USCCB - (FLWY) -

Did You Know....??

(Factoids about Lay Ministry)

The following are taken, with permission, from Parishes and Parish Ministers: A Study of Parish Lay Ministers, Msgr. Philip J. Murnion and David DeLambo, National Pastoral Life Center, New York, NY, 1999.

Parishioners continue to exercise considerable leadership in the ministries of parishes. In 1997, the average number of volunteer hours by those who have leadership responsibilities was 810 per month, the equivalent of five full-time parish ministers.
Religious sisters and brothers, because they have not received the sacrament of Holy Orders, are usually considered lay ministers. Deacons receive the Sacrament of Holy Orders and are not, therefore, considered lay ministers.
In 1997, the number of parish lay ministers paid for at least 20 hours a week was 29,146, an increase of 35% since 1992.
In 1997, lay parish ministers were in 63% of U.S. parishes; in 1992, they were in 54% of the parishes.
In 1997, 29% of the lay parish ministers were religious sisters or brothers; in 1992 they had been 42%.
In 1997, 82% of the lay parish ministers were women.
In 1997, only 6.4% of lay parish ministers were Hispanic, African American, Asian American, or Native American, disproportionate to their numbers in the total Catholic population.
In 1997, 17% of the U.S. parishes celebrated at least one Mass in Spanish, but only 4.4% of parish lay ministers were Hispanic.
In 1997, 80% of lay parish ministers had a college education and 53.5% had at least a master's degree.
In 1997, 25% of the religious sisters and brothers and 55.3% of the lay persons employed as lay parish ministers said that there could come a time when they could no longer financially afford to work for the church. This was about the same response as in 1992.
In 1997, about one-third of parish lay ministers did not find their salaries adequate for their needs, in keeping with the work and expertise required of them, or at-or-above average relative to comparable positions. However, over a quarter of all the parish ministers and a third of those who find their salaries inadequate, think that the parish can't afford an adequate salary. From this perspective it seems it is often not unwillingness of the pastor or parish that accounts for inadequate salaries; it is the lack of financial resources in the parish.
In 1997, more than 90% of lay parish ministers agreed or agreed strongly with the following:
- Ministry has been affirming to me
- I am adequately able to develop and use my talents in my present position.
- My superiors in the parish are satisfied with my performance
- Parishioners are satisfied with my performance
- My work is recognized and affirmed by parishioners I serve.
According to the National Catholic Education Association during the 1999-2000 school year, 93% (146,123) of the teachers and principals in Catholic elementary and secondary schools are lay women and men. Seven per cent (11,011) are religious sisters and brothers and priests. Those percentages are the reverse of what they were when the association began to keep statistics in 1920.
In 1997, there were approximately 2,730 lay men and women, including vowed religious, who were certified members of the National Association of Catholic Chaplains. They minister as chaplains in hospitals, nursing/retirement homes, hospices, mental hospitals, rehabilitation centers. A growing number of these chaplains minister within parishes or clusters of parishes.
In 1997, the American Catholic Correctional Chaplains Association included 230 members, 55% of them lay, who minister in federal, state, county and municipal prisons. The percentage has grown steadily since 1990 when almost all prison chaplains were ordained.
In 1997, the National Catholic Conference for Seafarers, an association of seaport chaplains included 9 lay women and men among its 35 members.
In 1997 there were 900 lay members of the Catholic Campus Ministry Association who minister to the 3.5 million Catholic college and university students who are not on Catholic campuses.

The following are taken, with permission, from The Catholic Ministry Formation Directory 1999, Bryan T. Froehle, Editor, Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, 1999:

In 1998-99 there were 29,137 students enrolled in 287 lay ministry formation programs in the U.S. This is a growth from 10,500 students enrolled in 206 programs in 1986. The programs are in 150 dioceses and each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Of the lay ministry programs, 189 are sponsored by a diocese or archdiocese, 11 are affiliated with a seminary and 95 are affiliated with a college or university.
Most college/university sponsored programs offer academic degrees including graduate degrees; many also offer certificates.
Of the 287 programs reporting language of instruction, 229 use English only, 41 use both English and Spanish, and 12 use Spanish only. Other languages used include Portuguese, Navajo, and American Sign Language.
The most commonly offered graduate degrees granted by lay ministry formation programs are the M.A. in Pastoral Studies or Pastoral Ministry, the M.A. in Religious Education and the M.A. in Theology or Theological Studies. Nine programs grant the doctoral degree, three each for the Ph.D., the D. Min., and the S.T.D.
The most commonly offered certificates awarded by lay ministry formation programs are the certificate in catechetics, youth ministry and liturgy.
Women enrolled in lay ministry formation programs outnumber men by a ratio of nearly two to one.
About one in four students in lay ministry formation programs is under 40. More than 60% are between 40 and 60. Seven per cent are under 30.
Of the students enrolled in all programs, 71% are white, 23% are Hispanic/Latino, 3% are Black, 2% are Asian, and 1% are Native American.