The Ministry of Lay People

A lay person is someone who is a ___________________ Catholic but who is not a member of the ___________________ . Some lay persons are members of ___________________ orders (monks or nuns) but most are just ordinary parish members.

Lay people do important work for God. They should show their love of God by prayer and ___________________ . Jesus said lay people should 'the salt of the ___________________ and the '___________________ of the world'. Lay people should use their ___________________ to serve God.

Lay people should try and help people in need. They can do this by helping people near to where they live or by supporting charities, such as ___________________ .

Lay people should also support their ___________________ Church, by helping the ___________________ , offering their skills and supporting parish organisations. Parish organisations which do good work may be the ___________________ of St Vincent de Paul (SVP), and the Knights of St ___________________ .

Religious Orders

Some ___________________ choose to join a religious order or congregation, to commit their whole life to God.Some religious are lay people and some are ___________________ deacon, priest or bishop.

Religious orders are either ___________________ or apostolic.

A contemplative order is devoted to ___________________ and work. Members of the order live in an ___________________ , which means they do not usually go out of the community which they have joined. All through the day there are special times for prayer. The ___________________ are a contemplative order for women. The ___________________ are an enclosed order for men. A famous contemplative nun is Saint Therese of Lisieux.

An ___________________ order also involves prayer and work, but the work is things like ___________________ for the sick, the old, the poor or the handicapped, or preaching and education. The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur are an apostolic order for ___________________ and the Christian Brothers are an apostolic order for ___________________ . Mother Teresa of Calcutta is a famous founder of an apostolic religious order which cares for the poor and dying.

All religious men and women take three vows. They are called the ___________________ counsels. The vows are: Poverty - to give up ___________________ possessions;

Chastity - to give up ___________________ ; Obedience - to obey the leader of the religious order.

These vows mean that the religious man or woman gives his or her whole life to the service of God.

Members of religious orders usually serve for a time with vows which are for just ___________________ . Eventually they will make permanent vows at a final ___________________ , when they are ___________________ to God.