An Empowered Laity Leading the Church!

In this episode, Reverend Trish and Father Jayme speak with John Duffy-Burke, co-vice chair of the House of Laity of the Ecumenical Catholic Communion. Joking that he earned his Master of Divinity from the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley in order to not be so scandalized by the narrow, prescriptive version of tradition presented by U.S. bishops in early 2000s, John shares of his vocational discernment and his call to lay leadership in the Church. Consistent with the vision of Vatican II, he notes how holiness is not reserved to clergy, but that all the baptized are called to participate in the threefold ministry of Christ. Emphasizing that every person possesses a vocation, John illuminates the narrow use of that word to historically describe only certain charisms or “career paths” in the Church. He also highlights the need to deconstruct centuries of clericalism, to embrace the power of the lay state, and to offer robust formation to all the baptized. John concludes by taking the “Cutting Edge Catholics Questionnaire” and challenging all lay leaders to be “mycelia” in the world!