Conferral of Lay Ministries
“The Word of God is for everyone.” This is the message of the Holy Father in his homily on Sunday of the Word of God on January 22 at St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican, Rome, Italy.
In the concelebration of the Holy Eucharist, Pope Francis formally conferred the ministries of lector and catechist upon four men and six women from the Philippines, Mexico, Congo, Italy, and Wales in the U.K.
The pope presented Bible to three new lectors and said: “Receive the book of Holy Scripture and faithfully transmit the Word of God, so that it may germinate and bear fruit in the hearts of men.”
The pope then spoke to the catechists and handed each one a silver crucifix, saying: “Receive this sign of our faith, the seat of the truth and charity of Christ: proclaim him by your life, actions, and word.”
The ministries themselves have been shaped by Pope Francis in recent years. Through the publication of the Apostolic Letters Spiritus Domini signed on January 10, 2021 and Antiquum Ministerium dated May 2021, lay men and women have been allowed to be admitted to the Ministry of Lector and the Ministry of Catechist.
The pope said that the “proclamation of the Word must become the main priority of the ecclesial community, as it was for Jesus.”
“This is our mission: to become seekers of the lost, oppressed, and discouraged, not to bring them ourselves, but the consolation of the Word, the disruptive proclamation of God that transforms life, to bring the joy of knowing that he is our Father and addresses each one of us, to bring the beauty of saying, ‘Brother, sister, God has come close to you, listen and you will find in his Word an amazing gift!’”