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| What Do We Ask Of Our Parish Priests? |
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When we are asked what is the most important aspect of a parish, "the parish priest," is always our response. This one person is the make or break of any community, although it is becoming an almost impossible job these days. Gone are the rewards and perks, leaving only headaches and overwork. What do we ask of our parish priest (or those running parishes in place of ordained priests)? To be on the other end of the phone anytime we call, day or night, to respond to our e-mail before morning, to arrange for a meeting room, a Mass, a pastoral visit. What do we ask? To be in charge and on top of everything without looking or acting "in control." What do we ask? To facilitate and organize, manage and lead but never in a manipulative or overpowering manner. To be a person of prayer, the soul of kindness, ready to drop everything and listen, support, understand, solve, direct, answer, celebrate, forgive, grieve, console and heal. What do we ask of our parish priest? The impossible, of course. What Don't We Ask Of Our Parish Priest? To be the lone ranger, trying to do it alone and not asking or expecting help from anyone else. Don't be someone who takes "being in charge" too seriously, feeling the parish priest is the one to lead staff meetings, write the weekend Mass petitions, oversee a construction project, teach the adult formation classes, handle personnel issues. Operating in this manner lays too heavy a burden on parish priest and does little to empower others to participate in the running of the parish. In the other extreme, we don't ask our parish priest to be absentee landlords or mere figureheads, withdrawing from the fray or disappearing for long periods of time. One version of this is someone who is often away from the parish but still reserves the right to make all important decisions. Another example is someone who is friendly and approachable to all but tends to waffle when people ask for a decision. The main objective, in this case, is to avoid conflict and discord at all cost. With such a priest, people grow impatient when decisions are put off or no progress is made on important projects and programs. What Do We Say To Our Parish Priest? Don't go it alone; this it is too big a job for any one person to handle. Find a partner, someone who will take the burdens of administration, finance, personnel and management off the priest's back. These are skills and duties that do not come with the priestly vocation, are not part of the ordination ritual and need not be present in a successful parish priest. The administrator would be a partner to the parish priest, someone who could be a co-leader of the parish. One of the primary duties of this partner would be to be a "truth-sayer," someone not afraid to confront the parish priest when needed, telling him or her things that no one else is willing or able to say. Another part of the role of this co-worker with the parish priest would be to organize and manage the temporal affairs of the parish, as well as overseeing the operation of the staff and handling personnel issues. This frees the parish priest to handle the spiritual and pastoral aspects of the parish, giving the person time to pray, read, prepare homilies, visit parishioners, counsel, console, challenge and be present to the parish community. What is most important in this joint leadership of priest and partner is that it becomes a mutual relationship of give and take where each one learns and gains from the other. This becomes a model for leading throughout the parish community as parish priest and administrator call staff, leaders and people to greater mutuality, inviting them to work towards partnership themselves. Jesus sent out the disciples in pairs, why not the same in his Church? Tom Sweetser, SJ & Peg Bishop, OSF This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it (www.pepparish.org) Parish Newsletter - September 2006 A Service of the Parish Evaluation Project Milwaukee, Wisconsin Reproduced on the OPRFM website with permission
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