Forming priests for collaboration and co‑responsibility with lay ministers

Abstract

Written in light of the new Ratio Fundamentalis (2017) on priestly formation, this article focuses on preparing future priests to work in a ministerial context in which collaboration with lay people is both inevitable and desirable. It seeks to bring clarity to their working relationship by first assessing the current state of the theory and practice of collaborative ministry in the Church. It then details five key theological dispositions that, if cultivated in seminarians, can contribute to fostering harmony and collegiality among ordained and lay pastoral ministers.