Mersey Leven Catholic Parish
To be a vibrant Catholic Community
unified in its commitment
to growing disciples for Christ
Parish Priest: Fr Mike Delaney
Mob: 0417 279 437
Mob: 0417 279 437
Priest in Residence: Fr Phil McCormack
Mob: 0437 521 257
Mob: 0437 521 257
ssm77097@bigpond.com
Postal Address: PO Box 362
Parish Office: 90 Stewart Street
(Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 10am - 3pm)
Office Phone: 6424 2783 Fax: 6423 5160
Secretary: Annie Davies / Anne Fisher
Pastoral Council Chair: Jenny Garnsey
Parish Mass times for the Month: mlcpmasstimes.blogspot.com.au
Weekly Homily Podcast: mikedelaney.podomatic.com
Our Parish Sacramental Life
Baptism: Parents are asked to contact the Parish Office to make arrangements for attending a Baptismal Preparation Session and booking a Baptism date.
Reconciliation, Confirmation and Eucharist: Are received following a Family–centred, Parish-based, School-supported Preparation Program.
Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults: prepares adults for reception into the Catholic community.
Marriage: arrangements are made by contacting one of our priests - couples attend a Pre-marriage Program
Anointing of the Sick: please contact one of our priests
Reconciliation: Ulverstone - Fridays (10am - 10:30am)
Devonport - Saturday (5:15pm – 5:45pm)
Care and Concern: If you are aware of anyone who is sick or in need of assistance in the Parish please visit them. Then, if they are willing and give permission, could you please pass on their names to the Parish Office. We have a group of parishioners who are part of the Care and Concern Group who are willing and able to provide some backup and support to them. Unfortunately, because of privacy issues, the Parish Office is not able to give out details unless prior permission has been given.
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Archdiocesan Website: www.hobart.catholic.org.au for news, information and details of other Parishes.
Parish Prayer
Heavenly Father,
and calling us to serve as your disciples.
as we use our gifts to serve you.
as we strive to bear witness
to the Gospel and build an amazing parish.
Amen.
Weekday Masses 2nd - 6th October, 2017
Tuesday: NO MASS
PENGUIN
Wednesday: 9:30am Latrobe … St Francis of Assisi
Thursday: 12noon Devonport
Next Weekend 7th & 8th October, 2017
Saturday Mass: 9:30am Ulverstone … Our Lady of the Rosary
Saturday Vigil: 6:00pm Penguin L.W.C.
Devonport
Sunday Mass: 8:30am Port Sorell L.W.C.
9:00am
Ulverstone
10:30am Devonport L.W.C.
11:00am Sheffield
Ministry Rosters 7th & 8th October, 2017
Devonport:
Ulverstone:
Penguin:
Latrobe:
Port Sorell:
Readings this week – Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A
PREGO REFLECTION:
I become still and, when I am ready, slowly read this
Gospel text several times, until its words are familiar to me.
I may like to
try to enter the scene by becoming present in the crowd as Jesus speaks.
I
listen as Jesus addresses the chief priests and elders— those who felt assured
of their place in the kingdom of God.
How do I react to his words?
I may like
to ponder one or more of the following suggestions: Which of the sons am I?
Perhaps I have been both at different times in my life?
How was I thinking or
feeling then …?
And now? I share my thoughts and feelings with the Lord.
How
does the father of the two boys regard his sons?
Does it make any difference
how each behaved?
I wait in stillness to listen to God.
When I look at the
kingdom of God, are there any people that I would exclude?
I talk with the
Lord: what does God have to say to me about these people ... and about my way
of thinking?
How easy do I find it to forgive others?
To forgive myself?
Finally I consider how almighty God, my loving Father, looks on me.
Am I able
to rejoice in the love and forgiveness of God?
I end my prayer talking with God
the Father or with Jesus, as I am drawn.
I may like to use the Our Father:
Forgive us our trespasses .....
Readings next week – Twenty-Seventh Sunday
in Ordinary Time Year A
Your prayers
are asked for the sick: Matthew Gough, Allan Person, Rosemary Harcourt-Spencer, Dolor
Hewison, Margaret Kenney, Rex Bates, Victoria Webb, David Welch, Dawn
Stevens & …
Let us pray for those who have died recently: Vern Cazaly, Agnes Bonis, Joyce Landford, Jack Corcoran, Joe Sly, Cyril Smith, Rita
Walker, Katherine Adams, Ray Duffy, Dorothy Leonard and Wendy Lander.
Let us pray for those whose anniversary occurs about this time: 27th
September – 3rd October
May they rest in peace
Weekly
Ramblings
Most Monday morning I meet with the Parish Leadership Team
(my support team) and we look at issues that are immediately effecting the
Parish or my ministry in particular. As we were meeting I got a phone call
advising that a Parishioner had died earlier in the morning and so I began to
make arrangements with the family regarding the funeral.
Early the next day I got another call saying that another
parishioner had died during the night and as it worked out there were two
funerals, both Masses on Friday. Because we don’t really have a proper process
for getting the information out to people who regularly attend masses I wasn’t
able to cancel the 9.30am Mass at Ulverstone – one of the funerals was for a
Funeral Mass at Sacred Heart at 2.00pm. It may not happen again but if there is
a funeral Mass at a Mass Centre at a different time to the regular Mass time
then the Funeral Mass will be the only Mass at that Centre that day.
There are a few other things I would like to bring to
people’s attention:
· We will be celebrating our 2nd Whole of Parish
Mass on the Feast of Christ the King, Sunday, 26th November, at
11am. This will be the only Mass on that day;
· There will be another Parish ‘Forum’ afternoon on the 1st
Sunday of Advent, 3rd December, from 2-4pm. This will be the
beginning of a process that will continue through to Holy Week.
More information on all these events will be available in coming weeks - please add these dates to your planning calendar.
Please take care on the roads and in your homes,
ST VINCENT
DE PAUL COLLECTION:
NOVEMBER REMEMBRANCE BOOKS:
November is the month we remember
in a special way all those who have died. Should you wish anyone to be
remembered, write the names of those to be prayed for on the outside of an
envelope and place the clearly marked envelope in the collection basket at Mass
or deliver to the Parish Office by Thursday
26th October.
ROSARY PILGRIMAGE:
The MLCP Prayer Group is holding our Annual Rosary
Pilgrimage around the Mersey Leven Parish Churches and Mass Centres on Sunday
15th October 2017. We invite all parishioners to join us
throughout the journey or join us in one of the Churches convenient to you.
Itinerary details will be posted on the board in every Church, Mass Centre. A bus
will be available on the day on a first come first served basis so booking is
highly essential. For more info and booking contact Hermie on 0414 416661.
THANK YOU to all our parish family for their love, prayers, support
and expressions of sympathy on the recent loss of our loving mum and gran, Dorothy
Leonard. Special thanks to Fr Mike for his friendship and his ministry to
Mum in recent years, and to the Sacred Heart Choir for helping the celebration
of mum's life to be so beautiful. Mum's faith and her connection with her
friends in the parish family were a big part of her life.
Jenny & Shane Willoughby and family.
Footy tipping margin for 22nd September 61 points: winners: Marie Byrne, Carol Quinn, Betty Lee.
NEWS FROM ACROSS THE ARCHDIOCESE:
THE JOURNEY CATHOLIC RADIO PROGRAM – AIRS 8 October
2017
SOLEMNITY OF ST TERESA OF JESUS
- A Sung Mass will
be celebrated in honour of St Teresa of Jesus (Avila), the foundress of the
Discalced Carmelite Order, at the Carmelite Monastery, 7 Cambridge St.,
Launceston Sunday 15th October at 9:30am. Archbishop Julian will be the
principal celebrant and homilist. Morning tea will follow Mass. All welcome. A
Novena of Masses and Prayers will also be offered in preparation for the feast
from 6th – 14th October. Intentions may be sent to Mother Teresa-Benedicta at
the Monastery.
JOURNEY TO CARMEL THE BEAUTIFUL MOUNTAIN: A weekend retreat on Carmelite
Spirituality at the Emmanuel Centre, Launceston. Friday 20th – 22nd
October. Fr Paul Maunder OCD Retreat Director. Cost for weekend $170.00
includes all meals and accommodation. Bookings are essential to Robert Archer
6396:1389.
Be still and know that I am God. Scripture assures us that if we are still we will come to know God, but arriving at stillness is easier said than done. As Blaise Pascal once stated, “All the miseries of the human person come from the fact that no one can sit still for one hour.” Achieving stillness seems beyond us and this leaves us with a certain dilemma, we need stillness to find God, but we need God’s help to find stillness. With this in mind, I offer a prayer for stillness.
God of stillness and of quiet …
Still the restlessness of my youth: still that hunger that would have me be everywhere, that hunger to be connected to everyone, that wants to see and taste all that is, that robs me of peace on a Friday night. Quiet those grandiose dreams that want me to stand out, to be special. Give me the grace to live more contentedly inside my own skin.
Still the fever I inhale from all the energy that surrounds me, that makes my life feel small. Let me know that my own life is enough, that I need not make an assertion of myself, even as the whole world beckons this of me from a million electronic screens. Give me the grace to sit at peace inside my own life.
Still my sexuality, order my promiscuous desires, my lusts, my polymorphous aching, my relentless need for more intimacy. Quiet and order my earthy desires without taking them away. Give me the grace to see others without a selfish sexual color.
