Scenario 1:
The local church has a practice of renewal of vows / commitment by
the extra-ordinary ministers of the Eucharist at a special Mass every
year. During one such Mass, the lay ministers are asked to occupy
reserved seats in the parish church to increase visibility. There are
two religious institutes in the parish ... so the religious Sisters are
also asked to occupy reserved seats for the same reason [although they
would not renew any commitment since EM is supposed to be part of their
calling ]. The entire parish congregation prays for them.
Question:
Where do you think a CV should sit .....among the parish congregation, or the lay ministers or among the religious sisters ?
[ This is a real life situation ]
I guess such a situation as described above -is uncommon in the West
due to declining numbers of religious. The local circumstances differ
from one diocese to another and that's the reason the Church has clearly
defined the essentials of the charism and allowed pastoral flexibility
regarding externals according to local circumstances.
This is how I would like to respond to Scenario 1
1. Supposing that the CV was consecrated by the bishop in the same
parish church a few months ago, the parishioners are aware from the Rite
of consecration that she is now living some kind of new vocation
....that she is a bride of Christ and dedicated to the service of the Church. The Rite clearly mentioned that. The Rite was the ONLY SOURCE
for the lay people to get any idea what CV is about.
2. Since CV is a rare vocation, the Church uses the older terminology to define categories -----clergy, religious, laity.
According to Early Church history, CV were a Socio-liturgical category in
the Church. They had reserved seats in the church to avoid distraction
and help to focus on prayer. If the consecration of virgins had not been restricted to nuns in monasteries, over the centuries, the tradition would definitely have continued in parishes today, with religious sisters also accompanying consecrated virgins. So it is clear that the CV should not sit among the parish congregation in this particular Scenario.
3. Since she is a CV and dedicated to serve the Church with motherly
love, she is also an EM. She does not have to annually renew any
commitment to serve ...like the Lay ministers have to do. Also, she is
no more a Lay person. So it is clear that she should not sit among the Lay Ministers in this particular Scenario.
The CV has only two options --either to be absent from the ceremony
----or occupy the pews reserved for religious (all consecrated women are called 'religious' in several countries) who will not renew any
commitment ...but will still be prayed over by the parishioners.
Questions to consider:
1. What would best express the identity and vocation of the CV ?
2. What will avoid causing misunderstanding about the Nature [ essence ] of the vocation of CV?
I think if she occupies the pews reserved for religious (consecrated persons according to the mind of the Church, she is
giving public witness to her consecrated status and dedication to the
service of the Church. If she does not sit among them, she will cause confusion and
misunderstanding about the Nature [ essence ] of the vocation of CV to be
virgin, bride, and mother.
What does Church tradition say about the witness of CV in the world ?
a. there were CV in early Church whose consecrated status was known
only to the Christian community, but they observed discretion among the
pagans.
b. there were CV who gave clearly visible public witness to their
vocation in the early Church, even embracing martyrdom for doing so
among the pagans.
To me it seems the CV in today's world is allowed to live her
vocation in discretion in the secular world. But in the church community
her vocation needs to be clearly, visibly public. This does not mean
that every CV should wear a habit or identifying clothing, or use a title Sister. How she will give public witness, will depend on local circumstances and decided in consultation with the Diocesan bishop.
A CV in today's world is called to publicly give witness to her
identity and vocation as virgin, bride, mother. However, she is NOT called
to publicly give stress on her living or working in the world, to
transform the world as a member of a Secular Institute is called to
do.
Her vocation as virgin, bride, and mother is explicit .... she is called to give public witness to this identity. To do so is the very essence of her vocation and charism.
Her 'living in the world' is in the sense that she does not live in a
monastery or convent.....she is not called to explicitly stress or
focus her attention on the world in which she lives... in the sense of
focusing on transforming the political economic, temporal aspects. It is
not a 'necessary' aspect of her vocation.....but as a citizen with civil
rights and duties she has to respond to her existential situation in
the world as an evangeliser. There cannot be universal rules imposed on
CV to be obligated to do so like a member of a Secular Institute would be
obligated to do so.
In the Scenario described above, the CV can give publicly visible
witness to her vocation simply by occupying the pews reserved for
religious (consecrated persons in the mind of the Church).
She also gives public witness to the fact that she is a consecrated
person but not a religious, by sitting among them but NOT wearing a
habit.
