Lay Spirituality

Pierre Hegy is professor emeritus at Adelphi University in Garden City, NY. He taught for two years in Lima, Peru, and one year in Taipei, Taiwan. His main research interests are in the sociology of religion and church renewal. Most of this research was based on participant observation, which led him to investigate worship practices in many local churches--the topic of this book. He is also the author of Wake Up, Lazarus! On Catholic Renewal, and he is currently pursuing evaluation research in homiletics.

Laypeople have a special mission in the church the way they have a special mission in society. In popular devotions the laity created a form of spirituality that lasted for over a millennium. Popular religiosity is alive in Latin America and in US ethnic subcultures.Vatican II redirected lay spirituality toward the liturgy as ""the source and summit."" We will visit a parish where this ideal is put into practice, but in the wider church the role of the laity came to be restricted to ecclesial ministries.There are at least four new forms of spirituality in the making. I will first describe a vibrant evangelical church attended by many former Catholics. Next, we will visit a Guatemalan parish where over a thousand parishioners meet weekly in homes and witness to the gospel in their neighborhoods. The charismatic renewal is a major force of renewal in Latin America and among US Latinos. Finally, the spirituality of social justice is alive and well in south Chicago. In sum, this book will introduce you to six or seven major forms of spirituality alive today. Each of them defines a special place and mission for the laity in the church.