based on the liturgy especially the sacraments, an

incarnational spirituality of presence and a paschal spirituality

of loving service, an awareness of sin, a spirituality for

suffering, a Marian spirituality, love for the church, an

ecumenical spirit and devotion to the Eucharist: the methods

include daily prayer and spiritual practices, spiritual direction,

faith sharing and theological reflection, the practice of justice

and charity and studying the lives of the saints. 22 A genuine

practice of the spiritual exercise will gradually lead one to

holiness of life. The above clearly reveals the fundamental

relevance of spiritual formation for effective pastoral ecclesial

ministry. As the interior life leads to zeal, so does zeal create

life-giving pastoral initiatives; this zeal for souls also inspire

intellectual maturity and zeal for knowledge: greed, arrogance,

domineering attitudes and slothfulness will gradually be

eradicated from the minister’s life-style.

22 USCCB, Co-Workers… p. 29-42.

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Finally, spiritual formation should take into consideration

the situations of candidates undergoing formation for ecclesial

ministry in such a way that spiritual formation is adapted to the

circumstances of these candidates. Therefore, the particular

situations of lay ministers, most of whom are married or will be

married – their children and other family related issues - should

be considered in forming them spiritually. For, the life and

spirituality of the celibate priest or religious is quite

different from that of the married.

Human formation: Like Jesus the chief diaconia of humanity,

ecclesial ministers are characteristically human in every mortal

sense of the word, including ‘temptation and sin’ as they are

taken from among fellow human beings (cf. Heb. 4: 15). The Program

of Priestly Formation by the United States Catholic Bishops

Conference states: “The human personality of the priest (all

ecclesial ministers) is to be a bridge and not an obstacle for

others in their meeting with Jesus Christ the redeemer of the

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human race. As the humanity of the Word made flesh was the

instrumentum salutis, so the humanity of the priest is instrumental in

mediating the redemptive gifts of Christ to people today”.23 The

human person being formed is a multi-complex being: he/she is

physical, spiritual, psychological, moral, social, emotional and

rational. Human formation entails the wholesome integration of all

these dimensions of the human person; hence, human formation is

considered the foundation for the other three pillars of

formation. As John Paul II states,

The whole work of priestly formation would bedeprived of its necessary foundation if it lackeda suitable human formation… Future priests (allecclesial ministers) should cultivate a series ofhuman qualities, not only out of proper and duegrowth and realization of self, but also with aview to the ministry. These qualities are neededfor them to be a balanced people, strong and free,capable of bearing the weight of pastoralresponsibilities.24

23 USCCB, Program of Priestly Formation, 5th ed. (Washington D.C: United StatesConference of Catholic Bishops, 2006), n. 75, quoting Pastores DaboVobis 43.

24 Pastores Dabo Vobis, 43.

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The urgency of taking this pillar seriously comes to the

fore, when we consider the current practice of ministry in some

places, characterized by control and domination, self-inflicted

tensions, greed, extortion, victimization, sexually criminal

misconducts, collaborative incompetence, superiority complex, and

disregard of authority. There is therefore, the need for

candidates to imbibe noble human qualities. These qualities

according to the document Program for Priestly Formation include: freedom

to be who one is in God’s design, solid moral character with a

finely developed moral conscience, openness to and capability for

conversion, prudence and discernment, communion with real and deep

relational capacities, good communication, affective maturity,

respect, care for and vigilance over one’s own body, freedom from

overt prejudice, willingness to work with people of diverse

cultural backgrounds, good stewardship of material possessions,

and the ability to take on the role of a public person.25 To have

25 USCCB, Program of Priestly Formation, (5th ed.) Washington D.C: United StatesConference of Catholic Bishops, 2006, n. 76..

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these qualities is to be a thoroughly refined person capable of

ministering authentically.

