Brazil: The Year of the Laity to be Launched in November

From 26 November 2017, Solemnity of Christ the King, to 25 November 2018, the Church in Brazil will celebrate the “Year of the Laity.” At this year’s second ordinary meeting of the Permanent Council, which took place from 20 to 22 June, the project prepared by the Bishops’ Special Commission for the Year of the Laity was presented, and the dioceses and prelates will soon receive the methodological guidelines on how to prepare and celebrate it in their communities.

The theme chosen to promote this Year of the Laity is “Lay men and women, actors to the ‘Outgoing Church,’ for the service of the Kingdom,” and its motto is “Salt of Earth and Light of the World” (Mt 5:13–14). According to Msgr. Severino Clasen, Bishop of Caçador and head of the Bishops’ Special Commission for the Year of the Laity, the aim is to work on the spirituality of falling in love with Jesus Christ and following Him. “This leads the lay Christian to become a missionary in the family and at work, there where he lives,” said the prelate.

The president of the National Council of the Laity in Brazil and a member of the commission, Marílza Lopes Schuina, said that the dioceses shall receive a proposal that—she recommends—they may freely use and adapt with creativity in planning and carrying out local actions.

The Year of the Laity will have the general objective of "celebrating as a Church, People of God, the presence and organization of Christian lay men and women in Brazil; deepening their identity, vocation, spirituality, and mission; and witnessing to Jesus Christ and His Kingdom in Society.”

It is, furthermore, intended to “invigorate the study and practice of document 105: ‘Christian lay men and women in the Church and Society’ as well as other documents of the Magisterium, especially those of Pope Francis, on the Laity; and to stimulate the presence and engagement Christian lay men and women as ‘true ecclesial agents’ (DAp, No. 497a), as ‘salt, light, and yeast’ in the Church and in society.”

The Bishops’ Special Commission for the Year of the Laity has organized the activities around four main points: 1) events; 2) communication, catechesis, and celebration; 3) thematic seminars in the regional commissions; and 4) publications.

The Commission’s President, Msgr. Severino Clasen, has expressed the hope that this Year will produce a legacy for the authentic missionary Church, with greater enthusiasm for Christian lay men and women in ecclesial life and also in the transformation of society.” I believe that if we succeed in stimulating the participation and the active presence of lay Christians in society, by ensuring the realization of justice and peace, this will be a great legacy,” said the Bishop.