Even after the Vatican II has categorically revealed the role and the place of the laity in the Church, there is so much of resistance and cynicism prevailing among the clergy and the people in the Indian Church about this clarion call of the Council. Around 90% of Catholics keep themselves passive in their faith practice. As we delay the promotion of active and full use of the lay potential, the greater the chance and number of the lay faithful losing their faith. A strong feeling of insecurity in the clergy leads to distrust of lay talents and charisms and it also leads to blocking the gifts of the Lord and limiting the participatory Church in India. As a result, the ministry of the laity has become totally dependent on the clergy, which is totally against the vision of the communion ecclesiology of Vatican II. Therefore, the creation of awareness among the lay people on their singular role in carrying out the mission of the Church in our world is essential today. To achieve this goal, this pastoral synthesis project is prepared. In an effort to understand the context of the project, first, a case is described; second, basic background of Indian socio-religious-cultural background is elaborated; third, some of the most significant biblical and traditional theological resources and reflections on laity and ministry are discussed, especially exploring teachings of Vatican II and Pope Francis; and finally, in order to help alleviate the problem, a pastoral plan of “Integral Christian Growth Formation of Lay Leaders” is presented in detail. The members of Parish Pastoral Councils, leaders of Small Christian Communities, and Catechism teachers are considered as a focus group for this formation. Though the renewal of the laity in their identity and nature is illustrated in general, the tentative project plan, in particular, is presented for the Tamil Nadu region of India. On the whole, collaborative shared ministry of laity and clergy is proposed not as a concession by the clergy, but as a norm. Thus, through this project, some thousands of committed lay leaders will be identified, trained, empowered, commissioned and followed up, which will bring great revival in the life of the Church in Tamil Nadu, India.

Made available in DSpace on 2017-07-21T14:43:03Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 SiderleiNascimento.pdf: 1511048 bytes, checksum: 4e0d3a8cdb36ae16997bbbd3399459f3 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-09-21 / The present study sought to understand the positioning of the Diocese of Ponta Grossa-PR before the changes provided by the Second Vatican Council, which discussed the integration of the Catholic Church to modernity, the appreciation of the particular churchand lay participation. In the city of Ponta Grossa-PR., Diocesan seat, there was the embodiment of the Pastoral Plan for the 1978/1979 biennium, aimed at the formation of Basic Ecclesial Communities, which undertook, with the evangelization liberating and transformative social structures. However, when oral narratives articulate individuals who experienced the historical period, in various social settings of the diocese, we measurethe constraints of the diocesan bishop with regard to the social movements of the church in relation to the participation of church members on issues of local politics , and the preferential option for the poor. From this discussion, we conclude that the materialization of this pastoral plan was effective, more as an instrument of legitimation of the power of the religious specialist, than to the Catholic church linked to social movements. / O presente trabalho buscou compreender o posicionamento da Diocese de Ponta Grossa-PR diante das transformações proporcionadas pelo Concílio Ecumênico Vaticano II, que discutiu a integração da igreja católica à modernidade, a valorização da igreja particular e a participação leiga. Na Cidade de Ponta Grossa-PR., sede diocesana, observou-se a materialização do Plano de Pastoral para o biênio de 1978/1979, que visava à formação de Comunidades Eclesiais de Base, as quais se comprometiam, com a evangelização libertadora e transformadora das estruturas sociais. Entretanto, ao se articular as narrativas orais de sujeitos históricos que vivenciaram o período, em diversos cenários sociais da diocese, aferimos as restrições do bispo diocesano em relação aos movimentos sociais da igreja, em relação à participação dos membros da igreja nos assuntos da política local, e na opção preferencial pelos pobres. De tal discussão, conclui-se que a materialização do referido plano de pastoral foi efetivada, mais como instrumento de legitimação do poder do especialista do campo religioso, do que para a igreja católica ligada aos movimentos sociais.