Building a welcoming, relevant and transformative Church
At the welcoming ceremony for World Youth Day (WYD) in Lisbon on August 3, Pope Francis once again impacted those present with a simple and direct message: In the Church, no one is left out or left over.
“There is room for everyone. Just the way we are. Everyone. Jesus says this clearly. When he sends the apostles to invite people to the banquet which a man had prepared, he tells them: ‘Go out and bring in everyone,’ young and old, healthy and infirm, righteous and sinners. Everyone, everyone, everyone! In the Church there is room for everyone,” he said to a crowd of 500,000 young men and women.
It is a message already well known to those of us who are involved in Church activities, especially those working with young people and in the university, but it suits the current moment of The Lay Centre perfectly.
The past few years have been ones of reflection and change. The question posed by the Holy Father — How are we to be a welcoming, relevant and transformative Church for all? — cannot fail to challenge us. In the face of global, local and ecclesial transformations, The Lay Centre has not stood idly by.
Our challenge today is to balance our usual activities, among them building and sustaining a vibrant community of lay people in Rome, so as to build the “Church of the third millennium, with the courage to embrace all that is new.
Laity in the World
Our residential community is at the heart of The Lay Centre.
Here is an overview of the academic year 2022-2023.
15
Nationalities
27
Residents
25
Specializations
Countries Represented
Lay Leadership
“Crossing the Threshold of a synodal Church” is perhaps the image that best represents a community that walks together in a constant spirit of prayer and discernment, which Pope Francis in a series of reflections said is “indispensable for living.” Reflecting what is happening at a universal level, The Lay Centre is “on the way” — on a journey that has already begun.
Leadership Week in September 2022
On Sept. 26, 2022, The Lay Centre launched the academic year 2022-23, with the first stage of the lay leadership development program titled, “On the Way: Crossing the threshold of a Synodal Church.”
A synodal-style Church requires greater preparation of lay men and women to lead ecclesial projects and communities, as well as an ability to work with people at different levels and in different contexts in a participatory way. The weeklong orientation program started with Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica.
Topics discussed during the week included reflections on:
- The concept of synodality and the challenges of putting it into practice.
- The concept of mission and the place of the Church within a pluralistic society.
- Individual, family and collective discernment in the life of lay Catholics.
- The role and presence of lay people in the Church and how Catholic education can promote the formation of new leaders.
- Collaboration between lay and religious people, including young people involved in social action – as a specific case, the problem of human trafficking was studied.
New Summer Week in July 2023
The Lay Centre summer program on Lay Leadership has entered its third year. The program has developed a balanced and efficient format, which includes sessions with speakers from Rome and the United States, but also leaves room for participants to visit the city and its historical sites.
Designed together with Letty Garcia, associate director at Harvard Business School, the Summer Leadership Development Program was held between July 9-14, focusing on the needs of young professionals who work — or wish to work — in Church institutions. The program is innovative in Rome, designed to unleash the potential of lay leaders. While applicants can be from any field or profession, they are united in their commitment to discerning a call to serve others, motivated to tackle some of the Church’s biggest challenges.
The weeklong program takes a holistic approach to leadership formation, including the human, spiritual and intellectual dimensions.
Lay Leadership Program
Through the generosity of its benefactors, The Lay Centre coordinates three scholarship-fellowship programs that continue to be important catalysts in stimulating lay people in the academic and professional world of the Church in Rome. In 2022-2023 this program welcomed 17 participants, providing full or partial financial support. They came from Afghanistan, Brazil, Colombia, Croatia, Ethiopia, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.
Leadership Scholars
Scholars of the pontifical universities whose focus is academic excellence, although without neglecting an outward approach to others, either in the community or outside of it.
Impact Fellows
Community members who, besides their academic program, will be carrying out a project of impact in a Church institution, social enterprise or Catholic NGO.
Vatican Fellows
Young professionals whose main activity, for a year, will be to carry out a formative work experience in one of the Holy See or Church institutions in Rome.
Laity in the Church
Lenten Community Retreat
“Living Faithfully in Liminal Times” was the theme of the 2nd semester community retreat, led by Father Daniel Huang, SJ, a professor of missiology at the Pontifical Gregorian University. He invited Lay Centre residents to shift from a “hyperactive to a receptive mode of hospitality” and to make space for God in silence and prayer. Fr. Huang recalled the words of Pope Francis, “We are not in an era of changes, but in a change of era,” which are made manifest in wars, social divisions and the polarization in the public sphere, as well as in the crises in democracy, ecology and health. He reminded participants that entering a prayerful mode means turning one’s attention toward God in active pursuit of God. He invited community members to start the journey of becoming a “non-anxious presence,” despite the challenges and instabilities of today’s world. It is necessary to move “from fear to trust,” he said.
Lenten Community Retreat
“Living Faithfully in Liminal Times” was the theme of the second semester community retreat, led by Father Daniel Huang, SJ, a professor of missiology at the Pontifical Gregorian University. He invited Lay Centre residents to shift from a “hyperactive to a receptive mode of hospitality” and to make space for God in silence and prayer.