Still my anxiety, my heartaches, my worries, and stop me from always being outside the present moment. Let each day’s worries be sufficient onto themselves. Give me the grace to know that you have pronounced my name in love, that my name written in heaven, that I am free to live without anxiety.
Still my unrelenting need to be busy all the time, to occupy myself, to be always planning for tomorrow, to fill every minute with some activity, to seek distraction rather than quiet. Give me themes with age. Soothe the unacknowledged anger I feel from not achieving much of what I’ve wanted in life, the failure that I feel in the face of all that I’ve left untried and unfinished. Still in me the bitterness that comes from failure. Save me from the jealousy that comes unbidden as I begrudgingly accept the limits of my life. Give me the grace to accept what circumstance and failure have dealt me.
Still in me the fear of my own shadow, the fear I feel in the face of the powerful, dark forces that unconsciously threaten me. Give me the courage to face my darkness as well as my luminosity. Give me the grace to not be fearful before my own complexity.
Still in me the congenital fear that I’m unloved, that I’m unlovable, that love has to be earned, that I need to be more worthy. Silence in me the nagging suspicion that I’m forever missing out, that I’m odd, an outsider, that things are unfair, and that I’m not being respected and recognized for who I am. Give me the grace to know that I’m a beloved child of a God whose love need not be earned.
Still in me my false fear of you, my propensity for a misguided piety, my need to treat you like a distant and feared dignitary rather than as a warm friend. Give me the grace to relate to you in a robust way, as a trusted friend with whom I can jest, wrestle, and relate to in humor and intimacy.
Still my unforgiving thoughts, the grudges I nurse from my past, from the betrayals I’ve suffered, from the negativity and abuses I’ve been subject to. Quiet in me the guilt I carry from my own betrayals. Still in me all that’s wounded, unresolved, bitter, and unforgiving. Give the quiet that comes from forgiveness.
Still in me my doubts, my anxieties about your existence, about your concern, and about your fidelity. Calm inside me the compulsion to leave a mark, to plant a tree, to have a child, to write a book, to create some form of immortality for myself. Give me the grace to trust, even in darkness and doubt, that you will give me immortality.
Still my heart so that I may know that you are God, that I may know that you create and sustain my every breath, that you breathe the whole universe into existence every second, that everyone, myself no less than everyone else, is your beloved, that you want our lives to flourish, that you desire our happiness, that nothing falls outside your love and care, and that everything and everybody is safe in your gentle, caring hands, in this world and the next.
10 Characteristics of Generation Z
By Shane Pruitt –
@shane_pruitt78. The original of this article can be found on Shane Pruitt's blog by clicking here
There is old saying, “The human race is always one
generation away from extinction.” Meaning, if we don’t reproduce, then we die.
Of course, we know that God is sovereign and that He has a will, a plan, and a
purpose that He will see through. However, on a practical level, the same can
be said for the local church. We are always one generation away from
extinction. If we don’t reproduce, we die. If we don’t reach the next
generation, we cease to exist.
REALIST – Most students I’ve met are “down-to-earth” and
very “self-aware.” They are not as overly idealistic as their older Millennial
brothers and sisters. They are aware to the reality of ever-changing threat
levels caused by terrorism, the ups and downs of the economy, and they don’t
want to carry the same generalized labels of the previous Millennial
generation.
Generation Z is a hopeful generation. They’re realists,
influencers, transparent, and hungry for something more than what they have.
These have the best of the best at their hands, and they’ve had it their whole
life. However, they’re also seeking something more. At the end of the day,
Generation Z represents people made in the image of God that desperately need
the gospel of Jesus Christ and to be discipled by older brothers and sisters in
the faith. Titus 2 can be our guide.
The Whole World Is Our
Cloister
Action and
Contemplation
The Left Hand of God
Field Hospital on the
Edge of the Battlefield
The Third Eye
A Tuning Fork
and calling us to serve as your disciples.
as we use our gifts to serve you.
as we strive to bear witness
Amen.
Weekday Masses 2nd - 6th October, 2017
Tuesday: NO MASS
PENGUIN
Wednesday: 9:30am Latrobe … St Francis of Assisi
Thursday: 12noon Devonport
Friday: 9:30am Ulverstone
12noon Devonport
Next Weekend 7th & 8th October, 2017
Saturday Mass: 9:30am Ulverstone … Our Lady of the Rosary
Saturday Vigil: 6:00pm Penguin L.W.C.
Devonport
Sunday Mass: 8:30am Port Sorell L.W.C.
9:00am
Ulverstone
10:30am Devonport L.W.C.
11:00am Sheffield
5:00pm Latrobe
Ministry Rosters 7th & 8th October, 2017
Devonport:
Readers: Vigil: V Riley, A Stegmann, M Stewart 10:30am: E Petts, K Douglas, B Suckling
Ministers of Communion: Vigil: B, B. &
B Windebank, T Bird, J Kelly, R Baker,
10.30am: S Riley, M Sherriff, R Beaton, D & M Barrientos
Cleaners. 6th October: M.W.C. 13th October: B Paul, D Atkins, V
Riley
Piety Shop 7th
Oct: H Thompson 8th October:
O McGinley
Ulverstone:
Readers: J & S Willoughby
Ministers of
Communion: B Deacon, J Allen, G Douglas, K Reilly
Cleaners: M Swain, M Bryan Flowers: G Doyle
Hospitality:
M & K McKenzie
Penguin:
Greeters: G Hills-Eade, B Eade Commentator:
Readers: M & D Hiscutt Ministers of
Communion: J
Barker, E Nickols Liturgy: Sulphur Creek J Setting Up: S Ewing Care of Church: Y & R Downes
Latrobe:
Reader: S Ritchie Ministers of Communion: I Campbell, B Ritchie Procession: Parishioners
Port Sorell:
Readers: L Post, P Anderson Ministers of Communion: T Jeffries Cleaners/Flowers/Prep: A Holloway, B Lee
Readings this week – Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A
First Reading: Ezekiel 18:25-28
Second Reading: Philippians 2:1-5
Gospel: Matthew 21:28-32
PREGO REFLECTION:
I become still and, when I am ready, slowly read this
Gospel text several times, until its words are familiar to me.
I may like to try to enter the scene by becoming present in the crowd as Jesus speaks.
I listen as Jesus addresses the chief priests and elders— those who felt assured of their place in the kingdom of God.
How do I react to his words?
I may like to ponder one or more of the following suggestions: Which of the sons am I?
Perhaps I have been both at different times in my life?
How was I thinking or feeling then …?
And now? I share my thoughts and feelings with the Lord.
How does the father of the two boys regard his sons?
Does it make any difference how each behaved?
I wait in stillness to listen to God.
When I look at the kingdom of God, are there any people that I would exclude?
I talk with the Lord: what does God have to say to me about these people ... and about my way of thinking?
How easy do I find it to forgive others?
To forgive myself?
Finally I consider how almighty God, my loving Father, looks on me.
Am I able to rejoice in the love and forgiveness of God?
I end my prayer talking with God the Father or with Jesus, as I am drawn.
I may like to use the Our Father: Forgive us our trespasses .....
I may like to try to enter the scene by becoming present in the crowd as Jesus speaks.
I listen as Jesus addresses the chief priests and elders— those who felt assured of their place in the kingdom of God.
How do I react to his words?
I may like to ponder one or more of the following suggestions: Which of the sons am I?
Perhaps I have been both at different times in my life?
How was I thinking or feeling then …?
And now? I share my thoughts and feelings with the Lord.
How does the father of the two boys regard his sons?
Does it make any difference how each behaved?
I wait in stillness to listen to God.
When I look at the kingdom of God, are there any people that I would exclude?
I talk with the Lord: what does God have to say to me about these people ... and about my way of thinking?
How easy do I find it to forgive others?
To forgive myself?
Finally I consider how almighty God, my loving Father, looks on me.
Am I able to rejoice in the love and forgiveness of God?
I end my prayer talking with God the Father or with Jesus, as I am drawn.
I may like to use the Our Father: Forgive us our trespasses .....
Readings next week – Twenty-Seventh Sunday
in Ordinary Time Year A
First Reading: Isaiah 5:1-7
Second Reading:
Philippians 4:6-9
Gospel: Matthew 21:33-43
Your prayers
are asked for the sick: Matthew Gough, Allan Person, Rosemary Harcourt-Spencer, Dolor
Hewison, Margaret Kenney, Rex Bates, Victoria Webb, David Welch, Dawn
Stevens & …
Let us pray for those who have died recently: Vern Cazaly, Agnes Bonis, Joyce Landford, Jack Corcoran, Joe Sly, Cyril Smith, Rita
Walker, Katherine Adams, Ray Duffy, Dorothy Leonard and Wendy Lander.
Let us pray for those whose anniversary occurs about this time: 27th
September – 3rd October
Joan
Chettle, Lila Bramich, Adam Hugen, Stephen Harris, George Farrow, Mary Forth, Peter
Kirkpatrick, Irene Marston, Allan Clarke and Reginald Kelly.
May they rest in peace
Weekly
Ramblings
Most Monday morning I meet with the Parish Leadership Team
(my support team) and we look at issues that are immediately effecting the
Parish or my ministry in particular. As we were meeting I got a phone call
advising that a Parishioner had died earlier in the morning and so I began to
make arrangements with the family regarding the funeral.
Early the next day I got another call saying that another parishioner had died during the night and as it worked out there were two funerals, both Masses on Friday. Because we don’t really have a proper process for getting the information out to people who regularly attend masses I wasn’t able to cancel the 9.30am Mass at Ulverstone – one of the funerals was for a Funeral Mass at Sacred Heart at 2.00pm. It may not happen again but if there is a funeral Mass at a Mass Centre at a different time to the regular Mass time then the Funeral Mass will be the only Mass at that Centre that day.
