It is amazing to realize that prior to the Second Vatican Council, the pastor of a parish church basically ran everything, and if he had a school, usually relied on the women of a religious order to run the school. When I was studying theology, one professor, with a grin on his face, stated that the old model of Church for the laity was basically “to pray, pay and obey.”
Vatican II dramatically changed the exclusive reliance on clergy and religious to run parishes, schools and dioceses. It emphasized the laity’s essential role in the Church’s mission, calling them to actively participate in the sanctification of the world and the evangelization of all people, not just through church-related activities, but also through their ordinary vocations in family, work and society. They were to be active in evangelization, sharing their faith through their words and actions, living as “salt of the earth” and “light of the world.”
Vatican II highlighted the laity as co-responsible for the mission of the Church and has gradually awakened the concept of co-governance of the Church by the laity. In my brief two years as bishop, I find so much hope in encountering all of the dedicated lay men and women who work so hard to serve the faithful of our diocese, whether they work at the Pastoral Center, Chancery, in our ACC parishes, Catholic schools and colleges and other religious and ministerial organizations. It is a labor of love for them and their passion is to awaken the lay faithful to their commission, received at baptism, to become missionary disciples of Jesus Christ in the world of today.
Also in the Second Council, the family is identified as a fundamental unit of society and the “domestic church,” where faith and values are passed down from one generation to the next. Pope St. John Paul II stated in his apostolic exhortation, “On the Role of the Christian Family in the Modern World” (“Familiaris Consortio”), that “since parents have conferred life on their children, they have a most solemn obligation to educate their offspring.” Hence, parents share in the mission of the Church as the first and foremost educators of their children.
Having recently attended the Castaway Retreat for high school students with over 400 young people in attendance, I left feeling full of joy at seeing young people so enthused about their Catholic faith. I am also thrilled to see how Young Life is growing by leaps and bounds in our diocese. Student trips to Steubenville and to the National Catholic Youth Conference are also lighting fires in the hearts of our young people. I want young Catholics to see themselves as missionary disciples, called to bring the good news of Jesus Christ to everyone they meet, but especially to their peers. As I often say to young people in my preaching, “What if you are the only Christ that your friends will ever meet?”
No matter who you are, where you work or what your status is, as a baptized Catholic you are called to love and serve the Lord and actively participate in the life of the Church. In this month of May, when we honor Mary, Mother of the Church, may she intercede for all of us, so that each of us can awaken our baptismal call to be missionary disciples of Jesus Christ wherever we find ourselves at every moment of every day!
Yours in Christ,
+Bishop Patrick M. Neary, CSC, the 10th bishop of the Diocese of St. Cloud, Minnesota.
Our priorities
In the Diocese of St. Cloud, we:
Support the well-being and enrichment of our pastoral leaders
Engage synodality as a model for the Church
Foster a Eucharistic culture
Embrace the Latino presence
Plan strategically for the next phase of our ACCs
Featured photo: Bishop Patrick Neary poses for a photo at Castaway, a youth event, that took place March 2025. (Photo submitted by Jason Prigge)