Catholic lay ministers grow stronger as a faith team

By Christine Bordelon
Clarion Herald

Any lay Catholic wanting to delve deeper into faith can turn to Notre Dame Seminary and find courses taught by the same professors who instruct future priests and deacons.

That’s the beauty of the lay program, said Jordan Haddad, director of the Institute for Lay Ecclesial Ministry (ILEM), a lay ministry formation program, and the Master of Arts in Pastoral Leadership (MAPL) program.

“The goal of the Institute of Lay Ecclesial Ministry program is to provide lay men and women who serve in ministerial capacity throughout the Archdiocese of New Orleans the same formation experience that our seminarians and diaconate candidates receive,” Haddad said. “It gets everyone thinking about ministry and faith in the same way so we can together better serve the people of our archdiocese.”

Commissioning service
On Jan. 31 at the 11 a.m. Mass, Archbishop Gregory Aymond congratulated 12 new students in a commissioning ceremony at St. Louis Cathedral.

“Since all ministry is public and done in communion with our archbishop,” Haddad said, “the commissioning ceremony is an opportunity for Archbishop Aymond to not only bless the work that our candidates will be doing moving forward, but also to publicly recognize that they have received the requisite formation that they need in order to best minister to others and then be sent by him to their parishes, schools and ministry settings to carry out the ministry of Jesus Christ.”

This is the fifth cohort or group of students to be commissioned since the lay program began in the archdiocese in 2013, Haddad said. Archbishop Aymond was part of the U.S. bishops’ effort that wrote “Coworkers in the Vineyard of the Lord: A Resource for Guiding the Development of Lay Ecclesial Ministry.” That document was approved by bishops in 2005 and was the impetus behind ILEM.

“We only exist because Archbishop Aymond is so passionate about providing the best formation possible for the lay faithful who feel called to minister beside our deacons, our religious and our priests,” Haddad said.

Diversity of students and programs
Haddad said the lay programs attract a diverse and wide age range of individuals. Most work in religious ministry at their church parish (directing religious education or serving as a youth minister, youth volunteer, music minister or RCIA teacher) or at Catholic schools as religion teachers.

“We have people from every walk of life – young, middle age and older who study here,” he said. “The diversity of the student body is one of our strengths. Recently, we’ve seen an influx of younger students, which we think is wonderful. I think that younger people that are in love with Jesus Christ and really passionate about their Catholic faith desire to serve the church in a specific way.”

Toni Landeche, who was commissioned Jan. 31 for completing the 2 1/2-year ILEM program, said she was invited to study at ILEM by a graduate. She also felt a tug from the Blessed Mother.

“It’s all because of Mary,” Landeche said. “A lot of people, like me, get into this program not really knowing why they are being called to do it. I’ve strengthened my faith and had a really great experience. I’ve enjoyed every instructor and the fellowship with other students. I am open to whatever God sees for me in the future.” 

Notre Dame Seminary offers three lay programs: ILEM, which is a certificate program offering classes on Saturdays; MAPL, which takes about four years on a part-time basis; and MATS (Master of Arts in Theological Studies), which is focused on theology and intellectual formation and takes two to four years to complete. Dr. David Liberto directs the MATS program.

Currently, there are 60 students. Haddad said students observe the same dimensions of formation (spiritual, human, intellectual and pastoral) as deacons and seminarians.

Studying together
“Unlike other programs in the area where students enroll as individuals and set their own course schedule, the ILEM program requires that all students matriculate through the program together,” he said. “They are not only able to benefit from their individual experiences in the classroom and workshops but do it together as a group over a 2 1/2-year period, so that communal formation together is an important aspect of it.” 

A MATS graduate, Haddad said some revisions have been made in the coursework of the three programs since he joined the staff two years ago. Students definitely benefit from working in cohorts.

“Whenever they leave the program, they have all these great relationships with others serving the archdiocese in different places and ways, and they can draw on other peoples’ experience to enrich their own formation,” Haddad said.

The ILEM program switched to a two-year model last year, so the next commissioning will be in January 2023. Applications are being accepted for spring 2022 enrollment in ILEM but are ongoing for masters’ programs. Scholarships are available. 

Visit www.nds.edu under “programs: apply/register” or call (504) 866-7426. Classes are held at the seminary, 2901 South Carrollton Ave., New Orleans.

cbordelon@clarionherald.org