Seminary, Chancery discern how to revamp lay formation in light of ‘Unleash the Gospel’

DETROIT — Ever since Mary Magdalene found the empty tomb, the message of Jesus’ resurrection and the promise of eternal life has been spread by everyday people.

In the tradition of the fishermen of Galilee who followed Jesus, evangelization has seen people spreading the message of Jesus Christ in their places of work, communities and families.

To that end, most of Detroit Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron’s pastoral letter, Unleash the Gospel, is dedicated to the critical need for the laity to be the primary evangelizers in the Church.

“Evangelization isn’t simply for those who have a job in a parish, the seminary or at the Chancery,” said Fr. Jeff Day, deputy moderator of the curia for the Archdiocese of Detroit. “There needs to be a way to show every layperson in the archdiocese that they can be engaged in evangelization.”

Every person who is baptized is called to spread the Gospel, but Fr. Day said some laypeople might have an outdated view of what evangelization looks like.

“I think the old way of thinking is that evangelization is going door to door,” Fr. Day said. “While there is still some value and place for that, for most laity it means getting them involved in their areas of influence — their family, their community, their work. To that end, I think there are ways in which we can empower the laity to evangelize in areas where they are already comfortable.”

In the letter, Archbishop Vigneron calls upon Fr. Day and Sacred Heart Major Seminary’s rector, Msgr. Todd Lajiness, to explore the possibility of establishing an institute dedicated to “Lay Witness in the World,” focusing on fostering dialogue between the Gospel and culture.

Though discussions on what such an institute might look like are in preliminary stages, Msgr. Lajiness said the role of the laity in evangelization is undeniable.

“The question is, is there something we can do to help shape and form the laity in their secular work with a more fortified and deeply understood identity in the world?” Msgr. Lajiness told The Michigan Catholic.

Sacred Heart Major Seminary already has programs for laypeople who are interested in professional ministry, such as lay ecclesial ministers, pastoral associates or catechists. Laypeople can earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees in theology or pastoral ministry, but Unleash the Gospel challenges leaders to imagine new ways for such education to take place.

For Msgr. Lajiness, the next area of discernment is how the seminary can be more accessible to people who might not want a formal degree, but simply want to learn more about their faith.

“(The pastoral letter) is asking whether we’re serving the demographic of someone who doesn’t want a degree or a certificate, but would like to be guided in their development as a disciple or witness,” Msgr. Lajiness said.

Matthew Gerlach, dean of the seminary’s Institute for Lay Ministry and associate professor of theology, is tasked with leading the exploration of a possible lay witness institute. Gerlach said the seminary is and always will be about higher education, but acknowledged the need to offer more options to those not necessarily seeking a traditional degree program.



“An exciting development we have at the seminary is we are very close to offering our first undergrad certificate online,” Gerlach said. “We’re seeking approval from the accrediting team, but this could make our classes more accessible for people who can’t make the commitment to commute back and forth to the seminary.”

Any further discernment about what classes and programs the seminary can offer must be rooted in Sacred Heart’s role as an institution of higher learning offering college-level classes, Gerlach added, while remaining open to offering classes that aren’t part of a larger degree program.

“It seems clear to me that the pastoral letter is calling on us to consider who we can help with non-credit bearing formation for laypeople,” Gerlach said. “(We need to be) focusing more on lay leaders in society and in the world, who aren’t just in lay ministry at the parish.”

While Fr. Day said it’s too early in the discernment process to lay out details of what lay leadership formation will look like in accordance with Unleash the Gospel, examining how the Archdiocese of Detroit views catechism might serve as a helpful guide.

“Some people have a strong calling become directors of religious education,” Fr. Day said. “But everyone who is baptized is called to catechize, and the main catechist for every child needs to be their parents.

“Who knows, maybe we’ll end up doing an archdiocesan Evangelization Sunday like we have Catechetical Sunday,” Fr. Day added. “The key is to stress that we all have the vocation to evangelize — it was given to you by Christ at baptism. It was reaffirmed at confirmation. So now we need to think about ways we can equip the evangelizers to do the task they’re called to do.”