Of particular interest in the above list, is affective

maturity. Future ministers should be formed to control their

emotions especially with regard to human sexuality, with proper

appreciation of the virtues of chastity, continence and practice

of celibacy and virginity. For prospective celibates, and indeed

for all, the words of John Paul II are crucially important:

Since the charism of celibacy, even when it isgenuine and has proved itself, leaves man’saffections and his instinctive impulses intact,candidates to the priesthood need an affectivematurity which is prudent, able to renounceanything that is a threat to it, vigilant overboth body and spirit, and capable of esteem andrespect in interpersonal relationships between menand women.26

In this light, the means to live celibate chastity well-

genuine friendships, priestly fraternity, a mentoring

relationship, spiritual direction, priestly asceticism, the

26 Pastores Dabo Vobis, 44.

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Eucharist and penance- some of which are already reflected in our

discussion on spiritual formation, should be impressed upon the

consciousness of the candidate. Furthermore, the physiological and

psychological dimension of the person should be taking into

consideration. The findings of the social sciences, especially

psychology and sociology, can be very useful in the formation and

discernment process: the relevance of psychological counseling and

psychotherapy cannot be over-emphasized, both in the case of

sexuality and other relational areas of human formation. For as

Lisa M. Cataldo noted,

What humans experience, they experience throughthe body, the brain, the senses, the psychic; wecannot separate our way of speaking about andrelating to God (theology and practice) from ourpsychology any more than we can separate our mindfrom our body…psychoanalytic thought is groundedfirst and foremost in the acknowledgement of theunconscious, that there are desires, wishes,conflicts, and fantasies that influence ourconscious thinking and behavior, is both humblingand freeing”.27

27 Lisa M. Cataldo, “Being a Minister and Doing: A PsychologicalApproach”, in Reflections on Renewal: Lay Ecclesial Ministry and the Church, ed. DonnaEschenauer and Harold Daly Horell (Collegeville: Michael Glazier, 2011)

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Acutely Psychologically unfit, and morally depraved persons

should not be admitted for formation, nor be allowed to continue

formation if practical efforts for transformation are not

discerned. As a person of communion ministering to a community of

believers, relational skills are indispensable: poor human

formation leads to poor relationships and ministry. It takes a

mature minister to develop a mature Christian community. Various

means like instruction, personal reflection, Community life and

feedback, application to the task of seminary life, formation

advisors, mentors and directors, spiritual directors,

psychological counselling are some resources to help in the

process of human formation. 28

Finally, ecclesial ministers should be formed to excel in the

areas of collaborative ministry and cultural competence. In

harmony with the bishops of England and Wales, future ministers

p. 87.

28 Program For Priestly Formation… n. 80.

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should be formed in such a way as to enable them appreciate that

collaboration expresses the communion of the church, that

relationships are as important as the tasks they seek to achieve;

conscious commitment to the values of recognition of shared but

differentiated responsibilities flowing from Christian initiation,

working together in equal terms, the conviction that our different

vocations and gifts are complementary and mutually enriching, and

an agreement that we are accountable to each other.29 Proper

spiritual and human formation is the foundation for a healthy

collaborative ministry. They should also be trained to have

cultural competence, with its four components: knowledge,

awareness, sensitivity and action.30 This will help them to be able

to minister to and work well with people from diverse cultural

background. Here again, the particular circumstances of lay

ecclesial ministers should be paid attention; for the problems,

29 Bishops Conference of England and Wales, The Sign We Give (1995), p.12.30 Len Sperry, “Inner Life and Cultural Competence” in The Inner Life of Priests,ed. Gerard McGlone and Len Sperry (Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2012),p. 62.

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difficulties and joys of family life and other working

circumstances can make or mar ecclesial ministry and vice versa.

Implications for the Candidate for Formation, Bishops,Formators, and the Christian Community

First, apart from the Holy Spirit, the candidate is the most

important agent of formation; therefore, it is mandatory that the

individual takes these and other dimensions of formation most

seriously: since the success of ecclesial ministry and one’s own

happiness depends on it. The person should be frank with him/her

self and should decide to leave if this option seems better after

consultation with those concerned with his/her formation,

especially spiritual directors and counselors.

