Sam Stanton recently co-authored a dossier on the role of laity in the mission of the church today for Spiritus Magazine with Dennis Gira. Mr. Gira is a consulter to the editorial board of Spiritus and former vice-director of the Institut de science et des religions at l’Institut catholique de Paris.
The dossier in the first article analyses the meaning of the expression lay missioner and describes the structures that help these men and women respond to their vocation, what goes into the making of a lay missioner, what these missioners do in mission and what they do when they return to the United States.
The second article focuses on the lay missioners themselves, all of whom present themselves as they are to mission sending groups, each with his or her own “baggage” (formation, professional experience, ecclesial commitments, etc.) and personal ambition to serve. You will find the first article on today’s bulletin. The second article will be posted on the next Monday Bulletin, May 4.
Spiritus Magazine was founded in 1959 by the Holy Spirit Fathers as a worldwide publication to share the story of mission and as well raise issues of conversation and thought about mission. Today the publication is jointly owned and produced by twelve international religious institutes and congregations, including the Spiritans. It is published quarterly in English, French and Spanish.
Read the 1st article written here
Erik Cambier served as Maryknoll lay missioner for 25 years, in Tanzania, the United States, Venezuela and El Salvador.
