Back somewhere in the 1970s, Msgr. George Higgins began writing a letter on Labor Day addressed to Catholics everywhere, on the issues of work and workers. George was the most famous of the 20th century "labor priests," and was a staff member of the U.S. Catholic bishops' conference for 40 years. After his retirement, the conference continued the practice. These statements don't get much press, so to my ever-loyal readers, I am reprinting the 2012 statement here. This letter comes from Bishop Stephen E. Blaire of Stockton, California, who is the chairman of the committee on domestic justice and human development of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Note that so many of the phrases in the letter ("just economy," "moral imperative," "rights of workers," "just wages," "human dimensions of poverty") you never hear in any political campaign. At the end of the letter Bishop Blaire notes that the bishops as a conference are preparing a more fully developed reflection on "work, poverty and a broken economy." I look forward to reading it.
Placing Work and Workers at the Center of Economic Life
By Bishop Stephen E. Blaire
This Labor Day, our country continues to struggle with a broken economy that is not producing enough decent jobs. Millions of American suffer from unemployment, underemployment or are living in poverty as their basic needs too often go unmet. This represents a serious economic and moral failure for our nation. As people of faith, we are called to stand with those left behind, offer our solidarity, and join forces with "the least of these" to help meet their basic needs. We seek national economc revewal that places working people and their families at the center of economic life.
The Broken Economy Leaves Too Many Without Decent Work
Officially over 12 million workers are looking for work but cannot find a job and millions more have actually given up seeking employment. Millions more are underemployed; they are willing and able to work full time, but there are not enough jobs available. Over ten million families are "working poor" -- they work hard, but their jobs do not pay enough to meet their basic needs. The sad fact is that over 46 million people live in poverty and, most disturbingly, over 16 million children grow up poor in our nation. The link between joblessness and poverty is undeniable, as Pope Benedict points out:
In many cases, poverty results from a violation of the dignity of human work, either because work opportunities are limited (through unemployment or underemployment), or "because a low value is put on work and the rights that flow from it, especially the right to a just wage and to the personal security of the worker and his or her family" (Caritas in Veritate, #63).
Public officials rightfully debate the need to reduce unsustainable federal deficits and debt. In the current political campaigns, we hear much about the economy, but almost nothing about the moral imperative to overcome pervasive poverty in a nation still blessed with substantial economic resources and power.
These harsh economic realities bring terrible human costs for millions of families, who live with anxiety and uncertainty and cope with stagnant or falling wages. Many are forced to work second or third jobs, which places further strain on their children's well-being, and millions of young adults are denied the ability to begin families. These people are not abstractions: they are fellow parishioners and our neighbors; our cousins, aunts and uncles; our brothers and sisters; our mothers and fathers; possibly our own children. The economy should help families thrive, not place additional pressures on them.
This broken economy also contributes to the danger that workers will be exploited or mistreated in other ways. For example, many employees struggle for just wages, a safe workplace, and a voice in the economy, but they cannot purchase the goods they make, stay in the hotels they clean, or eat the food they harvest, prepare, or serve. Immigrants and their families are especially vulnerable, which highlights the urgent need for comprehensive immigration reform.
The Catholic bishops of the United States, through our Migration and Refugee Services (MRS) and the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD), provide help and hope to exploited and mistreated working people. MRS helps workers who have fled their home countries with the promise of employment, only to find themselves forced to work long hours in dangerous jobs. CCHD supports groups throughout the country that empower working people to raise their voices and regain wages that have been taken from them, demand fair treatment, and seek greater economic opportunity. The broken economy also places additional strain on other Catholic organizations such as Catholic Relief Services, Catholic Charities, and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, that struggle to fulfill our Gospel mandate in the face of increased demand and fewer resources.
The exploitation of working people, whether subtle or obvious, injures their humanity and denies their inherent dignity. Exploited and mistreated workers require our care and solidarity. An economy that allows their exploitation and abuse demands our attention and action. As the bishops point out in the Catholic Framework for Economic Life, "By our choices, initiative, creativity, and investment, we enhance or diminish economic opportunity, community life, and social justice. " We should ask: How do we contribute to forces that threaten the human dignity of vulnerable workers? How can our choices in economic public life enhance their lives, pursue economic justice, and promote opportunity?
