The ABC of the Cuban Catholic Laity

What is it?

This booklet comes with the title “The ABC of the Cuban Catholic Laity”. In doing so, it establishes its intention to present the fundamentals of the vocation of the laity and to visualize how this vocation, and its mission, can be concretized in Cuba.

The focus of this booklet is to harmonize three characteristics: simplicity, pedagogy and the integral and panoramic vision of the theme. The concern is nottheological rigor, but to offer, in understandable language some “key themes” that illuminate our lay commitment as a living member of the Church. Another concern is that these ideas do not remain in the head, but that they descend to the heart, hands and feet and mobilize the reader to a personal, community, and pastoral conversion.

In the Cuban Church, a significant part of our communities are made up of newly converted lay people without a solid formation. For this reason, the National Commission of the Laity noticed a pastoral gap in the formation of the laity once they would finish the Christian initiation process. It was necessary to provide some material to motivate the ongoing formation of the laity after they received catechesis for the sacraments of Christian initiation.

The existence of this material and its promotion by the Church in Cuba, has helped to make the theme of lay formation more visible and accessible to pastoral agents, supporting their apostolic efforts to accompany and motivate this initiation of lay formation in their communities.

While it may be appealing to any lay person, this material focuses on newly converted laity who are in the process of discovering their lay essence and vocation.

Because of its simplicity and language, it has become a reference material for work on lay formation in new communities and mission houses, which are new pastoral realities of the Church in Cuba.

How does it help?

Why is it important?

In the Cuban Church, the majority of our communities are made up of newly converted people without solid formation. This initiative serves as a presentation of fundamental elements of the life of the lay person and as a motivation for a deeper formation.

The existence of this material and its promotion by the Church in Cuba, has helped to make the theme of lay formation more visible and accessible to pastoral agents, supporting their apostolic efforts to accompany and motivate this initiation of lay formation in their communities. This can only strengthen the vocation and spirituality of the lay faithful.

How did it start

After an analysis of the reality of the laity in the communities of the 11 dioceses of Cuba, the National Commission of the Laity (CNL), concluded that it was necessary to generate an informative text in “common language” to motivate the formation of the laity.

There was a pastoral gap in the formation of the laity once they completed the Christian initiation process. After receiving the catechesis for the sacraments of Christian initiation, it was necessary to have some material to motivate the ongoing formation of the laity.

With these conclusions, the National Commission of the Laity worked for one year on the formation of this text with the presence of delegates from all of the dioceses around the country. It was supported with overflowing enthusiasm from the National Meeting of the Laity held in Cobre, 2016.

Benefits

This booklet, accessible to all lay people in Cuba, allows them to have material in common language. It serves as a presentation of the main elements of life and spirituality of the laity, and as motivation to follow path of continuous formation in the subject.

In addition, because of its simplicity and language, it has become a reference material for work on lay formation in new communities and mission houses, where the great majority of the members of these communities are people without faith formation or religious culture.

Means and funding

The creation of the digital material (writing and design) was voluntarily done, at no additional cost, by members of the National Commission of the laity and advisors who collaborated with the creation of the material.

In printing and reproduction, CNL tried to achieve a quality print that would be attractive. The printing of this first edition was financed with funds from the National Commission of Laity of the Cuban Bishops’ Conference.

25,000 copies were printed, which is approximately 20% of laity who attend Sunday Mass in all of Cuba.

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Countries involved

So far, the material has only been made available in Cuba and exists only in Spanish.

How to start?

Although it is a text focused on Cuban laity, we consider that it is 100% applicable to other realities.

It can be appealing to any lay person, but remember that it is fundamentally oriented to newly converted lay persons who are in the process of discovering their lay essence and vocation.

At the parish and diocesan level there have been different initiatives for its implementation such as workshops presenting the document, formation meetings to work on each chapter, readings before the Sunday Eucharist, and more.