There are a few other things I would like to bring to
people’s attention:
More information on all these events will be available in coming weeks - please add these dates to your planning calendar.
Please take care on the roads and in your homes,
ST VINCENT
DE PAUL COLLECTION:
Next weekend
in Devonport, Ulverstone, Port Sorell, Latrobe and Penguin to assist the work
of the St Vincent de Paul Society.
NOVEMBER REMEMBRANCE BOOKS:
November is the month we remember
in a special way all those who have died. Should you wish anyone to be
remembered, write the names of those to be prayed for on the outside of an
envelope and place the clearly marked envelope in the collection basket at Mass
or deliver to the Parish Office by Thursday
26th October.
ROSARY PILGRIMAGE:
The MLCP Prayer Group is holding our Annual Rosary
Pilgrimage around the Mersey Leven Parish Churches and Mass Centres on Sunday
15th October 2017. We invite all parishioners to join us
throughout the journey or join us in one of the Churches convenient to you.
Itinerary details will be posted on the board in every Church, Mass Centre. A bus
will be available on the day on a first come first served basis so booking is
highly essential. For more info and booking contact Hermie on 0414 416661.
THANK YOU to all our parish family for their love, prayers, support
and expressions of sympathy on the recent loss of our loving mum and gran, Dorothy
Leonard. Special thanks to Fr Mike for his friendship and his ministry to
Mum in recent years, and to the Sacred Heart Choir for helping the celebration
of mum's life to be so beautiful. Mum's faith and her connection with her
friends in the parish family were a big part of her life.
Jenny & Shane Willoughby and family.
Footy tipping margin for 22nd September 61 points: winners: Marie Byrne, Carol Quinn, Betty Lee.
BINGO - Thursday Nights - OLOL Hall,
Devonport. Eyes down 7.30pm!
Callers for Thursday 5th
October – Rod Clark & Graeme Rigney
NEWS FROM ACROSS THE ARCHDIOCESE:
The Verbum Domini Biblical & Catechetical Institute’s
next module of the Sacraments course will be on the biblical foundations of
Penance (Reconciliation) & Anointing of the Sick. Saturday 7th October, 9am-2.30pm.
Pastoral Centre, Church of the Apostles, 44 Margaret St, Launceston. Cost:
FREE. Register: christine.wood@aohtas.org.au
or 6208-6236. Come even if you missed the previous modules. TCEO staff and
teachers received professional learning credits for attendance. Bring your
bible and lunch. Morning tea provided. All welcome.
THE JOURNEY CATHOLIC RADIO PROGRAM – AIRS 8 October
2017
This week on the Journey, this week on the Journey, we are
blessed to have some fabulous and inspirational God spots from some truly
talented supporters of our show. To enhance our program, we have
carefully selected music to help us create a show for you that is all about
faith, hope, love and life. Go to www.jcr.org.au
or www.itunes.jcr.org.au where
you can listen anytime and subscribe to weekly shows by email.
SOLEMNITY OF ST TERESA OF JESUS
- A Sung Mass will
be celebrated in honour of St Teresa of Jesus (Avila), the foundress of the
Discalced Carmelite Order, at the Carmelite Monastery, 7 Cambridge St.,
Launceston Sunday 15th October at 9:30am. Archbishop Julian will be the
principal celebrant and homilist. Morning tea will follow Mass. All welcome. A
Novena of Masses and Prayers will also be offered in preparation for the feast
from 6th – 14th October. Intentions may be sent to Mother Teresa-Benedicta at
the Monastery.
JOURNEY TO CARMEL THE BEAUTIFUL MOUNTAIN: A weekend retreat on Carmelite
Spirituality at the Emmanuel Centre, Launceston. Friday 20th – 22nd
October. Fr Paul Maunder OCD Retreat Director. Cost for weekend $170.00
includes all meals and accommodation. Bookings are essential to Robert Archer
6396:1389.
A PRAYER FOR STILLNESS
Taken from the archive of Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI. The original article can be found hereBe still and know that I am God. Scripture assures us that if we are still we will come to know God, but arriving at stillness is easier said than done. As Blaise Pascal once stated, “All the miseries of the human person come from the fact that no one can sit still for one hour.” Achieving stillness seems beyond us and this leaves us with a certain dilemma, we need stillness to find God, but we need God’s help to find stillness. With this in mind, I offer a prayer for stillness.
God of stillness and of quiet …
Still the restlessness of my youth: still that hunger that would have me be everywhere, that hunger to be connected to everyone, that wants to see and taste all that is, that robs me of peace on a Friday night. Quiet those grandiose dreams that want me to stand out, to be special. Give me the grace to live more contentedly inside my own skin.
Still the fever I inhale from all the energy that surrounds me, that makes my life feel small. Let me know that my own life is enough, that I need not make an assertion of myself, even as the whole world beckons this of me from a million electronic screens. Give me the grace to sit at peace inside my own life.
Still my sexuality, order my promiscuous desires, my lusts, my polymorphous aching, my relentless need for more intimacy. Quiet and order my earthy desires without taking them away. Give me the grace to see others without a selfish sexual color.
Still my anxiety, my heartaches, my worries, and stop me from always being outside the present moment. Let each day’s worries be sufficient onto themselves. Give me the grace to know that you have pronounced my name in love, that my name written in heaven, that I am free to live without anxiety.
Still my unrelenting need to be busy all the time, to occupy myself, to be always planning for tomorrow, to fill every minute with some activity, to seek distraction rather than quiet. Give me themes with age. Soothe the unacknowledged anger I feel from not achieving much of what I’ve wanted in life, the failure that I feel in the face of all that I’ve left untried and unfinished. Still in me the bitterness that comes from failure. Save me from the jealousy that comes unbidden as I begrudgingly accept the limits of my life. Give me the grace to accept what circumstance and failure have dealt me.
Still in me the fear of my own shadow, the fear I feel in the face of the powerful, dark forces that unconsciously threaten me. Give me the courage to face my darkness as well as my luminosity. Give me the grace to not be fearful before my own complexity.
Still in me the congenital fear that I’m unloved, that I’m unlovable, that love has to be earned, that I need to be more worthy. Silence in me the nagging suspicion that I’m forever missing out, that I’m odd, an outsider, that things are unfair, and that I’m not being respected and recognized for who I am. Give me the grace to know that I’m a beloved child of a God whose love need not be earned.
Still in me my false fear of you, my propensity for a misguided piety, my need to treat you like a distant and feared dignitary rather than as a warm friend. Give me the grace to relate to you in a robust way, as a trusted friend with whom I can jest, wrestle, and relate to in humor and intimacy.
Still my unforgiving thoughts, the grudges I nurse from my past, from the betrayals I’ve suffered, from the negativity and abuses I’ve been subject to. Quiet in me the guilt I carry from my own betrayals. Still in me all that’s wounded, unresolved, bitter, and unforgiving. Give the quiet that comes from forgiveness.
Still in me my doubts, my anxieties about your existence, about your concern, and about your fidelity. Calm inside me the compulsion to leave a mark, to plant a tree, to have a child, to write a book, to create some form of immortality for myself. Give me the grace to trust, even in darkness and doubt, that you will give me immortality.
Still my heart so that I may know that you are God, that I may know that you create and sustain my every breath, that you breathe the whole universe into existence every second, that everyone, myself no less than everyone else, is your beloved, that you want our lives to flourish, that you desire our happiness, that nothing falls outside your love and care, and that everything and everybody is safe in your gentle, caring hands, in this world and the next.
10 Characteristics of Generation Z
By Shane Pruitt –
@shane_pruitt78. The original of this article can be found on Shane Pruitt's blog by clicking here
There is old saying, “The human race is always one
generation away from extinction.” Meaning, if we don’t reproduce, then we die.
Of course, we know that God is sovereign and that He has a will, a plan, and a
purpose that He will see through. However, on a practical level, the same can
be said for the local church. We are always one generation away from
extinction. If we don’t reproduce, we die. If we don’t reach the next
generation, we cease to exist.
With this in mind, it brings us to the generation that
churches must turn some attention to—Generation Z.
Who is considered Generation Z? Most researchers say anyone
born from the year 2001 on is now currently a part of Generation Z. However,
others believe that September 11, 2001, was so profound on the psyche of all
who were alive at the time that they believe a new generation should be marked
after that date. I personally tend to agree with this view. So, according to
this definition, Generation Z would include anyone born from September 12,
2001, to today—roughly those who are currently in High School and younger.
Of course, like any generational assessment, this extremely
broad group will be vastly different in a lot of areas. However, after being in
front of tens of thousands of these students every year, I want to offer a list
of 10 defining characteristics I’ve seen in them. Keep in mind, the jury is
still out: while these attributes are on the radar screen now, the students are
still young, and change is always a reality.
REALIST – Most students I’ve met are “down-to-earth” and
very “self-aware.” They are not as overly idealistic as their older Millennial
brothers and sisters. They are aware to the reality of ever-changing threat
levels caused by terrorism, the ups and downs of the economy, and they don’t
want to carry the same generalized labels of the previous Millennial
generation.
VISUAL – For most students, the most preferred communication
method has become more and more image-based: emojis, logos, GIFs, and memes.