A Call for Economic Renewal and Support for Workers
Our nation needs an economic renewal that places workers and their families at the center of economic life and creates enough decent jobs for everyone who can work. Work is more than a paycheck; it helps raise our families, develop our potential, share in God's creation, and contribute to the common goodl.
Everyone and every institution has a role to play in builing a more just economy. In the words of our Conference, we seek an economy that serves the person rather than the other way around. Blessed John Paul II said:
...society and the State must ensure wage levels adequate for the maintenance of the worker and his family, including a certain amount for savings. This requires a continuous effort to improve workers' training and capability so that their work will be more skilled and productive, as well as careful controls and adequate legislative measures to block shameful forms of exploitation, especially to the disadvantage of the most vulnerable workers, of immigrants and of those on the margins of society. The role of trade unions in negotiating minimum salaries and working conditions is decisive in this area. (Centesimus Annus, #15)
Unions and other worker associations have a unique and essential responsibility in this needed economic renewal. Our Church has long taught that unions are "an indispensable element of social life, especially in modern industrialized societies" (Laborem Exercens, #20) and are examples of the traditional Catholic principles of solidarity and subsidiarity in action. At their best, unions demonstrate solidarity by bringing workers together to speak and act collectively to protect their rights and pursue the common good. Unions are a sign of subsidiarity by forming associations of workers to have a voice, articulate their needs, and bargain and negotiate with the large economic institutions and structures of government.
Like other insitutions, including religious, business and civic groups, unions sometimes fall short of this promise and responsibility. Some union actions can contribute to excessive polarization and intense partisanship, can pursue positions that conflict with the common good, or can focus on just narrow self-interests. When labor institutions fall short, it does not negate Catholic teaching in support of unions and the protection of working people, but calls out for a renewed focus and candid dialogue on how to best defend workers. Indeed, economic renewal that places working people and their families at the center of economic life cannot take place without effective unions. This renewal requires business, religious, labor and civic organizations to work together to help working people defend their dignity, claim their rights, and have a voice in the workplace and broader economy.
Building a More Just Economy
In this time of economic turmoil and uncertainty, we need to reflect on the moral and human dimensions of too much poverty and not enough work. We are called to work together--business, labor, and government--to build a productive economy that offers opportunity, creates jobs, generates growth, protects the dignity of working people, respects the family, and promotes genuine human development.
The relative silence of candidates and their campaigns on the moral imperative to resist and overcome poverty is both ominous and disheartening. Despite unacceptable levels of poverty, few candiates and elected officials speak about pervasive poverty or offer a path to overcome it. We need to hear from those who seek to lead this country about what specific steps they would take to lift people out of poverty. In this election year, Catholics should review and act on what the U.S. bishops said on economic issues in Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship:
Economic decisions and institutions should be assessed according to whether they protect or undermine the dignity of the human person. Social and economic policies should foster the creation of jobs for all who can work with decent working conditions and just wages. Bariers to equal pay and employment for women and those facing unjust discrimination must be overcome. Catholic social teaching supports the right of workers to choose whether to organize, join a union, and bargain collectively, and to exercise these rights without reprisal. It also affirms economic freedom, initiative, and the right to private property. Workers, owners, employers, and unions should work together to create decent jobs, build a more just economy, and advance the common good. (#76)
Our Conference of Bishops is developing a pastoral reflection on work, poverty and a broken economy. This modest reflection will draw heavily from Pope Benedict's powerful encyclicals, will communicate our solidarity with those who have been left behind, and will call for prayer, education, discussion and action. It will be an example of responding to the call of Pope Paul VI to the laity:
...to take the initiative freely and to infuse a Christian spirit into the mentality, customs, laws and structures of the community in which they live. Let each one examine himself, to see what he has done up to now, and what he ought to do. It is not enough to recall principles, state intentions, point to crying injustice and utter prophetic denunciations; these words will lack real weight unless they are accompanied for each individual by a livelier awareness of personal responsiblity and by effective action. (Octogesima Adveniens, #48)
This Labor Day, millions of working people and their families have urgent and compelling needs. I ask you to join me in a special prayer for them and all workers, especially those without a job struggling to live in dignity. May God guide our nation in creating a more just economy that truly honors the dignity of work and the rights of workers.
