Parish Newsletter Sunday 18th October
posted by Father John Boyle | 4:14 pm
St Simon's Parish Blog
Welcome to the Blog of St Simon Stock Catholic Church, South Ashford, Kent, UK. Our address is: Brookfield Road Ashford Kent TN23 4EU
- If you purchase any items via the Amazon search facility below the parish will benefit from a referal fee. Thanks!
Articles
Links
- Parish Newsletter Sunday 27th September 2009
- Parish Newsletter Sunday 13th September 2009
- Two weddings in one day
- Baptism today
- Parish Newsletter Sunday 9th August 2009
- Baptism today
- Parish Newsletter Sunday 2nd August 2009
- Parish Newsletter Sunday 26th July 2009
- Parish Pilgrimage to Walsingham
- Parish Newsletter Sunday 19th July
5 Comments:
Lay people are not, properly speaking, members of personal prelatures but they can dedicate themselves to the apostolic works of the prelature by agreements entered into with the prelature in accordance with the prelature's statutes.
wonderful blog, congrats, but I am afraid this statement is not canonically correct.Fr Conor Nairobi, priest of Opus Dei, see code or any of comments of the Holy See esp JPII
Dear Fr Conor
I presume this is in reply to my post on my other blog here.
Could you provide the references? I have simply quoted from the Code.
The Code (c. 294) specifically refers to Personal Prelatures as consisting of presbyters and deacons to promote a more suitable distribution of same or to accomplish particular pastoral or missionary works...
The Code (c. 296) speaks of lay people who 'can dedicate themselves to the apostolic works of a personal prelature by agreements entered into with the prelature.' It seems to me that the authority of the Prelate over the laity arises by virture of those 'agreements' and he has jurisdiction over those laity only in respect of those matters that are the subject of those 'agreements'.
In all other respects, the lay 'members' are subject to the diocesan bishop of the place in which they have domicile or quasi domicile.
I know there are various opinions about this. But I think, strictly, the figure of Personal Prelature relates primarily to clergy. The juridical itinerary of Opus Dei from secular institute to Personal Prelature is a fascinating one.
For Fr Conor, in case you are receiving follow-up comments: Thank you for your comment. Please refer to a clarifying comment I have made as a result of your intervention.
Address of John Paul II on Opus Dei
A speech on Opus Dei given at a workshop on the Apostolic Letter “Novo Millennio Ineunte”, March 17, 2001.
You are here representing the components by which the Prelature is organically structured, that is, priests and lay faithful, men and women, headed by their own Prelate.
First of all, I wish to emphasize that the membership of the lay faithful in their own particular Churches and in the Prelature, into which they are incorporated, enables the special mission of the Prelature to converge with the evangelizing efforts of each particular Church, as envisaged by the Second Vatican Council in desiring the figure of personal prelatures.
The organic way that priests and laity work together is one of those privileged areas where pastoral activity will take life and be strengthened, activity marked by that "new energy" (cf. Apost. Let. Novo Millennio Ineunte, n. 15) which has encouraged us all since the Great Jubilee. In this connection, we should recall the importance of that "spirituality of communion" stressed by the Apostolic Letter (cf. ibid., nn. 42-43).
2. The laity, inasmuch as they are Christians, are involved in carrying out a missionary apostolate. Their specific skills in various human activities are, first of all, an instrument entrusted to them by God to enable "the proclamation of Christ to reach people, mould communities, and have a deep and incisive influence in bringing Gospel values to bear in society and culture" (ibid., n. 29). They should be encouraged, then, to put their knowledge actively at the service of the "new frontiers" that are emerging as so many challenges for the Church's saving presence in the world.
For some reason Fr Conor is publishing comments on this blog rather than the one to which his comments refer. I'll copy this over. Thanks Fr Conor.
Post a Comment
<< Home