The most popular social media platforms for this generation are Snapchat and
Instagram—completely image-based. Images break down language barriers. Visuals
are also the way in which the brain processes information best.
TECHNOLOGY-DRIVEN – Most students are completely reliant on
technology. If you thought Millennials were bad, you haven’t seen anything yet!
Most students would rather have a digital conversation than a real-life
discussion. They’ll respond to text-messages before they return a phone call.
Handwritten notes are torture! Because they’re always online, they can find
answers to questions in warp speed. These students can multitask across a few
different screens or monitors at once. It’s a challenge to put down our phones,
even for 10 minutes to eat lunch. Their smart-phone is equivalent to food,
water, and shelter. They cannot imagine living without being connected all the
time. When you pull their phone away, you have just pulled away their complete
source of knowledge and connectedness. They have never known a world without a
smart-phone or tablet. It is their pacifier.
CREATORS – According to Business Insider, 76 percent of Gen
Z members are aiming to create jobs out of their hobbies. For this reason, we
may see a lot of entrepreneurs come out of this generation. This generation
will be open to established careers, if they have the freedom to invent,
customize, and feel like their career will help change the world around them.
In EY.com interview, Walsh spoke of the gig economy: “One of the most profound
changes for organizations is that most people will not be working for any
particular company full time. In the United States last year, some 15.5 million
people declared themselves freelance. By 2020, some 40% of the U.S. workforce
is expected to be freelancers.” This changes the way organizations communicate
with their hires, as well as the reliance on external resources.
STRESSED – These students seemed to be more stressed at an
earlier age than previous generations. They worry about their online persona,
the environment, their education, obligations, and hobbies because ultimately
that’s how realists operate. However, Generation Z is willing to do something
about it. They’d choose stand and do, rather than sit and listen.
SEEK QUALITY – Quality over quantity is the name of
Generation Z’s game. Less is more. They’re incredibly selective in the products
of choice, making it painstakingly tedious for advertising marketers to get
through to them. They’re likely to know ratings of products, restaurants, and
movies before adults do. They’ve already seen an Amazon add or YouTube video
about it, before they ever head to the store.
TRANSPARENT – In the minds of these students, there is no
room for a lack of authenticity. They have no patience for slick presentations
and false personas. They can usually spot exaggerations, inaccuracies, and
“holier-than-thou” attitudes. In preaching, the more raw, transparent, and
vulnerable the communicator is, the more Gen Z will connect. There was a time
when preachers were told not to use themselves in personal illustrations;
however, this generation wants to hear those personal stories as long as you
don’t always make yourself the hero in your stories.
CHALLENGERS – This generation is pushing the boundaries in
nearly every area of life. At the same time, they seem to be more respectful
than their older Millennial siblings. They want to work hard and see results,
but they also want to make a difference. These students are breaking the
stereotypes and reacting against the negative generalizations given to
Millennials. They care more about the mission of the organization, business, or
church than they do anything else.
ACCEPTING – Most of these students are growing up in an era
where social norms have shifted dramatically. Gay is no longer secret and
taboo. Transgender is no longer an urban legend or myth. They’ve seen it, are
surrounded by it, and it has become personal. In the eyes of this generation,
you’re not talking about issues and agendas, you’re talking about Sarah and
John. The playground bully is “uncool” and not tolerated, while the “nerds and
geeks” are the “cool kids.” It’s more about how culturally aware you are, how many
followers on social media you have, what online celebrities you know, and what
social causes you support.
GOSPEL-HUNGRY – This generation is globally minded and want
their life to matter. They are fully aware of their imperfections, evil, hate,
and injustices. They are an addicted generation, and are looking for solutions,
answers, and impact. They’re not scared to die young; however, they are
terrified to die at a ripe-old-age and have done nothing significant with their
lives in their own eyes. As with every generation, the gospel is the answer,
and nothing is more impactful than kingdom living!
Generation Z is a hopeful generation. They’re realists,
influencers, transparent, and hungry for something more than what they have.
These have the best of the best at their hands, and they’ve had it their whole
life. However, they’re also seeking something more. At the end of the day,
Generation Z represents people made in the image of God that desperately need
the gospel of Jesus Christ and to be discipled by older brothers and sisters in
the faith. Titus 2 can be our guide.
Contemplation in Action: Week 1
This article was taken from the daily email from Fr Richard Rohr OFM. You can subscribe to the email here
The Whole World Is Our
Cloister
In the Franciscan worldview, the Christ can be found
everywhere. Nothing is secular or profane. You don’t really “get” the Christ
mystery until body and spirit begin to operate as one. Once you see the
material and the spiritual working together, everything is holy. The Christ is
whenever and wherever the material and the spiritual co-exist—which is always
and everywhere! Everything is already “christened”; any anointing, blessing,
declaring, or baptizing is just to help us get the point.
I wrote my undergraduate thesis on St. Francis’ break with
historic monasticism. When his friars brought up well-established rules for
religious life, Francis even went so far as to say “Don’t speak to me of Benedict!
Don’t speak to me of Augustine!” [1] (No offence intended to Benedictines or
Augustinians.) Francis believed that the Lord had shown him a different way,
one which directly implied that the whole world—not just a single building—was
our cloister. He did not need to create a sheltered space. We were to be
“friars” instead of monks, living in the midst of ordinary people, in ordinary
towns and cities. Franciscan friaries are still usually in the heart of major
European and Latin American cities. We didn’t live on the edge of town because
Christ is found as much in the middle of civilization as is in quiet retreats
and hermitages.
Franciscan theologian Bonaventure (1221-1274) soon debated
“secular priests” at the University of Paris, because some of them felt that
putting together action and contemplation would not work. We became competitors
for the affection of the people, I am afraid. Up until Francis of Assisi
(1184-1226), most religious had to choose either a life of action or a life of
contemplation. Secular priests worked with people in the parishes. The “true”
religious went off to monasteries. Francis said there had to be a way to do
both.
It’s as if consciousness wasn’t ready to imagine that it
could find God in any way except by going into the desert, into the monastery,
away from troubles, away from marriage, away from people. In that very real
sense, we see a nondual mind emerging with the Franciscan movement.
There are now three major categories of Franciscans. The
First Order are the Friars, the Second Order are the Poor Clares, and the Third
Order or “Secular Franciscans” are the many lay people and formal religious
orders that share our common spirituality. Thirty years ago when I formed the
Center for Action and Contemplation in a poorer neighborhood in Albuquerque,
New Mexico, I was just being a good Franciscan. We are still trying to teach
that doing compassionate acts from a contemplative foundation is the greatest
art form.
References:
[1] The Assisi Compilation, chapter 18. See Francis of
Assisi: Early Documents, vol. 2 (Hyde Park, NY: New City Press, 2000), 133.
Adapted from Richard Rohr, Franciscan Mysticism: I AM that
which I Am Seeking, disc 1 (CAC: 2012), CD, MP3 download; and
Dancing Standing Still: Healing the World from a Place of
Prayer (Paulist Press: 2014), 1.
Action and
Contemplation
The words action and contemplation have become classic
Christian terminology for the two dancing polarities of our lives. Thomas
Aquinas and many others stated that the highest form of spiritual maturity is
not action or contemplation, but the ability to integrate the two into one life
stance—to be service-oriented contemplatives or contemplative activists. By temperament we all tend to come at it from
one side or the other.
This full integration doesn’t happen without a lot of
mistakes and practice and prayer. And invariably, as you go through life, you
swing on a pendulum back and forth between the two. During one period you may
be more active or more contemplative than at another time.
I have commonly noticed a tendency to call any kind of inner
work contemplation, and this concerns me. Inner work might lead you to a
contemplative stance, but not necessarily. We shouldn’t confuse various kinds
of inner work, insight-gathering, or introspection with contemplative
spirituality. Contemplation is about letting go of the false much more than
just collecting the new, the therapeutic, or the helpful. In other words, if
you and your personal growth are still the focus, I do not think you are yet a contemplative—which
demands that you shed yourself as the central reference point. Jesus said,
“Unless the single grain of wheat dies, it remains just a single grain,” and it
will not bear much fruit (John 12:24).
We must guard against our “innerness” becoming disguised
narcissism, navel-gazing, and overly self-serving. I am afraid this is not
uncommon in the religious world. An exalted self-image of “I am a spiritual
person” is far too appealing to the ego. Thomas Merton warned against confusing
an introverted personality with being a contemplative. They are two different
things.
Having said that, I’ll point out the other side of the
problem. Too much activism without enough inner work, insight, or examination
of conscience inevitably leads to violence—to the self, to the project at hand,
and invariably to others. If too much inner focus risks narcissism and
individualism, I guess too much outer focus risks superficiality, negativity
passing for love of justice, and various Messiah complexes. You can lack love
on the Right and you can lack love on the Left—they just wear two different
disguises.
We need both inner communion and outer service to be “Jesus”
in the world! The job of religion is to help people act effectively and
compassionately from an inner centeredness and connection with God.
Reference:
Adapted from Richard Rohr, Near Occasions of Grace (Orbis
Books: 1993), 105-107.
The Left Hand of God
Part of integrating the inner and the outer is looking at
both sides of life clearly and honestly. We must be able to face the joy and
wonder of life as well as its pain, injustice, and absurdity. I call the dark
side of life the left hand of God or the painful mystery of things. My several
encounters with cancer are good examples. I have long preached about the painful
mystery of things, but with each of three diagnoses, it reached out and grabbed
me and got my attention.
