Mission, Ministry, Order

The development of small communities and the rapid decline of ordained priests around the world has led to an enormous number of lay people in leadership positions, who effectively guide Christian communities but cannot preside at the Eucharist (the heart and soul of Catholic identity and practice). It is against this background that David Power has written a magisterial work on the mission, ministry, and order of the church that is historically comprehensive, theologically progressive, pastorally oriented, and ecumenically and globally focused.

In response to the current theological milieu, Power insightfully suggests that critical questions about mission and ministry belong within a healthy dialogue between churches and ecclesial communities. "The present moment is one of opportunity," he writes, "which allows a more profound renewal of communal responsibility and mission."

With a focus on how mission and communities are developing in the global Church, David Power, already known for his publications in the field, offers a comprehensive theology of ministry rooted in communal witness and action in local Churches rather than in the distinction between lay and ordained, sacred and secular.

The development of small communities and the rapid decline of ordained priests around the world has led to an enormous number of lay people in leadership positions, who effectively guide Christian communities but cannot preside at the Eucharist (the heart and soul of Catholic identity and practice). It is against this background that David Power has written a magisterial work on the mission, ministry, and order of the church that is historically comprehensive, theologically progressive, pastorally oriented, and ecumenically and globally focused.

In response to the current theological milieu, Power insightfully suggests that critical questions about mission and ministry belong within a healthy dialogue between churches and ecclesial communities. "The present moment is one of opportunity," he writes, "which allows a more profound renewal of communal responsibility and mission."

Born in Dublin in 1932, David N. Power, OMI (Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate), is Professor Emeritus of the School of Theology and Religious Studies, The Catholic University of America, where he taught from 1977 to 2000. He has also taught at the Gregorian University and St Thomas Aquinas University, both in Rome, as well as at the Milltown Institute of Philosophy and Theology, Dublin. He has been a visiting professor at St Paul University, Ottawa, Oblate School of Theology, San Antonio, St John's University, Collegevillie, and at seminaries in Tahiti and South Africa. He has also lectured in Australia, Pakistan, Philippines, and Sri Lanka. He's been a recipient of the Berakah Award of the North American Academy of Liturgy (1992) and the John Courtney Murray Award of the Catholic Theological Society of America (1996). He is the author of 10 books, including Gifts That Differ (1980), Unsearchable Riches (1985), The Sacrifice We Offer (T &T Clark and Crossroad, 1987), The Eucharistic Mystery (1992), and Love without Calculation (2005).