Ecclesiology & the Theology of the Laity

St. Mary of the Angels

An Emerging Community of the Secular Franciscan Order

Getting Organized:

Team approach (two or more); meet prior to session.

Read the materials thoroughly. Some FUN chapters are bare-bone outlines,

others are detailed with a “scholarly” tone. Have someone take notes on thoughts,

suggestions & ideas.

Getting Organized (cont.):

Share with one another what points stood out; what were the key learning points.

Determine how to best divide the materials into manageable sections. Some chapters can be examined within one learning session (either initial or ongoing formation sessions); others will take several sessions to review all the materials.

Develop an outline of what you want the session/s to cover:

ELEMENTS OF ECCLESIOLOGY WHAT IS THE CHURCH?

The historical understanding of “Church” From early Christianity through Vatican II.

The role of the Church. The Church is a people gathered in the

unity of the Father, Son & Spirit. Mission: The proclamation of the Gospel Prayer

Develop an outline of what you want the session/s to cover (cont.):

SALVATION The experience of God

What is our relationship with the Church? Evangelization

THEOLOGY OF THE LAITY What does it mean to be a layperson? What is our call to holiness?

Trinitarian Communion What is our responsibility to the Church as laity? What is our responsibility to each other?

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

How can we share thisinformation?

Simplify the materials Don’t “dumb-down”. Maybe everything isn’t “have-to-know”.

Define new or difficult concepts. If the materials tend to be too scholarly in nature, how can we communicate the same learning points in different ways?

In order to avoid “reading” the materials to the participants, it might be a better idea to distribute the material in advance (a month?); time to read and absorb the lesson…leaves more time for discussion.

How can we share thisinformation (cont.)?

Organize the learning into manageable sections/lessons. A chapter takes as long as a chapter takes! For Ecclesiology, we determined it would be a three-session chapter:

1. What is the Church? (Elements of Ecclesiology)

2. What is our relationship with Church? (Salvation)

3. What is our role as lay/secular people? (Identity of

the Lay Person)

How can we share thisinformation (cont.)?

Note what other resources where helpful to you in understanding the materials:

The Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity. First Letter of St. Francis to the Faithful. The New Testament Franciscan Journey Catholic Catechism Lumen Gentium

Day of Presentation

Know what works best for your Fraternity: Handouts? Flipcharts? PowerPoint? Have discussion questions ready for that

day’s lesson. NEVER read off your notes; use them

only as guides/outlines for learning.

Day of Presentation (cont.):

What is very important is to help others understand why this information is relevant to them: How is this more than just an educational

exercise? (It helps us to understand our place in the Church/world as an Order)

How does this apply to me, my vocation and my faith journey TODAY? (There is a stronger focus on the lay person and our secular character)

Day of Presentation (cont.):

Small group discussions are where we can take the “learning” of the lesson and find a way it touches our personal lives and our SFO journey. Leave enough time for meaningful discussion and group sharing.

Don’t rush through the lesson. If you don’t finish due to good discussion/questions, just carry the rest of the materials over until the next meeting.

Day of Presentation (cont.):

At end of presentation (or first presentation), handout a list of additional resources for those who would like to further investigate the subject matter. This list initially comes from the Team; what documents they found helpful. The resource list should be a “living document” - - - add to the list as other recommendations/suggestions are made.