Lay ministers serve the Church in many different ways. Some lay ministers are trained, work full-time, and are paid; others are part-time volunteers. Lay ministers can be single or married.
Some lay people exercise the Baptismal call to service through parish ministries such as Religious Education, Liturgy, Worship or Music ministry, service to the poor, Parish Leadership, Justice and Peace, detention ministry, Finance or Administration, Eucharistic Ministry, or as a lector, Young Adult or Youth Ministry, ministry to the elderly, to the sick, to the homebound. Others participate in teams with RCIA, ongoing adult faith formation, or small Christian Communities.
Religious orders have provided openings for ministry and mission experiences for lay people through volunteer corps. Jesuit Volunteer Corps, Mary Knoll Missionaries, and Claretian Volunteers are only a few. The Pallotti Center provides a catalog of short-term and longer-term service opportunities, both national and international, for those who want to experience ministry and community. These programs range from a summer to year long assignment. Volunteers live in the community, share meals, pray together, and receive some formation
The Diocese of Laredo also provides training and certificate programs through the various offices to prepare lay ministers in Worship, Family Life, Youth Ministry, Young Adult Ministry, and Religious Education Programs. The corresponding diocesan offices also welcome volunteers for the Detention Ministry and those who want to work for Justice and Peace.
Some men and women are called to give themselves to one another through the Sacrament of Matrimony. They are called to bring their spouse closer to Christ through growth in holiness, by making a total and faithful gift of themselves to each other and sharing in God’s creative work through the procreation of children.
For more information, Contact Family Life CLICK HERE
Pastoral Center
1201 Corpus Christi St.,
Laredo, TX 78040
(956) 727-2140
Fax: (956) 764-7842
Martha E. Miller
Family Life Director
mmiller@dioceseoflaredo.org
Rosa María Ayala
Family Life Secretary
rayala@dioceseoflaredo.org
Very Rev. R. Anthony Mendoza
Respect Life Spiritual Director
franthonym@dioceseoflaredo.org
7-Eleven Ministry Day is for men and women 18 years and older considering a possible future as a priest, sister, or brother. The goal is to give young adults the experience of what it is like to be a priest for a day, to be a sister or brother for a day. Immerse yourself for one day in the ministry of a priest, sister, or brother. Start the day with morning meditation as if living in a rectory, convent, or religious house. Spend time with the community or the priest inside the rectory, convent, or religious house and participate in their ministry.
How a parish priest prepares his homilies
How religious and priests work in a variety of ministries, from prisons to nursing homes, for all different cultures across the city
You get to pick the ministry that you want to be in for the day
You can hear personal vocation stories one-on-one
You can learn how religious get along in community life
What Past Attendees had to say about 7-Eleven Ministry Day
“As the Missionaries of Charity are committed to serve the poor, they took us to the streets under the freeways where poverty-stricken people live. You can imagine how sad it was to see people living in such miserable conditions.”
“I never thought religious life included fun of any kind. I was so happy that some of my doubts were relieved and I’ve come to believe that by the grace of God everything is possible, including being one of these wonderful women in a special mission for the Lord.”
“I learned many things on the 7-Eleven Ministry Day. The first is that the day of a priest is real busy. I enjoyed visiting a sick woman because Father comforted her and prayed for her. That touched me very deeply. If I do become a priest, I would want to visit the sick and comfort them, especially during those last moments of life.”