Monday, September 3, 2012
Veep Stakes
I'm not the first to notice that for the first time in American history both major candidates for the Vice Presidency will be Catholic: Joe Biden (incumbent Democrat) and Paul Ryan (Republican). Both are also active in the practice of their faith (unlike President John F. Kennedy, who barely knew what the inside of a Catholic Church looked like). According to news reports, Biden attends Sunday Mass at both St. Patrick and St. Joseph Churches in Wilmington, Delaware, and Ryan is an usher at St. John Vianney Parish in Janesville, Wisconsin.
Joe Biden was actually the fourth Roman Catholic to be a candidate for Vice President in our country, but the first to be elected. For those with long memories, the others were Geraldine Ferraro (1984, with Democratic candidate for presidency Walter Mondale, also the first woman candidate for the Vice Presidency), Edmund Muskie (1968, with Democratic candidate for presidency Hubert Humphrey) and William Miller (1964, with Republican candidate for presidency Barry Goldwater.)
Others too have noted that both Biden and Ryan differ in their public policy advocacy with important teachings of the Catholic Church. Biden, 65, falls into the "old school" Democratic support for unions, a governmental "safety net" to alleviate poverty, and vocal opposition to racism and sexism. He also is "pro-choice," that is, supports Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion on demand in 1973. He has repeatedly expressed the "I'm personally opposed to abortion but support the public policy on legal abortion" dodge. Earlier this year he also came out in support of so-called "marriage equality," that is, the redefinition of "marriage" to include a union for two men or two women.
Ryan, 42, has been a Member of Congress since he was 28, representing his southeast Wisconsin district. On the issues of abortion and "gay marriage" he completely supports the teaching of the Catholic church, and opposes both. He has been called the intellectual of the House Republicans, proposing a series of budgets which fundamentally change how the government supports the elderly, the poor, and other entitlement programs. His proposed 2011 and 2013 budgets call for steep cuts in food stamps, and putting Medicaid on a path to cap the federal annual contributions (a.k.a., a voucher system with limits to the amount the federal government sends to the states). His budgets call for continuing the "Bush budget cuts" after December 31, 2012, which continue the low tax rate for wealthy Americans. He opposes any increases in taxes, willing rather to cut federal government programs (except spending on defense, which he proposes to increase).
Ryan's proposed budgets fly in the face of decades of U.S. bishop conference statements about how "the central moral measure" of any budget is how it affects poor and vulnerable people. In a recent letter from Bishop Stephen Blaire, chairman of the domestic policy committee of the U.S.C.C.B., the bishops said "the House-passed budget resolution fails to meet these essential moral criteria."
On April 26 Representative Ryan delivered an address at Georgetown University, defending his budgets and the thinking behind them. He said that his budgets are faithful to Catholic social teaching. Ninety Georgetown University professors wrote him a letter, defending his right to speak on campus, yet challenging his use of Catholic social teaching as support for his budget proposals. Two lively quotations from the scholars's letter are: "While you often appeal to Catholic teaching on 'subsidiarity' as a rationale for gutting government programs, you are profoundly misreading Church teaching." And, "Your budget appears to reflect the values of your favorite philosopher, Ayn Rand, rather than the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Her call to selfishness and her antagonism toward religion are antithetical to the Gospel values of compassion and love."
Biden caught much grief and criticism from right-wing Catholics during the 2008 presidential campaign because of his public policy views on abortion. It did not seems to matter much to American Catholics, who (according to polls) voted 53% in favor of Obama-Biden that year. Ryan had been criticized by left-wing Catholics. But these days it seems that all the left-wing Catholics could fit into a 1930s phone booth, and don't get anywhere near the kind of press coverage right-wing Catholic publications and public figures receive.
Another issue on which Biden and Ryan differ is support for the Affordable Care Act, a.k.a. "Obamacare." Ryan and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney have repeatedly called for its repeal, even after the Supreme Court upheld its constitutionality. Ryan, Romney, and others who have called for its repeal have not, however, given any answers to how our country can cover the estimated 45 million or more uninsured persons, or how our country can deal with the ballooning of health care costs.
In an interview with the National Review, Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York tried to paint an irenic picture of the policy differences of these two Catholic politicians. He said, "We've got two men who -- and you can disagree with one of them or both of them -- say they take their faith seriously, don't try and hide it, and who say, 'Hey, my Catholic upbringing and my Catholic formation influences the way I think.' Not bad. Not bad."
I think it will be "not bad" if these many policy differences are aired completely, both at the level of these two candidates for vice president, and at the top of the ticket candidates. And I hope and pray that the U.S. bishops' prophetic document of 2008 and 2012, Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, is used by these two men and millions of Catholics, as they vote and determine how to lead our country.
