MERRILLVILLE – Tight budgets, limited volunteers and the weight of leading others to heaven can easily lead Church and parish leaders to associate their self-worth with the visible success of their ministries. The Saturday Formation series from the diocesan Office of Missionary Discipleship and Evangelization seeks to equip leaders to navigate such difficulties.
On Sept. 19, a few dozen leaders, made up mostly of students in the Lay Ecclesial Ministry (LEM) program, gathered at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs South Campus in Merrillville for the first Saturday formation event of the new academic year. The morning’s topic was “Being Before Doing: Freedom from Activism in Ministry.”
Father Jacob McDaniel, chaplain at St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Student Center in Valparaiso, presented in English and Father David Kime, pastor at Mary Mother of Mercy in Michigan City, led the Spanish session. Both sessions were centered on building a healthy sense of self-worth so that participants could serve the Church freely and entirely motivated by love of Jesus and love of neighbor.
“I’ve heard presentations like this before as a college student, seminarian, and as a priest,” Father McDaniel stated at the beginning of his first talk. “But things are rarely different afterwards because it is so easy for ministry to become your entire identity, and perfectionism is common among those who are drawn into ministry.”
“Activism” is a word commonly used to describe work done to enact social or political change, such as climate activists picketing a new oil pipeline or political activists marching on the state capitol. From a spiritual perspective, though, “activism” refers to equating one’s identity with productivity or success.
Father McDaniel posed the difficult question to attendees, who broke into discussions at their tables: “Who are you when you’re not doing anything useful?”
The antidote to activism, according to Father McDaniel, is to have confidence in being a child of God because that is not dependent on the work performed, measures of earthly success, or even how many people are reached in ministry. Then, service can be a loving response to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit rather than a frenetic need to prove one’s value.
The Saturday formation events grew out of the LEM program as a way to help prepare lay members of the faithful for ministry in parishes and throughout the Church to accompany their academic courses. They are now open to anyone who has a desire to grow as a missionary disciple.
Ingrid Znika, a student in the LEM program and education resource coordinator for the Diocese of Gary Office of Catholic Schools, expressed gratitude for the program and the opportunity to learn about spirituality and the faith as an adult. Her husband, Deacon Peter Znika, concurred, saying, “I went to Andrean High School, but there was so much that I didn’t know until I started going to LEM.”
Amy Kinard from St. Maria Goretti in Dyer and Lynette Swets of St. John the Evangelist in Dyer became friends while attending the Saturday sessions with their husbands, who are participants in the diocesan LEM program with the hopes of entering formation for the permanent diaconate.
“They have all been very good sessions, and it’s great to be back and see everyone. It’s very laid back and informative, and I’ve learned a lot,” Kinard said.
Swets agreed, encouraging others to attend the free Saturday morning events. “If you’re considering it, please come,” she said. “Everyone has a gift to bring, and it’s a great opportunity to meet people from other parishes.”
The next Saturday formation event will be held on Oct. 3, at St. Matthias in Crown Point, beginning with Mass at 8:30 a.m. in the church. The speaker will be Bishop Robert J. McClory, who will present "Deepen Your Faith, Strengthen Your Connections, and Inspire Your Call to Missionary Discipleship.” Live translations will be available in Spanish and several other languages. RSVP today at dcgary.org/Saturday-Bishop.
The next cohort of the Lay Ecclesial Ministry (LEM) program will begin in the Fall of 2027. To learn more, visit https://evangelize.dcgary.org/lay-ecclesial-ministry-program
Caption: Father Jacob McDaniel presents on the topic of "“Being Before Doing: Freedom from Activism in Ministry” at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs South Campus in Merrillville on Sept. 19 as part of the Saturday formation program. Saturday formation events are designed for Lay Ecclesial Ministry (LEM) students and are open to all involved in parish ministry activities to provide sessions on various topics connected to living as missionary disciples. (Cecilia Cicone photo)
