Church ministry is duty of all baptized Catholics, say speakers

Published: 2004-06-15

KANSAS CITY, Mo.(CNS) -- All Catholics are called to ministry in the church through their baptism, said speakers at a gathering for lay ministers in Kansas City. At baptism, Catholics receive the spirit of Christ, which is a source of life that includes ministry, said Dominican Father Thomas O'Meara at the June 5 Institute on Lay Ministry sponsored by the Catholic Community Foundation in Kansas City. That spirit of Christ is not "insurance for heaven," but a source of activity, said Father O'Meara, professor emeritus of theology at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. He was one of six speakers at the daylong institute, held in conjunction with the 28th annual conference of the National Association for Lay Ministry June 3-6. The institute was attended by more than 660 people, many of whom were conference delegates.

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