This past November, I was again privileged to join a number of my colleagues from across the country for a consultation with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Subcommittee on Lay Ministry in Washington, D.C. In the fall of 2002, a number of us met with the subcommittee to discuss the proposal for a document on lay ecclesial ministry. The document would be analogous to the bishops' Program for Priestly Formation (PPF), which guides the formation of seminarians in the United States. The consultation focused on "entry" issues, which included recruitment, screening and discernment.

Three-fold Discernment Process
In my formation work with students discerning and preparing for lay ecclesial ministry here at SHMS, I am always interested in sharing with others in the field. In many ways our work is a pioneering effort. We have learned a great deal from the principles in the Program for Priestly Formation, but we are also acutely aware of the differences in the ministries. These differences challenge us to discover new and creative ways to recruit and prepare people for lay ministry that will enable them to successfully collaborate with their ordained brothers in the service of God's people.

Among the most significant conclusions that emerged from the consultation was the importance of a) personal call, b) invitation from the Christian community and c) prayerful discernment for the recruitment of lay ecclesial ministers. While many of these ministers experience a call from God through personal prayer, the invitation of a pastor or other professional minister on behalf of the community is a crucial factor for the realization of that call to serve. When the faith community invites and affirms one's gifts for ministry, the process of discernment is more clearly defined.

These three elements of successful recruitment for ministry point to the characteristics that the consultation group found significant for lay ecclesial ministers. These characteristics were very similar to those that one would expect to find in candidates for ordained ministry.

Healthy, Committed and Capable
In our discussion, we brainstormed a plethora of characteristics that were then grouped into personal, spiritual, intellectual, ecclesial and cultural categories. We look for ministers who are emotionally stable and living a healthy lifestyle. Healthy ministers are people of prayer, deeply committed to Jesus Christ, who love the Church and are willing to teach and live according to its precepts. Those called to ministry also need intellectual capability that equips them to integrate theological education with pastoral practice. Our future ministers must also demonstrate sensitivity to diverse cultures in order to minister effectively in our Church with its rapidly changing demographics.

As we reflected together on the type of person that we would want to recruit for lay ecclesial ministry, I was gratified to realize that I already knew and worked with so many of such people—they are our students. Our lay ministry students are so grateful to have the opportunity to study at SHMS. They are prayerful people, committed to Jesus Christ and to the service of the Church. They look forward to working with their ordained pastors in ministry to God's people. I am so proud of our students and find that they give me great hope for the future of our Church.