Joe Biden was actually the fourth Roman Catholic to be a candidate for Vice President in our country, but the first to be elected. For those with long memories, the others were Geraldine Ferraro (1984, with Democratic candidate for presidency Walter Mondale, also the first woman candidate for the Vice Presidency), Edmund Muskie (1968, with Democratic candidate for presidency Hubert Humphrey) and William Miller (1964, with Republican candidate for presidency Barry Goldwater.)
Others too have noted that both Biden and Ryan differ in their public policy advocacy with important teachings of the Catholic Church. Biden, 65, falls into the "old school" Democratic support for unions, a governmental "safety net" to alleviate poverty, and vocal opposition to racism and sexism. He also is "pro-choice," that is, supports Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion on demand in 1973. He has repeatedly expressed the "I'm personally opposed to abortion but support the public policy on legal abortion" dodge. Earlier this year he also came out in support of so-called "marriage equality," that is, the redefinition of "marriage" to include a union for two men or two women.
Ryan, 42, has been a Member of Congress since he was 28, representing his southeast Wisconsin district. On the issues of abortion and "gay marriage" he completely supports the teaching of the Catholic church, and opposes both. He has been called the intellectual of the House Republicans, proposing a series of budgets which fundamentally change how the government supports the elderly, the poor, and other entitlement programs. His proposed 2011 and 2013 budgets call for steep cuts in food stamps, and putting Medicaid on a path to cap the federal annual contributions (a.k.a., a voucher system with limits to the amount the federal government sends to the states). His budgets call for continuing the "Bush budget cuts" after December 31, 2012, which continue the low tax rate for wealthy Americans. He opposes any increases in taxes, willing rather to cut federal government programs (except spending on defense, which he proposes to increase).
Ryan's proposed budgets fly in the face of decades of U.S. bishop conference statements about how "the central moral measure" of any budget is how it affects poor and vulnerable people. In a recent letter from Bishop Stephen Blaire, chairman of the domestic policy committee of the U.S.C.C.B., the bishops said "the House-passed budget resolution fails to meet these essential moral criteria."
On April 26 Representative Ryan delivered an address at Georgetown University, defending his budgets and the thinking behind them. He said that his budgets are faithful to Catholic social teaching. Ninety Georgetown University professors wrote him a letter, defending his right to speak on campus, yet challenging his use of Catholic social teaching as support for his budget proposals. Two lively quotations from the scholars's letter are: "While you often appeal to Catholic teaching on 'subsidiarity' as a rationale for gutting government programs, you are profoundly misreading Church teaching." And, "Your budget appears to reflect the values of your favorite philosopher, Ayn Rand, rather than the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Her call to selfishness and her antagonism toward religion are antithetical to the Gospel values of compassion and love."
Biden caught much grief and criticism from right-wing Catholics during the 2008 presidential campaign because of his public policy views on abortion. It did not seems to matter much to American Catholics, who (according to polls) voted 53% in favor of Obama-Biden that year. Ryan had been criticized by left-wing Catholics. But these days it seems that all the left-wing Catholics could fit into a 1930s phone booth, and don't get anywhere near the kind of press coverage right-wing Catholic publications and public figures receive.
Another issue on which Biden and Ryan differ is support for the Affordable Care Act, a.k.a. "Obamacare." Ryan and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney have repeatedly called for its repeal, even after the Supreme Court upheld its constitutionality. Ryan, Romney, and others who have called for its repeal have not, however, given any answers to how our country can cover the estimated 45 million or more uninsured persons, or how our country can deal with the ballooning of health care costs.
In an interview with the National Review, Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York tried to paint an irenic picture of the policy differences of these two Catholic politicians. He said, "We've got two men who -- and you can disagree with one of them or both of them -- say they take their faith seriously, don't try and hide it, and who say, 'Hey, my Catholic upbringing and my Catholic formation influences the way I think.' Not bad. Not bad."
