Co-Responsibility in Leadership

In establishing the six guiding principles for Beacons of Light, Archbishop Schnurr has given us a roadmap for re-vitalizing pastoral life in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. Each principle points to an essential element that will need attention and growth in order for our Families of Parishes will be the vital, mission-focused communities of faith we are called to be. The Leadership principle states:

"Pastors, in collaboration with parochial vicars, deacons, and lay ministers, according to their proper roles and charisms, share responsibility for pastoral leadership. The spiritual, physical, and mental health and ongoing support of ordained and lay leaders is vital for Families of Parishes."

Leadership is essential in order to bring about the change that is needed. As pastoral leaders, we each have a role to play; we have been entrusted with gifts and talents that equip us to lead at this time. We share responsibility for bringing our parishes to life.

Fr. Earl Fernandes addresses the need for such leadership in Journeying Together. "Ultimately, discernment is of a communitarian nature and an expression of the co-responsibility that believers have; it demands that its members have an ecclesial conscience leading to community. The keyword is 'co-responsibility.'" This Lent, reflect on your call and responsibility to lead and to serve as we prepare to implement Beacons of Light.

Pause each day to pray for your parish, your future Family of Parishes. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide, inspire, and strengthen you and all who lead in our parishes and schools.
Reflect on your talents and strengths. How are you called to contribute your gifts as a leader?
Set aside time for formation. Mark your calendar for the dates listed below and plan to participate.
Gather with other leaders in this Phase 0 time of preparation. View the new videos of Fr. Earl who expands on the key themes of Journeying Together.

Much data was collected and analyzed in the process of forming our Families of Parishes. The data, which includes information provided by parish leaders, United States census data, and information from Catholic social scientists, is now available to you on the Phase 0 site. We will be highlighting ways you might use this information throughout the pastoral planning process. For now, become familiar with your parishes and Family of Parishes by reading and giving thought to this storehouse of information. Additional data will be added in April and May.

“Change happens without leadership, but leadership does not occur without change.” In a fresh new article from Our Sunday Visitor from Dan Ebener, an expert in organization leadership and its possibilities for the Church, we learn that change must be led, not simply managed. Ebener offers a three-fold strategy to truly lead (not just manage) change in today’s Church: create a culture of love, recognize that we are ALL disciples and apostles, and engage the laity.

As we all – priests, deacons, staff, and parishioner leaders – prepare to lead the changes required for Beacons of Light to succeed and our parishes to flourish, we must learn more about adaptive change and how we can help everyone move from maintenance to mission!

In late summer of 2021, Father Jim Simons, pastor of St. Denis, Holy Family and Immaculate Conception parishes began calling potential group leaders to put into practice an idea that had been forming in his mind over the summer. He had read a summary of a survey done by CARA (The Role of the Family in Nurturing Vocations to Religious Life and Priesthood, 2015) where recently ordained priests and religious were asked, along with family members, to answer questions about the influences on their vocation. The most influential factors on their vocation were the encouragement of their parents and religious practices in their home growing up. With this in mind, he wanted to form small groups in homes that would seek to foster an environment for the growth of vocations to the priesthood and religious life and to enhance the vocations to marriage and single life. Eight people responded and they began to recruit participants for their groups.

In the fall of 2021, we met with these groups and introduced them to the small group process. We used Pope Francis’ On the Call to Holiness in Today’s World and a study guide that we developed based on one put together by the Daughters of St. Paul. We asked them to meet 6 times. We called them together again in November to reflect upon their experience. It was an overwhelming success. This winter, we embarked on a second six week sessions using the Believe Profession of Faith module from Why Catholic?. We have nine groups going with 72 people participating.

Join other parish leaders – clergy and staff – to get warmed up for pastoral planning. We’ll check in on how Phase 0 is going, provide an orientation to the Pastoral Planning Pathway and the online platform for planning resources, and make sure key leaders are up to speed before Phase 1. We’ll also focus on the importance of good leadership in the pastoral planning process and developing essential leadership skills. It will also be a great opportunity to meet parish leaders from other Families.

Details and registration coming soon.