Ministers of Christ: Recovering the Roles of Clergy and Laity in an Age of Confusion

by Peter Kwasniewski

In this bold and powerful book, Dr. Peter Kwasniewski marshals an irrefutable defense of the Church’s historical teaching that her liturgical ministries ― including those of lector and altar server ― should be performed exclusively by men. God created the two sexes for profound reasons, explains Dr. Kwasniewski, and we diminish human beings when we lose sight of those reasons. He asserts that the interdependence of the two sexes strengthens both men and women and that the complementary characteristics of masculinity and femininity are indispensable to human development. The manifest differences between the sexes have informed the Church’s vision on the roles of men and women in the liturgy for centuries, and they are now under attack not only from outside the Catholic Church but also within it, threatening the very order and coherence of civilization itself. Dr. Kwasniewski thoughtfully reflects on Scripture, Church teachings, and human nature to determine the proper callings of the laity and clergy as well as their diverse but integral modes of participation in the liturgy. He connects the male priesthood to the Incarnation of Our Lord, and he explains the Old Testament background and New Testament roots of the diaconate, subdiaconate, and minor orders. He then stunningly reveals how these roles are designed to reflect and radiate the priesthood of Jesus Christ. Finally, Dr. Kwasniewski charts a path to a healthier church life, one that replaces the “heresy of activism” with the primacy of prayer and the power of contemplation. He argues that we should set aside the push to “update” everything and return to the serene embrace of the essential changelessness of the Christian religion. Only then can we adequately worship the immutable God in His eternal truth, which is reflected in the liturgical rites of Catholic tradition and the stable forms of life they call forth and bless.

Genres: Catholic

336 pages, Paperback

Published November 22, 2021

About the author

Dr. Peter A. Kwasniewski holds a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts from Thomas Aquinas College in California and an M.A. and Ph.D. in philosophy from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

After teaching at the International Theological Institute in Austria and for the Franciscan University of Steubenville’s Austrian Program, he joined the founding team of Wyoming Catholic College in Lander, Wyoming, where he currently serves as Professor of Theology and Choirmaster. He is a board member and scholar of The Aquinas Institute for the Study of Sacred Doctrine, which is publishing the Opera Omnia of the Angelic Doctor, and a tutor for the Albertus Magnus Center for Scholastic Studies.

Kwasniewski has taught and written extensively on a wide variety of subjects, especially Thomistic thought, sacramental and liturgical theology, the history and aesthetics of music, and the social doctrine of the Church. He has published two books with The Catholic University of America Press and a volume of music for liturgical use, Sacred Choral Works (Corpus Christi Watershed, 2014). His latest book, Resurgent in the Midst of Crisis: Sacred Liturgy, the Traditional Latin Mass, and Renewal in the Church (Angelico Press, 2014), is being translated into eight languages.

Dr. Kwasniewski writes for several major weblogs, including New Liturgical Movement and Rorate Caeli.

Reviews

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully written and a pleasure to read

[Rileigh · Rating 1 out of 5]

Women’s roles eh??

[Maurisa Mayerle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Without denigrating the roles women might legitimately play in the Church and her mission, Dr. Kwasniewski establishes formidable grounds for an all male clergy. He also clearly delineates between the role of the clergy and that of the laity, which has in recent years become increasingly muddled in practice. His arguments are well grounded in scripture, Church teaching, and tradition and incredibly compelling. The Church is composed of many players: men and women, clergy and laity. Each is suited and called to participate and serve but not all in the same way. We would do well to recover the proper order and mission of each member of the Body of Christ, dispelling much of the disarray and disorientation the Church is engulfed in today.