Father Huang recalled the words of Pope Francis, “We are not in an era of changes, but in a change of era,” which is made manifest in wars, social divisions and the polarization in the public sphere, as well as in the crises in democracy, ecology and health. He reminded participants that entering a prayerful mode means turning one’s attention toward God in active pursuit of God.
He invited community members to start the journey of becoming a “non-anxious presence,” despite the challenges and instabilities of today’s world. It is necessary to move “from fear to trust,” he said.
Summer Conference on the Ministry of Catechists
“Living Faithfully in Liminal Times” was the theme of the 2nd semester community retreat, led by Father Daniel Huang, SJ, a professor of missiology at the Pontifical Gregorian University. He invited Lay Centre residents to shift from a “hyperactive to a receptive mode of hospitality” and to make space for God in silence and prayer. Fr. Huang recalled the words of Pope Francis, “We are not in an era of changes, but in a change of era,” which are made manifest in wars, social divisions and the polarization in the public sphere, as well as in the crises in democracy, ecology and health. He reminded participants that entering a prayerful mode means turning one’s attention toward God in active pursuit of God. He invited community members to start the journey of becoming a “non-anxious presence,” despite the challenges and instabilities of today’s world. It is necessary to move “from fear to trust,” he said.
Summer Conference on the Ministry of Catechists
The Lay Centre’s summer program for catechists, organized in partnership with Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology (ICSST), was successfully held on July 16-21, 2023. The symposium and ecumenical pilgrimage began with a keynote address by Cardinal Giorgio Marengo, who spoke about “Whispering the Gospel in the Heart of Asia.”
As part of the “Ephesians 4:12” initiative, this program aimed to “equip God’s people to do his work and build up the Church, the body of Christ.” With this in mind, the title of the event was “Grace and Action: The ministry of catechists in the footsteps of St. Paul.”
During the weeklong program, about 30 participants from the United States and other parts of the world, including the Global South, shared their intellectual perspectives and pastoral experiences about this ministry. In a spirit of ecumenical pilgrimage, they visited historical sites in Rome linked with St. Paul and St. Peter.
Community Evenings on Synodality
Every week, on Wednesdays, the Lay Centre community gathers around the Eucharist and, after dinner, dedicates time to listening to one or more speakers on a topic of relevance to the Church and the world today. Among the guests are Vatican authorities, university professors and professionals from Rome’s Catholic organizations, including lay people, consecrated persons and priests. Presenting the Global Church in its most diverse voices, something only possible in Rome, is one of the main objectives. This academic year, community evenings were organized around themes that touch the synodal dimension of the Church. In the academic year 2022-2023, some of the 10 thematic nuclei proposed by the Synod in its preparatory document were broached: “The Journeying Companions”, “Co-responsible in the Mission”, “Authority and Participation”, “Listening”, “Celebrating”, “Speaking Out”, “Discernment and Deciding” and “Dialogue in Church and Society.”
Community Evenings on Synodality
Every week, on Wednesdays, The Lay Centre community gathers around the Eucharist and, after dinner, listens to one or more speakers on a topic of relevance to the Church and the world today.
Among the guests are Vatican authorities, university professors and professionals from Rome’s Catholic organizations, including lay people, consecrated persons and priests. One of the main objectives is to present the diverse voices of the global Church — something only possible in Rome. This academic year, community evenings were organized around themes that touch the synodal dimension of the Church.
In the academic year 2022-2023, some of the 10 thematic nuclei proposed by the Synod in its preparatory document were broached: “The Journeying Companions”, “Co-responsible in the Mission”, “Authority and Participation”, “Listening”, “Celebrating”, “Speaking Out”, “Discernment and Deciding” and “Dialogue in Church and Society.”
Laity in Dialogue
Joint Event on Christian Unity
Among the activities for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Jan. 18-25), The Lay Centre joined Centro Pro Unione in hosting an event on Jan. 19 that reflected on the gifts all Christians share through their baptism and prayed for a renewed dialogue. Rev. Dirk G. Lange, assistant general secretary for ecumenical relations at the Lutheran World Federation, spoke on the theme, “Baptism: Ecclesiological Implications of the Latest Lutheran-Roman Catholic Joint Commission.” Lange is also a professor of worship at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minneapolis, where he holds the Frederik A. Schiotz Chair of Christian Missions.
Alumnus Completes
Doctorate in Biblical Theology
On March 3, Lay Centre alumnus Massimiliano Lolli from Bologna successfully defended his doctorate in theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University.
The theme of his dissertation was, “The Samaritan Question in the Gospel of Luke: Soteriological, Christological and ecclesiological implications.” Parallel to his pastoral ministry in his local church, particularly with young people, he intends to become a biblical theology professor in Bologna. While working full time in IT at UniCredit and on his doctorate, Lolli dedicated a lot of time to accompanying a group of 50 young people in his diocese.
Our Vision
To inspire and prepare future leaders to serve the Church and the world.
Our Mission
We offer lay women and men a meaningful experience of community life as well as impactful programs for human, spiritual, intellectual and professional development.
