One of the central teachings of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council is the important role that ordinary baptized persons - the Laity - have in the Church. They are full-pledged Members of the People of God, full-time constituents of the Church. And they have a proper role to play both within the Church and in the mission of the Church to the world (Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity, 18 November 1965).

Lay Ministries are services - functions or tasks - undertaken by the Lay Faithful and exercised for the good of the many, whereby they share in the Church's institutional responsibility of manifesting the presence of Christ's saving action among the people through their formal Installation into the Ministries concerned by the competent Church Authority as a guarantee of ecclesial communion.