"But each of us has been given his gift, his due portion of Christ's bounty. ...And these were his gifts: some to the apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers to equip God's people for work in His service to the building up of the body of Christ... Bonded and knit together by every constituent joint, the whole frame grows through the due activity of each part and builds itself up in love." Ephesians 4:7-16

Increased focus on the role of the lay Catholic in the world and in the Church calls us to define and support lay ministry. How does the baptized and confirmed Catholic use the full contingent of God's gift in the service of Church and community?

To fulfill this Goal, we have set the following objectives and suggested actions:

Objective 1: Promote the understanding that everyone shares in ministry by their Baptism.

Suggested Action:

• Develop a homily series for Diocesan clergy on these themes in the spirit of the lectionary. [Vocations]

Objective 2: Surface and affirm gifts for service among our people and to provide training to develop those gifts.

Suggested Actions:

• Conduct parish renewal weekends or some kind of faith renewals that are parish based to motivate and equip our laity.[Retreat Center Director] 
• Continue the implementation of the Pastoral Formation Program at the Calcasieu Center. [CCCS] 
• Continue the C.L.I. (Christian Leadership Institute) for training of youth leaders. [ORE] 
• Provide on-going training for Liturgical Ministers. [DLC; CCCS] 

Objective 3: Foster a vocations consciousness among our youth, and people seeking a second career, and actively recruit such interested prospects.

Suggested Actions:

• Actively support the Diocesan Vocation Office (e.g., Parish vocation committees, Vocare, Vocation retreats). [Pastors] 
• Publicize a Pastoral Letter from the Bishop on Vocations. [Bishop] 
• Establish greater recruiting efforts among minorities, i.e., African-Americans and Hispanics. [Vocations] 
• Review possibility of more deacons. [Bishop]