Second, bishops should also be sending only credible

formators to the seminaries; they should not send psychologically

distorted personalities or sadists that are a problem or threat to

them in the diocese. But unfortunately, this is sometimes the

case. Formators should be accountable, morally responsible,

intellectually sound, spiritually mature and humanly formed to be

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able to help others in their vocation discernment process. A

situation where seminary formation is turned into “antagonistic

experience” between students and formators on account of

formators’ incompetence is terribly appalling. Bishops should

remember that candidates need models as formators, and that they

(bishops) will suffer more in the future should they send their

difficult and malformed priests to the seminaries to form others.

However, they should also appreciate the task of formators.

Third, formators should seek both the good of the church, the

world, and the wellbeing of the person undergoing formation.

Therefore, as Luisa M. Saffiotti suggests,

Formators need to form individuals for awarenessand for dialogue, for openness to conversion. Theyneed to form for a healed, sustainable and robustcapacity to be in relationship and to buildhealthy intimacy-not just a few close friends…they also need to form for embracing all ofcreation, including one’s own embodied self, andfor personal and communal attention to the use ofnatural resources, to ecological considerations,to health attained and maintained throughmoderate, judicious use of resources. Moreover,they need to form… for transparency and

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accountability essential dimensions of healthy andtransformative relationships that are notsufficiently modeled in ministry and formationsettings.31

However, as Saffiotti further suggests, formators themselves are

to acquire and internalize these skills in a consistent manner,

because that is the only way candidates can easily appreciate

and appropriate these values. Candidates are to be helped to be

conscious of conflicts, extreme poverty, injustice and

oppression and to be challenged to do something proactive,

locally and internationally. Formators should be able to discern

the formability of candidates, their generosity, willingness to

be formed and led, and their disposition and competence for the

work of justice.32

But in order to do this well, formators need to access

their own capacity for personal and structural conversion and

the willingness to commit others to it, access the extent to

which their own lives are models, examine their own readiness31 Luisa M. Saffiotti “Forming Ministers For … p. 15.32 Luisa M…p. 14-16, 19.

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for the task of formation. 33 This personal assessment by

formators is necessary, so that if someone perceives that if

he/she is actually not ready and competent for the task of

formation, he/she should sincerely and humbly leave.

Finally, the Christian community from whom this candidate

comes and to whom this candidate will be sent, should assist in

the formation process: spiritually, morally, and financially.

They should give the candidate encouragement and moral advice,

besides praying for them; should they discern the non-

suitability of a candidate for ministry, they are to primarily

approach the candidate and encourage him/her to change, and

perhaps let the authorities know if positive change is not

forth-coming. It is both their right and responsibility to do

this but in fairness and goodwill; for they bear the direct

consequences of ecclesial ministry, positive or negative.

Conclusion

33 Luisa M… p. 19-20.

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The above exposition has shown that authentic spiritual and

human formation is a “sine qua non” for effective future ecclesial

ministry, without which intellectual and pastoral formation will

be fruitless. I reiterate my conviction that a fruitful future

ecclesial ministry can only be achieved when those in charge of

formation, the bishops, the community and the candidates for

formation themselves, pay serious attention to spiritual and

human formation. The crisis in the pastoral field stems from a

lack of indebt spirituality and malformed personalities. As it

is in the society, so too in the church we experience increase

in the number of intellectual giants but few spiritual and moral

heroes, greatly contributing to the decline in vocations and

church attendance.

While appreciating the efforts of formators and the

difficulty in ascertaining the spiritual and human maturity of

candidates, appeal is made to them to look more closely into

these dynamics of formation for a more glorious future ecclesial

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ministry. The task of formation is not an easy one for formators

who are themselves limited human beings, and it can sometimes be

frustrating; hence, we all need to give them the necessary

support in accomplishing this noble and sacred task. They should

also learn to dive into deeper waters of spiritual faith and

commitment and personally seek for psychological, spiritual and

moral help when they discern the need for such. May God bless

our formators and candidates for formation for a a more glorious

future ecclesial ministry, amen.

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THE FUTURE OF ECCLESIAL MINISTRY