Lay Spirituality: From Traditional to Postmodern

Laypeople have a special mission in the church the way they have a special mission in society. In popular devotions the laity created a form of spirituality that lasted for over a millennium. Popular religiosity is alive in Latin America and in US ethnic subcultures. Vatican II redirected lay spirituality toward the liturgy as the source and summit. We will visit a parish where this ideal is put into practice but in the wider church the role of the laity came to be restricted to ecclesial ministries. There are at least four new forms of spirituality in the making. I will first describe a vibrant evangelical church attended by many former Catholics. Next we will visit a Guatemalan parish where over a thousand parishioners meet weekly in homes and witness to the gospel in their neighborhoods. The charismatic renewal is a major force of renewal in Latin America and among US Latinos. Finally the spirituality of social justice is alive and well in south Chicago. In sum this book will introduce you to six or seven major forms of spirituality alive today. Each of them defines a special place and mission for the laity in the church. Employing the sociological tools of his profession Pierre Hegy identifies a general absence of a solid lay spirituality in the contemporary Catholic Church. He rightly notes that official church documents fail to identify in a practical way how the laity can live their vocation as part of the universal call to holiness. Readers will enjoy examples that point toward a genuine lay vocation especially the examples from his work in Guatemala. As with Wake Up Lazarus! Hegys text will promote some vibrant discussions. --Fr. Francis Berna La Salle University Hegy explains why Vatican II failed to renew the Catholic Church which has been on the decline since the 1970s. The bishops thought they could lead the way but top-down authoritarianism does not work in a postmodern pluralistic society. Spirituality has replaced doctrine as the driving force in religion today. --Joseph Martos Author of Doors to the Sacred Pierre Hegy is professor emeritus from Adelphi University. He received his PhD from the University of Paris in 1972. He served as visiting professor at the Catholic University of Lima Peru and as Fulbright scholar at the Taiwan National University. His field of research is the sociology of Catholicism in a pastoral perspective. His last book is Wake Up Lazarus! Paths to Catholic Renewal.