That’s often how it happens. You’re going along and things
are just fine, then wham bam—you’re struck by the left hand of God. The longer
you live the more you see the terrible pain, injustice, and absurdity as part
of the entire world and the lives of those around you. You can’t make any
logical or pleasing sense out of it. Then, if you are open, you’re driven back
to an inner place of grace where the paradox is simply held by Love. The only
alternative is a life of cynicism.
This brings
to mind Rilke’s beautiful poem:
God speaks
to each of us as [God] makes us,
then walks
with us silently out of the night.
These are
the words we dimly hear:
You, sent
out beyond your recall,
go to the
limits of your longing.
Embody me.
Flare up
like flame
and make big
shadows I can move in.
Let
everything happen to you: beauty and terror.
Just keep
going. No feeling is final.
Don’t let
yourself lose me.
Nearby is the
country they call life.
You will
know it by its seriousness.
Give me your
hand. [1]
Truly compassionate, effective action means looking hard at
both sides of life, and that look will drive you back to a God-centered, always
daring, contemplative place—which in turn will drive you forward with a passion
to do something about all of this pain according to your own gift. If your
spiritual practice doesn’t lead you to some acts of concrete caring or service,
then you have every reason not to trust it.
St. John Cassian (c. 360-435) called this pax perniciosa or
“dangerous peace.” [2] We might also call it the Pax Romana, maintained by
force and injustice, instead of the Pax Christi, which comes from love,
operates in love, and leads to a love that flows toward the world. Love’s core
characteristic is flow—always flowing outward!
References:
[1] Rainer Maria Rilke, Rilke’s Book of Hours: Love Poems to
God, trans. Anita Barrows and Joanna Macy (Riverhead Books: 1996), 88. Used by
permission.
[2] John Cassian, Conferences, 4.7
Adapted from Richard Rohr, Near Occasions of Grace (Orbis
Books: 1993), 107-108.
Field Hospital on the
Edge of the Battlefield
Francis of Assisi taught us the importance of living close
to the poor, the marginalized, the outcasts in society. The outer poverty,
injustice, and absurdity around us mirror our own inner poverty, injustice, and
absurdity. The poor man or woman outside is an invitation to the poor man or
woman inside. As you nurture compassion and sympathy for the brokenness of things,
encounter the visible icon of the painful mystery in “the little ones,” build
bridges between the inner and outer, learn to move between action and
contemplation, then you’ll find compassion and sympathy for the brokenness
within yourself.
Each time I was recovering from cancer, I had to sit with my
own broken absurdity as I’ve done with others at the jail or hospital or sick
bed. The suffering person’s poverty is visible and extraverted; mine is
invisible and interior, but just as real. I think that’s why Jesus said we have
to recognize Christ in the least of our brothers and sisters. It was for our
redemption, our liberation, our healing—not just to “help” others and put a
check on our spiritual resume.
I can’t hate the person on welfare when I realize I’m on
God’s welfare. It all becomes one truth; the inner and the outer reflect one
another. As compassion and sympathy flow out of us to any marginalized person
for whatever reason, wounds are bandaged—both theirs and ours.
Thomas, the doubting apostle, wanted to figure things out in
his head. He had done too much inner work, too much analyzing and explaining.
He always needed more data before he could make a move. Then Jesus told Thomas
he must put his finger inside the wounds in Jesus’ hands and side (John 20:27).
Then and only then did Thomas begin to understand what faith is all about.
Pope Francis is encouraging a church of doubting Thomases
when he tells us that “the church seems like a field hospital” [1] on the edge
of the battlefield (as opposed to a country club of saved people) and the
“clergy should smell like their sheep” (rather than thinking they smell
better). [2] If this could happen, it would change just about everything that
we have called church up to now.
References:
[1] Pope Francis, Address to members of the Focolare
Movement on September 26, 2014. See full text at
https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2014/september/documents/papa-francesco_20140926_movimento-focolari.html
[2] Pope Francis, With the Smell of the Sheep: Pope Francis
Speaks to Priests, Bishops, and other Shepherds (Orbis Books: 2017).
Adapted from Richard Rohr, Near Occasions of Grace (Orbis
Books: 1993), 108-110.
The Third Eye
In the early medieval period, two Christian philosophers
offered names for three different ways of seeing, and these names had a great
influence on scholars and seekers in the Western tradition. Hugh of St. Victor
(1078-1141) and Richard of St. Victor (1123-1173) wrote that humanity was given
three different sets of eyes, each building on the previous one. The first eye
was the eye of the flesh (thought or sight), the second was the eye of reason
(meditation or reflection), and the third was the intuitive eye of true
understanding (contemplation). [1]
I describe this third eye as knowing something simply by
being calmly present to it (no processing needed!). This image of “third eye”
thinking, beyond our dualistic vision, is also found in most Eastern religions.
We are onto something archetypal here, I think!
The loss of the “third eye” is at the basis of much of the
shortsightedness and religious crises of the Western world, about which even
secular scholars like Albert Einstein and Iain McGilchrist have written.
Lacking such wisdom, it is hard for churches, governments, and leaders to move
beyond ego, the desire for control, and public posturing. Everything divides
into dualistic oppositions like liberal vs. conservative, with vested interests
pulling against one another. Truth is no longer possible at this level of
conversation. Even theology becomes more a quest for power than a search for
God and Mystery.
One wonders how far spiritual and political leaders can
genuinely lead us without some degree of contemplative seeing and action. It is
hardly an exaggeration to say that “us-and-them” seeing, and the dualistic
thinking that results, is the foundation of almost all discontent and violence
in the world. [2] It allows heads of religion and state to avoid their own
founders, their own national ideals, and their own better instincts. Lacking
the contemplative gaze, such leaders will remain mere functionaries and
technicians, or even dangers to society.
We need all three sets of eyes in both a healthy culture and
a healthy religion. Without them, we only deepen and perpetuate our problems.
References:
[1] Hugh of St. Victor, De Sacramentis christianae fidei,
1.10.2;
Richard of St. Victor, The Mystical Ark, 1:3-4. See Richard
of St. Victor, trans. Grover A. Zinn (Paulist Press: 1979), 30, 155-158.
[2] See David Berreby, Us and Them: The Science of Identity
(University of Chicago Press: 2008).
Adapted from Richard Rohr, The Naked Now: Learning to See as
the Mystics See (The Crossroad Publishing Company: 2009), 28-29.
A Tuning Fork
Contemplative prayer is like striking a tuning fork. All you
can really do in the spiritual life is resonate to the true pitch, to receive
the always-present message. Once you are tuned, you will receive, and it has
nothing to do with worthiness or the group you belong to, but only inner
resonance, a capacity for mutuality (see Matthew 7:7-11), which implies a basic
humility. We must begin with the knowledge that the Sender is absolutely and
always present and broadcasting; the only change is with the receiver station,
you and me.
Prayer is connecting with God/Ultimate Reality. It is not an
attempt to change God’s mind about us or about events. Such arrogance is what
unbelievers make fun of—and often rightly so. Prayer is primarily about
changing our own mind so that things like infinity, mystery, and forgiveness can
resound within us. The small mind cannot see great things because the two are
on different frequencies or channels. We must match our resonance to Love’s.
Like knows like.
Without contemplation, the best you can do is to know by
comparison, calculation, and from the limited viewpoint of “you.” Prayer knows
reality in a totally different way. Instead of presenting a guarded self to the
moment, prayer stops defending or promoting its ideas and feelings, and waits
for, expects, and receives guidance from Another. It offers itself naked to the
now, so that our inner and aroused lover can meet the Lover. Such prayer takes
major surgery of heart, mind, and inner sight. Prayer is about changing you,
not about changing God.
Most simply put, prayer is something that happens to you
(Romans 8:26-27), much more than anything you privately do. It is an allowing
of the Big Self more than an assertion of the small self. Eventually you will
find yourself preferring to say, “Prayer happened, and I was there” more than “I
prayed today.” All you know is that you are being led, guided, loved, used, and
prayed through. You are no longer in the driver’s seat. Following this guidance
you will know what is yours to do.
God stops being an object of attention like any other object
in the world, and becomes at some level your own “I Am.” You start knowing
through, with, and in Somebody Else. And then your little “I Am” becomes “We
Are.” Afterward you know instinctively that your life is not about you, but you
are about Life. “I live now not I, but Another Life lives in me,” to paraphrase
Paul’s poetic words (Galatians 2:20).
This does not mean you are morally or psychologically
perfect. Not at all. But you will now have the freedom to recognize your
failings and to grow and love better because of them. That is the major and
important difference!
Reference:
Adapted from Richard Rohr, The Naked Now: Learning to See as
the Mystics See (The Crossroad Publishing Company: 2009), 101-104.
What is Ignatian leadership?
Defining
the qualities of an Ignatian leader is an all but impossible task, says Sarah
Broscombe, and so it should be, because Ignatian leadership cannot be reduced
to, ‘a tidy theory with accompanying tools and practices. It is a disposition
of mind, heart and will.’ There are, however, certain traits that can usefully
act as ‘compass bearings’ for those who want to understand what leadership
means in the Ignatian tradition. Sarah
Broscombe is a freelance trainer, coach and retreat guide. She lives in Yorkshire,
and works throughout the UK and overseas. Her connection with the Jesuits began
in 2002, when she worked at the Jesuit Volunteer Community, and then
diversified into community development in Guyana and spirituality work with
Loyola Hall and St Beuno’s. She is currently coordinating a team developing a
new Ignatian Leadership Programme aiming to launch in July 2018. You can find the original of this article here
What is your gut reaction when you hear the word ‘leadership’? For some, it evokes a tug of responsibility. Others switch off immediately – ‘I’m not a leader of anything’ – or feel cynical: ‘Here we go again, corporate speak!’ For others still there is a personal connection: ‘Ah yes, I remember that inspiring person who I would have followed into a burning building’.
