Dominicus Humus: What is the Lay Formation Center?

Monday, January 12, 2009

What is the Lay Formation Center?

The Archdiocesan Lay Formation Center (LFC)

The Lay Formation Center is not just a facility to provide the Catholic Lay Faithful with a clean and decent place for seminars, conferences, retreat and recollections. It is first and foremost, a “center of formation for the Laity,” as its name denotes, where actual formation of the laity can and must happen.

It was established by the highly-esteemed Archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan, Most Rev. Oscar V. Cruz, DD, JCD and the Archdiocesan Clergy. It opened in MMV (2005) and it is now on its fourth year of operation.

LFC’S Vocation and Mission

Christifidelis Laici, the 1985 Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation of Pope John Paul II on the Vocation and Mission of the Lay Faithful in the Church and in the World, speaks very eloquently about the task and responsibility of LFC for the Lay Faithful. According to this document, the Laity should receive a complete and integrated formation, one which bears its fruit in every sphere of their existence and activity.

1) The spiritual formation of the Laity – their continual growth in communion with Christ is nourished by the help to holiness offered by the Church.

2) Doctrinal formation – which will enable them to explain to the world the reason for their hope. Systematic catechesis is also necessary.

3) A proper formation of a social conscience, especially in the Church’s social teaching.

4) An integrated program of formation that cultivates the human values and skills necessary for the Lay Faithful’s apostolic activities.

Formators of the Laity

God is the first responsible for the formation of the Laity. The Church for her part also takes part in forming the Lay Faithful through the ministry of teaching and celebration of the sacraments. The Lay Formation Center exists for this purpose, in collaboration with the Archbishop and the Clergy of the Archdiocese.

The home, the domestic Church of the family, is the first fundamental school of formation of the Laity, but formation is an essential task in the parish. Again, the Lay Formation Center can be “the” home of the formation of the Lay Faithful as reasonably established in the Archdiocese.

Vocation and Mission of LFC

Christifidelis Laici, the 1985 Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation of Pope John Paul II on the Vocation and Mission of the Lay Faithful in the Church and in the World, speaks very eloquently about the formation of the lay faithful. According to this document, the laity should receive a complete and integrated formation, one which bears its fruit in every sphere of their existence and activity.

1) The spiritual formation of the laity – their continual growth in communion with Christ is nourished by the help to holiness offered by the Church.

2) Doctrinal formation – which will enable them to explain to the world the reason for their hope. Systematic catechesis is also necessary.

3) A proper formation of a social conscience, especially in the Church’s social teaching.

4) An integrated program of formation that cultivates the human values and skills necessary for the lay faithful’s apostolic activities.

God is the first formator of the laity. The Church for her part also takes part in forming the lay faithful through the ministry of teaching and celebration of the sacraments. The Lay Formation Center exists for this purpose.