I think it will be "not bad" if these many policy differences are aired completely, both at the level of these two candidates for vice president, and at the top of the ticket candidates. And I hope and pray that the U.S. bishops' prophetic document of 2008 and 2012, Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, is used by these two men and millions of Catholics, as they vote and determine how to lead our country.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Get Out Of That Lane
I enjoy driving. I especially enjoy long drives on the interstates. From New Castle, Pennsylvania, to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, for our recent vacation, it is 560 miles of interstate highway driving. I readily volunteered my almost new car (a.k.a. the white diamond limo) for the trip, as long as I was the driver. (To quote the Dustin Hoffman character Raymond from Rain Man, "I'm an excellent driver.") We drove through some beautiful, if mountainous, country--Greene County, Pennsylvania; much of West Viriginia; the westernmost tip of Virginia; and Tennessee.
I also like to drive fast. Not Indy 500 fast, or NASCAR fast, but, I dare to say, a bit-higher-than-the-posted-speed-limit fast. One of the unspoken rules of U.S. interstate highways is that if you drive the speed limit in good weather, you will be passed by every truck, SUV, car, grandma, and Yugo on the road. So you have to go faster than the speed limit. I like to go more than the speed limit, if conditions allow. To do so, however, on the two lanes almost all of the interstate highways are, you have pass, legally, on the left. So, as I drive, I spend a good bit of time in the left hand lane.
Except when some slowpoke is walking his, or her, automobile in the left hand lane.
I hate people who drive incessantly, mindlessly, unawaredly, SLOWLY, in the left hand lane. They are oblivious of their surroundings. They don't see the cars piling up behind them which want to pass the even slower trucks or cars on the right. They don't understand that they pose a danger to themselves and others.
And they prevent me from going faster.
At one time I might have stereotyped these drivers. (Yes, older women, if you are guessing.) But after 1,715 miles of vacation driving last week, and 18 months of quasi-commuting between New Castle and Pittsburgh on Interstates 79 and 376, I can safely say I've seen all kinds of stupid people hogging the left hand lane. These include blue-haired women of a certain age, bald-headed men of that same certain age, teenage girls, dads or moms with the family in the back, and lots of others. White, Black. Any color you want.
I want the state police trooper to pull them over for violating state law. I want them to move over. I want them to get out of my way. I want them to learn better driving etiquette.
And all I get is mad.
So, to all those people who love to drive in the left hand lane on superhighways, and you know who you are, get out of that lane and let me pass.
I also like to drive fast. Not Indy 500 fast, or NASCAR fast, but, I dare to say, a bit-higher-than-the-posted-speed-limit fast. One of the unspoken rules of U.S. interstate highways is that if you drive the speed limit in good weather, you will be passed by every truck, SUV, car, grandma, and Yugo on the road. So you have to go faster than the speed limit. I like to go more than the speed limit, if conditions allow. To do so, however, on the two lanes almost all of the interstate highways are, you have pass, legally, on the left. So, as I drive, I spend a good bit of time in the left hand lane.
Except when some slowpoke is walking his, or her, automobile in the left hand lane.
I hate people who drive incessantly, mindlessly, unawaredly, SLOWLY, in the left hand lane. They are oblivious of their surroundings. They don't see the cars piling up behind them which want to pass the even slower trucks or cars on the right. They don't understand that they pose a danger to themselves and others.
And they prevent me from going faster.
At one time I might have stereotyped these drivers. (Yes, older women, if you are guessing.) But after 1,715 miles of vacation driving last week, and 18 months of quasi-commuting between New Castle and Pittsburgh on Interstates 79 and 376, I can safely say I've seen all kinds of stupid people hogging the left hand lane. These include blue-haired women of a certain age, bald-headed men of that same certain age, teenage girls, dads or moms with the family in the back, and lots of others. White, Black. Any color you want.
I want the state police trooper to pull them over for violating state law. I want them to move over. I want them to get out of my way. I want them to learn better driving etiquette.
And all I get is mad.
So, to all those people who love to drive in the left hand lane on superhighways, and you know who you are, get out of that lane and let me pass.
Ahhhhh, vacation!
"A vacation is like love -- anticipated with pleasure, experienced with discomfort, and remembered with nostalgia."
A motley group of friends and I had the wonderful fortune to go on vacation together last week. We have gone away a couple of times before -- cruises to the Carribean and to Alaska -- and like to picnic together. This time it was a land-based trip, to the Great Smoky Mountains outside of Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
"Every now and then go away and have a little relaxation. To remain constantly at work will diminish your judgment. Go some distance away, because work will be in perspective and a lack of harmony is more readily seen." --Leonardo DaVinci
Eleven of us rented a "million-dollar" log cabin for one week, with nine of us staying there and two bringing their camper and staying in a nearby campground. Our super-organized friend got a great laugh out of the rental agent when she said the group of us wanted a cabin which could sleep nine, "with seven of us not wanting to sleep with one another." (We had one married couple and seven singles.) So "Luca's Lookout" was ours for a week. (To see this modern marvel, google "Luca's Lookout" with the zip code, 37738.)
