Collaboration is the practical dimension of the spirituality of
communion. It is a way of relating and working together in the life of the
Church. In simpler terms, collaboration is communion in mission. The term collaboration has generally been
associated with ministry – as in “collaborative ministry” or in terms of preparing minister to indulge in collaborative ministry – “formation for collaborative ministry.” This connotation has flown from the assertion of Vatican II that the Church has
many ministries, which are needed for the building up of the body of Christ; and that through Baptism everyone shares in the common priesthood of Christ. Pope John Paul II’s Apostolic Exhortation, Christifideles Laici took
these principles as a starting point, and developed them further. Founded in the
sacraments of baptism and confirmation, lay ministries are tasks, roles and gifts of the Spirit that are given for
building up the body of Christ. The Holy Spirit: 'lavishes diverse hierarchical
and charismatic gifts on all the baptized, calling them to be, each in an
individual way, active and co-responsible.’ The ministries laypeople exercise 'exist in communion and on behalf of
communion' and should be acknowledged and fostered by pastors.
The first is with regard to the notion of collaboration for
ministry. While there is an acceptance of the different roles that the laity
can play in the church, the underlying structure still continues to be the
hierarchical model of the church. Call it collaboration, but in reality laity
are now being asked to be “helpers” in the church. If to be an agent of
communion requires that we are called to challenge structures of injustice,
then we need to question the underlying assumption that power still lies with
the hierarchy. To emphasize this point, I would like the reader to ponder
whether it is possible for a lay person to initiate any attempt of
collaboration. It does sound pretty improbable. What collaborative ministry
really implies is that because the power lies with the hierarchy – the Bishop,
pastor or priest, the initiative for collaborative ministry must originate from
them.
It must be clarified that I am not against organizational
structures. They have a role and a purpose in the life of an institution. But
when the structure continues to perpetuate an imbalance of power, then one must
fulfill the prophetic calling of baptism and challenge the ‘sinful’ structure. If
as Capuchins we ascribe to fraternal economy, it is important to examine
whether we actually learn to collaborate on equal terms with all.
The second question pertains specifically to the process of
organized formation. In order to gain the skills of collaboration, it is
suggested that these skills not be taught solely in the abstract. They should
be:
While collaboration
is a sine qua non of the exercise of ministry in he Church, the ability to
collaborate with others is nonetheless a skill – or better, involves a set of
skills–that cannot be taught solely in the abstract, but must also be “caught”
through involvement in the dynamic interactions of situated learning, conflict
management, and group problem-solving. In developing the skills for ordained
and lay ministers to work together respectfully as colleagues, there is no
substitute for their beginning actually to collaborate with each other in as
many settings and in as broad a scope of ministerial activities as possible.
Once again there
is no disputing the logic of this assertion. In order to learn the skills of
collaboration we need to include in our curriculum not just the working with
lay people – men and women, but also be open to being taught by them. The
question that I would like to raise, however, is with regard to the formational
community itself. Do the staff members of the formation community model
collaboration among themselves? What about collaboration between the formators
and those being formed? As formators do we dare to involve them as partners in
our own ongoing formation? There is an element of mutuality in collaboration.
We touch others and help them to grow; and they in turn touch us and help us to
grow. If as formators, we think that we are the imparters of knowledge; that we
are the ones to give, then we block out the possibility of grace flowing into
our lives from our own brothers. Therefore, I believe that formators must learn
to make it a principle that during the period of formation they are
teacher-learners, while their students are learner-teachers.
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