What makes Ignatian leadership special has something to do with the burning building reaction. And so it should. Ignatius of Loyola had something of the counter-intuitive attractiveness of Jesus about him, and so should leaders within his sphere of influence. If there is a growing interest in the concept of leadership in general, and Ignatian leadership in particular, it is because our contemporary world (political, environmental and social) has been a smorgasbord of good, bad and absent leadership over the last few decades. Manifold crises face us, all of which cry out for brave, authentic leaders. This is urgent.
Leadership is so much more than being the boss. This is especially true for the Ignatian form of it, where leadership is not simply a subset of positional power, and the hierarchy is structured as a two-way, not a one-way street (each provincial steps back ‘down’ after six years in office). It taps straight into vocation – every Jesuit leads, well or badly. And the domain of Ignatian leadership does not stretch only as far as directors of Jesuit workplaces. As the Jesuits in Britain’s recent ‘31 days of Ignatius’ so strikingly illustrated, everyone shaped by an Ignatian education is formed to lead, whether they are in charge or not. If you are Ignatian, you are called to be aware of how you are leading in your life, and the impact of that on others.
I often hear Ignatian leaders characterised as empathetic, open to change, collaborative and purposeful. But these are true of the best secular models, too. On a personal level, all excellent leaders need self-understanding, integrity, authenticity and courage. Interpersonally, they must deploy good communication, motivation, inspiration and empathy. Organisationally, they need to be strategic, visionary, purposeful and mission-driven. But Ignatian leadership isn’t simply generic good leadership seasoned with Jesuit jargon. The distinctiveness is more fundamental than that.
What distinguishes an Ignatian leader, then? Simple formulations will fall badly short, because ‘Ignatian Leadership’ is not a coherent theory, or a body of scholarship. It’s a lived experience that immerses itself in the world, a disposition deeply rooted in the Spiritual Exercises and Jesuit history. I have heard Jesuits say ‘You pick it up by osmosis’, or ‘Just live it’. And I agree that it is irreducible to a neat formula. But for those new to Jesuit environments, or attracted by what they have encountered and wanting to understand more deeply, some starting point is needed.
A recent 18-month Ignatian Leadership Programme offered by the Conference of European Provincials was faced with some of these questions. We as a training team were mixed lay and Jesuit, and the participants came from 22 countries spanning a pretty broad conception of ‘Europe’ (from Moscow to Lebanon, Portugal to Kyrgyzstan). This provided a rich melting pot of expectations and experiences. For me, it also helped to crystallise thoughts that have been gradually forming for the last decade or so. At this stage, I want to suggest five qualities typical of Ignatian leaders – typical either because they are linked to features distinctive to Ignatian spirituality, or because Ignatian teaching can nuance or enrich what we already know about leadership from other sources or our first-hand experience. These five are offered to provoke thought, definitely not in an attempt at comprehensiveness. But without any of them, I’d struggle to see leadership as Ignatian.
Defining
the qualities of an Ignatian leader is an all but impossible task, says Sarah
Broscombe, and so it should be, because Ignatian leadership cannot be reduced
to, ‘a tidy theory with accompanying tools and practices. It is a disposition
of mind, heart and will.’ There are, however, certain traits that can usefully
act as ‘compass bearings’ for those who want to understand what leadership
means in the Ignatian tradition. Sarah
Broscombe is a freelance trainer, coach and retreat guide. She lives in Yorkshire,
and works throughout the UK and overseas. Her connection with the Jesuits began
in 2002, when she worked at the Jesuit Volunteer Community, and then
diversified into community development in Guyana and spirituality work with
Loyola Hall and St Beuno’s. She is currently coordinating a team developing a
new Ignatian Leadership Programme aiming to launch in July 2018. You can find the original of this article here
What is your gut reaction when you hear the word ‘leadership’? For some, it evokes a tug of responsibility. Others switch off immediately – ‘I’m not a leader of anything’ – or feel cynical: ‘Here we go again, corporate speak!’ For others still there is a personal connection: ‘Ah yes, I remember that inspiring person who I would have followed into a burning building’.
What makes Ignatian leadership special has something to do with the burning building reaction. And so it should. Ignatius of Loyola had something of the counter-intuitive attractiveness of Jesus about him, and so should leaders within his sphere of influence. If there is a growing interest in the concept of leadership in general, and Ignatian leadership in particular, it is because our contemporary world (political, environmental and social) has been a smorgasbord of good, bad and absent leadership over the last few decades. Manifold crises face us, all of which cry out for brave, authentic leaders. This is urgent.
Leadership is so much more than being the boss. This is especially true for the Ignatian form of it, where leadership is not simply a subset of positional power, and the hierarchy is structured as a two-way, not a one-way street (each provincial steps back ‘down’ after six years in office). It taps straight into vocation – every Jesuit leads, well or badly. And the domain of Ignatian leadership does not stretch only as far as directors of Jesuit workplaces. As the Jesuits in Britain’s recent ‘31 days of Ignatius’ so strikingly illustrated, everyone shaped by an Ignatian education is formed to lead, whether they are in charge or not. If you are Ignatian, you are called to be aware of how you are leading in your life, and the impact of that on others.
I often hear Ignatian leaders characterised as empathetic, open to change, collaborative and purposeful. But these are true of the best secular models, too. On a personal level, all excellent leaders need self-understanding, integrity, authenticity and courage. Interpersonally, they must deploy good communication, motivation, inspiration and empathy. Organisationally, they need to be strategic, visionary, purposeful and mission-driven. But Ignatian leadership isn’t simply generic good leadership seasoned with Jesuit jargon. The distinctiveness is more fundamental than that.
What distinguishes an Ignatian leader, then? Simple formulations will fall badly short, because ‘Ignatian Leadership’ is not a coherent theory, or a body of scholarship. It’s a lived experience that immerses itself in the world, a disposition deeply rooted in the Spiritual Exercises and Jesuit history. I have heard Jesuits say ‘You pick it up by osmosis’, or ‘Just live it’. And I agree that it is irreducible to a neat formula. But for those new to Jesuit environments, or attracted by what they have encountered and wanting to understand more deeply, some starting point is needed.
A recent 18-month Ignatian Leadership Programme offered by the Conference of European Provincials was faced with some of these questions. We as a training team were mixed lay and Jesuit, and the participants came from 22 countries spanning a pretty broad conception of ‘Europe’ (from Moscow to Lebanon, Portugal to Kyrgyzstan). This provided a rich melting pot of expectations and experiences. For me, it also helped to crystallise thoughts that have been gradually forming for the last decade or so. At this stage, I want to suggest five qualities typical of Ignatian leaders – typical either because they are linked to features distinctive to Ignatian spirituality, or because Ignatian teaching can nuance or enrich what we already know about leadership from other sources or our first-hand experience. These five are offered to provoke thought, definitely not in an attempt at comprehensiveness. But without any of them, I’d struggle to see leadership as Ignatian.
Humility
Ignatian humility is not about anxiously balancing your flaws and strengths, or comparing yourself to others, or self-abnegation (keeping your head down and your mouth shut). It is seeing your real self, truly and in proportion, in a world that is different because of Jesus’s work; ‘If the gospel is true, then Christ has revealed potentials in the human condition for bringing good out of evil… Moreover, only out of this sin and degradation can the full greatness of the redeemer be displayed’.[1] Humility dares to look because it knows it is loved. It also dares to be humbled without believing the core of the self to be diminished by humiliation. False humility attacks a person’s sense of dignity and worth. True humility frees us from the pressure of trying to earn worth. When Ignatius describes the third degree of humility in the Spiritual Exercises, he speaks of choosing poverty with Christ poor, and insults rather than honours.[2] We choose differently not because we are addicted to self-sacrifice or self-abasement, and not because we are allergic to power, but because we love Jesus too much and want the journey with him too much to prefer ease, strength and success.
A leader operating with this humility, this sense of themselves as an utterly loved sinner, will have different relationships. They will see themselves in proportion with their team, their organisation and the purpose that it serves. Ignatian leaders will view power differently; they will handle it carefully but not avoid it (Pope Francis exemplifies this beautifully[3]).
Humility supports authenticity, because it removes the pressure to be larger than life. It can help us carry the responsibility of leadership more lightly than leaders of the heroic, charismatic and maverick stamp. Ignatian leaders are not threatened by others’ brilliance, because they do not draw their legitimacy from being best at everything. They can surround themselves with teams of people who exceed their own skill. When this happens, humility is mutually reinforcing among those they lead.
Ignatian humility is not about anxiously balancing your flaws and strengths, or comparing yourself to others, or self-abnegation (keeping your head down and your mouth shut). It is seeing your real self, truly and in proportion, in a world that is different because of Jesus’s work; ‘If the gospel is true, then Christ has revealed potentials in the human condition for bringing good out of evil… Moreover, only out of this sin and degradation can the full greatness of the redeemer be displayed’.[1] Humility dares to look because it knows it is loved. It also dares to be humbled without believing the core of the self to be diminished by humiliation. False humility attacks a person’s sense of dignity and worth. True humility frees us from the pressure of trying to earn worth. When Ignatius describes the third degree of humility in the Spiritual Exercises, he speaks of choosing poverty with Christ poor, and insults rather than honours.[2] We choose differently not because we are addicted to self-sacrifice or self-abasement, and not because we are allergic to power, but because we love Jesus too much and want the journey with him too much to prefer ease, strength and success.
