I would like to do Bible activities for pre-school children. I specifically need activities for the story of Palm Sunday (Mark 11:1-11), the story of Jesus blessing the children (Mark 10:2-16), and the story of Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10).

I am happy to recommend the following resources to you. First of all, try Sadlier's own CyberFaith page. Since you are already here at CyberFaith click on to Spirituality Resources. There you will click on Spirituality Resources Library. Inside the Library, look for January (We Celebrate Jesus Blessing) and March (Palm Sunday).

There are other web sites that you may want to visit. Catholic Kids Page has great ideas and suggestions. http://www.catholickidspages.com

Also, Little Children Pray has many prayers and devotions for little children. http://www.cptryon.org/prayer/child/index.html

Let me know what you think!

Marie Murphy
Mmurphy@sadlier.com

Can you give me any information on lay ministries in the Catholic community? I was told by a priest that Vatican II only allows a person to do one ministry per year. I have looked for this and even asked him for this information but he was unable to give me any data. I am now worried that I may be doing something that is not allowed by the church. Thanks.

Dear Curious;

Years ago, before the second Vatican Council, a popular saying expressed the extent of lay Catholics' participation in the Church. It was characterized as "Pay, Pray, and Obey." At that time most lay people did not participate actively in Church life. Little did we know that through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit at Vatican Council II (1962-1965), the role of the lay person would be dramatically redefined. In the Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity, a document from the second Vatican Council, the Church taught that the laity "...share in the priestly, prophetic, and royal office of Christ and therefore have their own role to play in the mission of the whole People of God in the Church and the world today."

While maintaining that the ministry of the laity is different from the ministry of ordained priests, the Church teaches us that by our Baptism lay people take part in the mission and the ministry of Jesus Christ.

In 1983 in Canon 204 ¤1 of The Code of Canon Law of the Catholic Church, the Church teaches that "Christ's faithful are those who, since they are incorporated into Christ through baptism, are constituted the people of God. For this reason they participate in their own way in the priestly, prophetic and kingly office of Christ. They are called, each according to his or her particular condition, to exercise the mission which God entrusted to the Church to fulfill in the world."

In 1987, more than 20 years after the second Vatican Council, Pope John Paul II said, in the Apostolic Exhortation Christifideles Laici (On The Vocation and The Mission of The Lay Faithful in The Church and in The World), that "The participation of the lay faithful in the threefold mission of Christ as Priest, Prophet and King finds its source in the anointing of Baptism, its further development in Confirmation and its realization and dynamic sustenance in the Holy Eucharist."

I have never heard it said that a lay person can only practice one ministry a year. In the Catechism of the Catholic Church in the Church teaches that "Lay people who possess the required qualities can be admitted permanently to the ministries of lector and acolyte. When the necessity of the Church warrants it (Lay people may also be called) to exercise the ministry of the word, to preside over liturgical prayers, to confer Baptism, and to distribute Holy Communion in accord with the prescriptions of law."

Perhaps what the priest may have meant who told you that Vatican II allows lay people to do only one ministry a year is this: It is usually a good idea to concentrate on the gift that God has given us. It is usually not a good idea to be Lector, Eucharistic minister, and Commentator at one Mass. God has called you to a unique ministry in the Church. It has your name on it!

Why don't you try looking up some key words in the Catechism of the Catholic Church that have to with Lay Ministry? This Search Engine will take you all over the Catechism. Just click on and go!

http://www.christusrex.org/www2/kerygma/ccc/searchcat.html

Thank you for your question;

Marie Murphy, Ph.D.

Marie Murphy, Ph.D., serves as Wm. H. Sadlier's Executive Religion Consultant, conducting workshops nationwide on catechetical and theological topics as part of Sadlier's Consultant Services. Marie received her doctorate in theology from Fordham University and has served as a parish catechist and Director of Religious Education.

View previous questions and answers in the Nurturing Faith Archive.

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