“Leadership springs from within. It’s as much about who I am as what I do.” This insight from author and leadership coach Chris Lowney points to the important relationship between our interior disposition and the need to build skill as leaders. While true in all leadership endeavors, it is certainly the case in pastoral leadership. We must be attentive to the needs of people – parishioners and those who are in need of pastoral care – while leading our parish to more fully live Christ’s mission and draw people more fully to Christ. It is good for us to consider this deeply as we move through the final weeks of Phase 0 and toward the implementation of our Families of Parishes.
At our recent Warmup Days, Dr. Tim Kloppenborg and Sr. Angela Ann Zukowski invited us to grow in our willingness and capacity to listen deeply as we bring parishes together as a faith community. Everyone has a role to play; all have gifts and talents to bring to this great endeavor. July 1 is the beginning of a new opportunity to invigorate pastoral life in our archdiocese. Let us commit ourselves to this work to which we are called, radiating Christ from within, among one another, into our towns, cities, and archdiocese.