A leader operating with this humility, this sense of themselves as an utterly loved sinner, will have different relationships. They will see themselves in proportion with their team, their organisation and the purpose that it serves. Ignatian leaders will view power differently; they will handle it carefully but not avoid it (Pope Francis exemplifies this beautifully[3]).
Humility supports authenticity, because it removes the pressure to be larger than life. It can help us carry the responsibility of leadership more lightly than leaders of the heroic, charismatic and maverick stamp. Ignatian leaders are not threatened by others’ brilliance, because they do not draw their legitimacy from being best at everything. They can surround themselves with teams of people who exceed their own skill. When this happens, humility is mutually reinforcing among those they lead.
Freedom
The second distinctive characteristic emerges from Ignatius's subtle teaching about freedom from inordinate attachments, a teaching which involves both a letting go and a letting come. There is an ‘indifference’ (what Joe Munitiz SJ describes as ‘be[ing] prepared to wish to relinquish something out of love of God’[4] – ‘prepared to wish to’ seems to me a very helpful formulation) balanced by an ‘interior freedom’ – a disposition that is open, unencumbered and therefore able to welcome whatever comes. This sounds attractive, but it is not easy. Many leaders have disordered attachments to aspects of their work or mission that are in themselves good. For example, have you encountered well-intentioned leaders whose drive towards a wonderful and worthy vision rides roughshod over warnings, or drives their team to exhaustion? Ignatian leaders need to grow in discernment of their own attachments, their own ‘unfreedoms’, and operate with a dynamism that is less train-like and more akin to flying. Their job is not to hurtle their organisation along a predetermined track to a clear destination, but instead something more like following a flight path, constantly tuned in to radar, making micro-adjustments, ready for and unthreatened by change.
I would see the curiosity of the early Jesuits as a fruit of this freedom. ‘Living with one foot raised’ is not just availability for mission – it shows a free mindset also. Ignatius and the early Jesuits are widely cited as masters of adaptation (perhaps partly to meet our own needs for role models of change management). Sometimes this adaptation was simply because they had got it crashingly wrong the first time. But certainly Xavier’s approach and attitude in India shifted in Japan.[5] Matteo Ricci’s distinctive approach to inculturation in China also evolved through his experience there. [6]
The second distinctive characteristic emerges from Ignatius's subtle teaching about freedom from inordinate attachments, a teaching which involves both a letting go and a letting come. There is an ‘indifference’ (what Joe Munitiz SJ describes as ‘be[ing] prepared to wish to relinquish something out of love of God’[4] – ‘prepared to wish to’ seems to me a very helpful formulation) balanced by an ‘interior freedom’ – a disposition that is open, unencumbered and therefore able to welcome whatever comes. This sounds attractive, but it is not easy. Many leaders have disordered attachments to aspects of their work or mission that are in themselves good. For example, have you encountered well-intentioned leaders whose drive towards a wonderful and worthy vision rides roughshod over warnings, or drives their team to exhaustion? Ignatian leaders need to grow in discernment of their own attachments, their own ‘unfreedoms’, and operate with a dynamism that is less train-like and more akin to flying. Their job is not to hurtle their organisation along a predetermined track to a clear destination, but instead something more like following a flight path, constantly tuned in to radar, making micro-adjustments, ready for and unthreatened by change.
I would see the curiosity of the early Jesuits as a fruit of this freedom. ‘Living with one foot raised’ is not just availability for mission – it shows a free mindset also. Ignatius and the early Jesuits are widely cited as masters of adaptation (perhaps partly to meet our own needs for role models of change management). Sometimes this adaptation was simply because they had got it crashingly wrong the first time. But certainly Xavier’s approach and attitude in India shifted in Japan.[5] Matteo Ricci’s distinctive approach to inculturation in China also evolved through his experience there. [6]
Consolation
The third distinctively Ignatian quality I want to highlight is consolation. Secular leadership models ask leaders to inspire and motivate their teams. It would be inappropriate to request joy of them. One prevailing narrative is that we live in a ‘VUCA’ world – volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous – and the leader needs authenticity, agility and resilience. All true. But the Christian narrative is one of resurrection. Moreover, in the Spiritual Exercises, Ignatius gives us ways to recognise the grace of consolation. In our life with God, in the joy of the Fourth Week of the Exercises, we earnestly seek and pray for this gift. Ignatian leaders imagine, even expect, that joy might somehow be present, to the point of becoming a decisive influence. They seek the kingdom of heaven in this VUCA world because the resurrection means that sin doesn’t win. Pope Francis chose this emphasis in his address to the 36th General Congregation of the Society of Jesus (GC36) last year:
In the Exercises, Ignatius asks his companions to contemplate ‘the task of consolation’ as something specific to the Resurrected Christ... Let us never be robbed of that joy, neither through discouragement when faced with the great measure of evil in the world and misunderstandings among those who intend to do good, nor by letting it be replaced with vain joys… Joy is not a decorative ‘add-on’ but a clear indicator of grace: it indicates that love is active, operative, present.
Ignatian leaders must hold hope, strategise with hope, and attend to ‘the task of consolation’.
The third distinctively Ignatian quality I want to highlight is consolation. Secular leadership models ask leaders to inspire and motivate their teams. It would be inappropriate to request joy of them. One prevailing narrative is that we live in a ‘VUCA’ world – volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous – and the leader needs authenticity, agility and resilience. All true. But the Christian narrative is one of resurrection. Moreover, in the Spiritual Exercises, Ignatius gives us ways to recognise the grace of consolation. In our life with God, in the joy of the Fourth Week of the Exercises, we earnestly seek and pray for this gift. Ignatian leaders imagine, even expect, that joy might somehow be present, to the point of becoming a decisive influence. They seek the kingdom of heaven in this VUCA world because the resurrection means that sin doesn’t win. Pope Francis chose this emphasis in his address to the 36th General Congregation of the Society of Jesus (GC36) last year:
In the Exercises, Ignatius asks his companions to contemplate ‘the task of consolation’ as something specific to the Resurrected Christ... Let us never be robbed of that joy, neither through discouragement when faced with the great measure of evil in the world and misunderstandings among those who intend to do good, nor by letting it be replaced with vain joys… Joy is not a decorative ‘add-on’ but a clear indicator of grace: it indicates that love is active, operative, present.
Ignatian leaders must hold hope, strategise with hope, and attend to ‘the task of consolation’.
Sense of direction
Vision and a clear sense of direction are vital for leading well. Many businesses struggle to articulate why they exist, because they usually look through the lens of what they do.[7] But a leader formed in the Ignatian tradition comes straight out of the ‘why’, stated in the ‘Principle and Foundation’ of the Exercises: ‘The human person is created to praise, reverence and serve God our Lord, and by so doing, save his or her soul’. This, and the ubiquitous letters AMDG (Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam – ‘for the greater glory of God’), are attention-shifters, not straplines. Why are you leading? Because God is magnificent, and so focusing everything we do towards God’s greater glory is sensible. Because the human person exists to praise, reverence and serve God, and so can live joyfully, trustingly, because they know they are being saved. Ignatian leaders have their priorities right, and return to them frequently. Their gaze is on God, and the Principle and Foundation helps to keep it there.
Vision and a clear sense of direction are vital for leading well. Many businesses struggle to articulate why they exist, because they usually look through the lens of what they do.[7] But a leader formed in the Ignatian tradition comes straight out of the ‘why’, stated in the ‘Principle and Foundation’ of the Exercises: ‘The human person is created to praise, reverence and serve God our Lord, and by so doing, save his or her soul’. This, and the ubiquitous letters AMDG (Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam – ‘for the greater glory of God’), are attention-shifters, not straplines. Why are you leading? Because God is magnificent, and so focusing everything we do towards God’s greater glory is sensible. Because the human person exists to praise, reverence and serve God, and so can live joyfully, trustingly, because they know they are being saved. Ignatian leaders have their priorities right, and return to them frequently. Their gaze is on God, and the Principle and Foundation helps to keep it there.
Discernment
Discernment – noticing ‘the movements felt in the heart and weighed by the mind’[8] – is at the heart of the Ignatian way of proceeding. I would see this as the crowning Ignatian quality; the one that integrates them all.
Leaders generally want to be wise; they don’t all seek wisdom in the same places. Some strive to become a ‘thought leader’. Others hone their intelligence and critical skills. Others constantly research and keep abreast of cutting-edge leadership theory. Ignatian leaders seek to be discerning. James Hanvey’s article on Pope Francis’ leadership puts it like this:
discernment is a graced seeking – almost an aesthetic sense – for the movements of God’s salvific action present in all our relational dynamics: formal and informal, personal or institutional, wherever our passive, receptive and active agency is in play. Freedom is our obedience to the ‘gravitational force’ and pattern of God’s grace at work… It is an operational wisdom that comes from knowing to whom we belong, where our heart really lies. It asks us to be attentive to the movement of the Spirit, both in the world and in ourselves, especially to be alert to whatever makes us deaf or distorts.[9]
An Ignatian approach to good decision-making in leadership involves more than calculating the benefits and losses entailed by different ways forward (itself one of the things that Ignatian jargon sometimes calls discernment). It involves a commitment to listen carefully to the different motivations at work in the organisation, to the point that some decisions are ultimately based not on projected outcomes, but rather on a sense that a certain way forward coheres with our sense of who we are under God, while the alternative does not.
