Stanje i perspektive laikata u postsinodskom vremenu – s posebnim osvrtom na vjeroučitelje laike
THE STATE AND PERSPECTIVES OF THE LAITY IN THE POST-SYNODAL TIME – WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO LAY RELIGIOUS TEACHERS

Summary/Abstract: The paper came about as part of the tenth anniversary of publishing the Statements and Decisions of the Second Synod of the Diocese of Đakovo and Srijem in response to the wishes of the Synod: Namely, that every member and parish community in the Church of Đakovo and Srijem become more aware of their own identity; That the Church of Đakovo and Srijem realizes its mission through various forms of co-responsible ministry of all the baptized faithful; and that the Church of Đakovo and Srijem allows for areas of co-responsibility under its wing. Based on the results of a poll conducted among lay religious teachers the paper searches for answers to questions: To what extent has the Second Diocesan Synod become engrained in the consciousness and actions of lay religious teachers? What potential does the Archdiocese currently have at its disposal regarding religious teachers in view of future pastoral programs? In order to create an initial plan of operation based on the answers to the above questions what needs to be done in the next ten years in order to facilitate the desired synodal renewal? The first part of the paper proposes that to be a religious teacher is first and foremost a life calling, and only secondly a profession. However, the second part of the paper shows the lack of a well programed and organized structural care for nurturing and fostering that calling in the area of accepting synodal demands for the renewal of pastoral care, which caused the Synod, and its pastoral demands, to remain largely unfamiliar to many religious teachers, and consequently an unaccepted reality. Along the lines of unfamiliarity and unacceptance of synodal demands, the third part of the paper analyzes the state of concrete areas of pastoral interests and pastoral activities of religious teachers, particularly the following areas: marriage and family, media, ecumenism, culture, the social doctrine of the Church, intellectuals, as well as the elderly/the sick/the disabled. The fourth part analyzes the involvement of religious teachers in the work of three types of structures of co-responsibility; in parish pastoral councils, parish groups and religious societies, as well as the specific volunteer work, its limitations and opportunities. The final part of the paper offers practical recommendations and advice to the Archdiocese, bishops and laity (theology students, unemployed theologians, and religious teachers) on how to achieve strong structures of co-responsibility so that the twentieth anniversary of the Synod gets to be celebrated in a pastorally renewed atmosphere.

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