Lay Ministry Program Accepting New Students

The Pastoral Institute of the diocese’s School of Evangelization will offer information sessions on its Lay Ministry Program, which will accept new students in September. This three-year program prepares lay persons to serve as volunteer coordinators or team members for a particular ministry in their parish. The sessions will be held in English and Spanish […]

Dolores Grosso

Lay Ministry Program Changed My Life

by Dolores Grosso Personal, ongoing study of Catholicism has been a part of my life since my return to the Church some 20 years ago. I had been somewhat active in my parish. However, in undertaking the three-year Lay Ministry Program sponsored by the diocesan School of Evangelization’s Pastoral Institute, I experienced a merging of […]

Auxiliary Bishop Octavio Cisneros and Gerald Tortorella present certificates at the commissioning ceremony for parishioners who completed the Lay Ministry Program offered by the Diocese’s Pastoral Institute.

72 New Lay Leaders Complete Program

It’s graduation season, and 72 new lay ministers from 27 parishes in the diocese completed the three-year ministry preparation program.

72 Parishioners Complete Lay Ministry Program

A bilingual liturgy and commissioning ceremony will be celebrated Monday, May 19, in the chapel at the Immaculate Conception Center, Douglaston, for those persons who have completed the requirements of the Lay Ministry Program, sponsored by the diocesan School of Evangelization/Pastoral Institute. The diocese will honor 72 persons who represent 27 parishes in Brooklyn and Queens. These commissioned lay pastoral leaders have completed a three-year program of study, spiritual reflection, mentoring and pastoral preparation. They join more than 750 others who have successfully completed the program, which is offered in both English and Spanish and has been in existence since 2001.

Laypeople Told That God Believes in Them

Men and women from throughout the diocese came together to observe Lay Ministry Sunday, March 2. Auxiliary Bishop Octavio Cisneros told those gathered he was happy to spend time among so many familiar faces he recognized from diocesan events and to meet new people who work on the parish level. “We are aware of your […]

New Class Prepares for Pastoral Ministry

At two recent full-day orientation sessions, the diocese’s Pastoral Institute welcomed 86 new participants for its Lay Ministry Program. Coming from parishes across Brooklyn and Queens, they embarked on a three-year course of intellectual, spiritual, human and pastoral formation that will prepare them for service in their parishes. Thirty-nine will follow the English-language track, while […]

Lay Leaders Complete Pastoral Institute Course (with slideshow)

The diocesan Pastoral Institute commissioned 55 new lay minsters representing 33 parishes on May 16 at a Mass and bilingual ceremony in the chapel at the Immaculate Conception Pastoral Center, Douglaston. The new lay leaders join nearly 700 lay ministers in the diocese who have successfully completed the three-year program of study, in existence since […]

Twelve ministers gather around the altar at Our Lady of Refuge parish, Flatbush. They are, starting at left, Laurette Felix, Terrence Whiteman, Angel S. Cruz, Jennifer Baptiste, Celina Elvir, Father Michael A. Perry, Enid Blas Rosas, Faith King-Beckles, Nidia Rivera, Claire Marie Sejour, Antolin Ramon and Gloria Cruz. (Photo by Antonina Zielinska)

Lay Ministry Is Lifeline For a Flatbush Parish

by Antonina Zielinska Our Lady of Refuge parish, Flatbush, holds the record for the number of graduates from the diocesan lay ministry program. Twenty-seven people have graduated from the curriculum, and three more are graduating this year. Father Michael A. Perry, pastor, said this has been an incredible blessing for the parish. A couple of […]

Pastoral Institute Enrolling for Lay Ministry Program

The Pastoral Institute is accepting registrations for the 10-week Foundations for Ministry program that begins in February, 2013. The program will be offered in Creole, English and Spanish at various sites in Brooklyn and Queens. Designed for men and women who are discerning participation in the three-year Lay Ministry program or who desire a basic […]