Ignatian leaders pray, reflect and discern in their personal lives in a way that naturally influences the culture of their workplace. A discerning organisation will listen to its own experience differently. Quality of listening will rise; a kind of Godly tuning in of the radio together. Relationships between teams will enrich decision-making processes.
Discernment in common is a priority for the global Society of Jesus coming out of GC36, so the next few years are going to be a rich ground of experimentation in growing discerning environments in Ignatian workplaces as well as Jesuit communities.
These five manifest not in a defined common leadership style, but rather, in some unusual and shared aspirations. The personal, interpersonal and organisational skills needed by every good leader are nuanced and enriched by these Ignatian qualities. Consolation, freedom, a clear sense of direction, humility and discernment even make some of the skills easier to sustain. They act as compass bearings. And if the work is ultimately God 's, the leader’s sense of responsibility can make a deep, freeing and joyous shift.
All of this raises interesting questions for the future, too. As a layperson, I am intrigued by the ways in which leadership is different for a Jesuit and a layperson leading a Jesuit work. The latter are not called to be proto-Jesuits: the responsibilities are different, and I suspect the charism is distinct, too. Questions like these face those who design future Ignatian leadership courses, and call for a deep and fruitful collaboration between Jesuits and laypeople leading in real and difficult situations. The challenge will be not to reduce Ignatian leadership to a tidy theory with accompanying tools and practices. It is a disposition of mind, heart and will. And I believe it’s a distinctive way of incarnating the gospel in service of the world’s need for true leadership.
[1] Philip Endean, ‘On Poverty with Christ Poor’, The Way 47/1–2 (Jan/April 2008), 47–66. http://www.theway.org.uk/back/4712Endean.pdf
[2] Paragraph 167 of the Spiritual Exercises. Philip Endean SJ’s article on the third degree of humility (ibid.) is most helpful here.
[3] James Hanvey SJ’s article on Pope Francis noted this humility in action from the first day of his papacy. (See James Hanvey, ‘Because you give me hope’, Thinking Faith, 30 April 2013: https://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20130430_1.htm)
[4] Joseph Munitiz SJ (trans), St Ignatius of Loyola: Personal Writings (Penguin, 1996), glossary.
[5] St. Francis Xavier, ‘Letter from Japan, to the Society of Jesus in Europe’ (1552) http://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1552xavier4.asp
[6] Nicolas Standaert, ‘Matteo Ricci: Shaped by the Chinese’, Thinking Faith, 21 May 2010: https://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20100521_1.htm
[7] Simon Sinek’s ‘Starting with WHY’ TED talk is one of the most successful (and arguably influential) of all time, with about 34 million views https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action
[8] Joseph Munitiz SJ, op. cit.
[9] James Hanvey SJ, op. cit.
Discernment – noticing ‘the movements felt in the heart and weighed by the mind’[8] – is at the heart of the Ignatian way of proceeding. I would see this as the crowning Ignatian quality; the one that integrates them all.
Leaders generally want to be wise; they don’t all seek wisdom in the same places. Some strive to become a ‘thought leader’. Others hone their intelligence and critical skills. Others constantly research and keep abreast of cutting-edge leadership theory. Ignatian leaders seek to be discerning. James Hanvey’s article on Pope Francis’ leadership puts it like this:
discernment is a graced seeking – almost an aesthetic sense – for the movements of God’s salvific action present in all our relational dynamics: formal and informal, personal or institutional, wherever our passive, receptive and active agency is in play. Freedom is our obedience to the ‘gravitational force’ and pattern of God’s grace at work… It is an operational wisdom that comes from knowing to whom we belong, where our heart really lies. It asks us to be attentive to the movement of the Spirit, both in the world and in ourselves, especially to be alert to whatever makes us deaf or distorts.[9]
An Ignatian approach to good decision-making in leadership involves more than calculating the benefits and losses entailed by different ways forward (itself one of the things that Ignatian jargon sometimes calls discernment). It involves a commitment to listen carefully to the different motivations at work in the organisation, to the point that some decisions are ultimately based not on projected outcomes, but rather on a sense that a certain way forward coheres with our sense of who we are under God, while the alternative does not.
Ignatian leaders pray, reflect and discern in their personal lives in a way that naturally influences the culture of their workplace. A discerning organisation will listen to its own experience differently. Quality of listening will rise; a kind of Godly tuning in of the radio together. Relationships between teams will enrich decision-making processes.
Discernment in common is a priority for the global Society of Jesus coming out of GC36, so the next few years are going to be a rich ground of experimentation in growing discerning environments in Ignatian workplaces as well as Jesuit communities.
These five manifest not in a defined common leadership style, but rather, in some unusual and shared aspirations. The personal, interpersonal and organisational skills needed by every good leader are nuanced and enriched by these Ignatian qualities. Consolation, freedom, a clear sense of direction, humility and discernment even make some of the skills easier to sustain. They act as compass bearings. And if the work is ultimately God 's, the leader’s sense of responsibility can make a deep, freeing and joyous shift.
All of this raises interesting questions for the future, too. As a layperson, I am intrigued by the ways in which leadership is different for a Jesuit and a layperson leading a Jesuit work. The latter are not called to be proto-Jesuits: the responsibilities are different, and I suspect the charism is distinct, too. Questions like these face those who design future Ignatian leadership courses, and call for a deep and fruitful collaboration between Jesuits and laypeople leading in real and difficult situations. The challenge will be not to reduce Ignatian leadership to a tidy theory with accompanying tools and practices. It is a disposition of mind, heart and will. And I believe it’s a distinctive way of incarnating the gospel in service of the world’s need for true leadership.
[1] Philip Endean, ‘On Poverty with Christ Poor’, The Way 47/1–2 (Jan/April 2008), 47–66. http://www.theway.org.uk/back/4712Endean.pdf
[2] Paragraph 167 of the Spiritual Exercises. Philip Endean SJ’s article on the third degree of humility (ibid.) is most helpful here.
[3] James Hanvey SJ’s article on Pope Francis noted this humility in action from the first day of his papacy. (See James Hanvey, ‘Because you give me hope’, Thinking Faith, 30 April 2013: https://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20130430_1.htm)
[4] Joseph Munitiz SJ (trans), St Ignatius of Loyola: Personal Writings (Penguin, 1996), glossary.
[5] St. Francis Xavier, ‘Letter from Japan, to the Society of Jesus in Europe’ (1552) http://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1552xavier4.asp
[6] Nicolas Standaert, ‘Matteo Ricci: Shaped by the Chinese’, Thinking Faith, 21 May 2010: https://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20100521_1.htm
[7] Simon Sinek’s ‘Starting with WHY’ TED talk is one of the most successful (and arguably influential) of all time, with about 34 million views https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action
[8] Joseph Munitiz SJ, op. cit.
[9] James Hanvey SJ, op. cit.
THE BIG NEWS ABOUT SMALL GROUPS
Taken from the weekly blog by Fr Michael White, Pastor of the Church of the Nativity, Baltimore, USA. You can find the original blog here
This weekend is our annual Fall Small Group Launch, an opportunity for parishioners who don’t have a group to give it a try. Our Small Group Team will be hosting sign-ups all weekend long, just off the Concourse, offering opportunities for all kinds of groups (men’s, women’s, mixed, affinity) at nearly any time or day of the week.
Why do we put so much emphasis on Small Groups? Isn’t going to Mass enough? Isn’t this a Protestant idea anyway?
Here’s our take on why Small Groups are critical to the health of our parish and the growth of disciples among our parishioners.
- Small Groups Are Small
Groups are where our great big parish gets small, up close and personal. It’s a place where everyone in the congregation can be known and where they can find fellowship.
- Small Groups Are Integrated Into the Life of the Parish
This is extremely important, and if you don’t get it right, your Small Groups will become a problem for you. Groups must be integrated into the life of the parish, under the authority and supervision of parish staff, in sync with the vision and mission of the parish. They cannot be stand alone or silo operations, lest they become divisive in the life of your parish. When properly integrated, Small Groups become a powerful unifying factor in the life of your church.
- Small Groups Are Our Delivery System for Pastoral Care
This factor alone should incentivize pastors and parish staffs to want to get groups going. In a parish our size, there is no way I can provide pastoral care to all those who are sick or suffering, or in need in some other way. It would be impossible to achieve, and foolish to try. Besides the Bible tells us that its not my job as pastor anyway, parishioners should be doing this for one another (Ephesians 4:11). Most parishioners are quite open to helping one another, especially when others are in need, but in most places there is simply no system to make it happen. Small Groups are our delivery system.
- Small Groups Are About Life Change
Groups promote change and growth in a way nothing else in the life of your parish will. This is the place for honesty and accountability; these are fundamental to life change and growth. It’s a place where new habits and better behaviors can be encouraged and supported.
- Small Groups Are Schools for Discipleship
Small Groups are about life change and the biggest change of all is growth in discipleship. Everyone in churchworld is talking about discipleship these days, but where is it suppose to happen, how does it happen? If you can’t answer that question simply, it probably isn’t happening. On the weekends, at Mass, parishioners sit in rows and listen. In Small Groups they sit in a circle and talk. This is the place where conversations lead to thoughtful conversions, real changes in mind and heart happen all the time.
By the way, Small Groups are not a Protestant idea, they’re a “God” idea…the original Small Group was the Trinity.
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