"Those who say you can't take it with you never saw a car packed for a vacation."
What do you do on a vacation? Eat. Prime among our decision to go away was to experience the great cooking gifts several of us had. It took us two Sunday-afternoon picnics, but we finally got the menu planned: ham and all the fixins on Saturday, steak (really prime filet mignon) on Sunday, chicken on Monday, pork on Tuesday, salmon on Wednesday, and left-overs on Thursday and Friday. And what leftovers! Of course, this listing fails to include the appetizers, fresh veggies, whipped potatoes, lucious salads with homemade dressings, wines from various locales, and desserts such as fruit, apple cobbler, strawberry shortcake and homemade vanilla ice cream.
My contributions were three: eat, say "Fantastic!" about every five minutes, and do the dishes. I say without a hint of vanity I was excellent at all three.
"Unless there is a grave reason to the contrary, a pastor is permitted to be absent from the parish each year for vacation for at most one continuous or interrupted month." Code of Canon Law, canon 533, #2.
Among our group were two priest friends. This made celebrations of the Eucharist easy. We brought all the "ecclesial stuff" necessary for Mass with us, and enjoyed our prayer on Sunday and on August 15, for the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from the luxury of a great room. The huge windows overlooked several mountaintops of the Great Smoky range. Offering a long sermon is impossible, when your congregation can tune you out and see God's bountiful beauty right in front of them. And no collection, either!
"A vacation is having nothing to do and all day to do it in."
One of the unexpected pleasures of our luxurious cabin was that there was no cell phone service and no internet service. No one had told us this during all our preparations. At first this was terrifying. What, go without looking at our cell phones about every 15 minutes? It took two members of our group until Tuesday to stop looking at their smart phones, and finally "learn" this truth. One, a lawyer, was particularly stymied, and drove to the the top of the hill, about a mile, every day to talk with his secretary.
I was secure, however. I had given strict instructions to the parish secretaries and my priest associates. I was only to be disturbed on three conditions: If the pope called me; if the bishop called me; if one of my four churches burned to the ground. Thankfully, none of these happened.
(You never know, however. As I was preparing for vacation last month, I told this joke to our seminarian intern, who politely laughed. Then he said that a classmate's home parish pastor had also given this instruction when he went on vacation to the Jersey Shore, only to be called on the second day of vacation. When the pastor responded testily to the phone call, his parochial vicar said, "Well, the church burned down. Really. Really." And he wasn't fooling.)
"A vacation is what you take when you can no longer take what you've been taking."
Our vacation got a curve on its first day, when the rental agent called while we were en route, to say that we could not use Luca's Lookout. Bats had taken up residence, and it would be a couple of days before they could be removed. So we repaired to Taygen's Place, which one humorist promptly dubbed Pagan's Place. This turned out to be just as nice a temporary home as Luca's. Six bedrooms, a home theatre, poot table, kitchen worthy of any cable tv chef's competition, two hot tubs, gas grill, and two wonderful porches facing the mountains. We learned that each of these cabins sits on no less than three acres of land. At night I could only see the lights of one other cabin off in the distance. And a billion stars.
"There is probably no more obnoxious class of citizens than a returning vacationist."
We did not count on unexpected visitors, however. On Tuesday night, after everyone else had got to sleep, and I was the last one watching tv, two bats decided to join us. "Beavis" and "Butthead" flew around, well, like bats. They are fast! And tiny too. They seemed to avoid me as much as I wanted to avoid them. I woke up two of the most responsible of my friends. We had to drive up to the top of the mountain to get cell phone service, where an hour passed before the emergency call operator finally realized we were not kidding when we said we had a bat infestation. The rental agent was understanding, no easy thing after we woke her up at 12:30 a.m., and readily offered us a comparable unit, which was conveniently empty further down the mountain.
After much searching on google, and some sleepy discussion, the three of us made an executive decision not wake our friends. We simply closed the doors yet left all the lights one. In the morning we could make a group decision. Blessedly, by morning's light the bats also retired out the unknown opening they had found between the logs, and never returned. We stayed in our cabin, leaving the lights one all night as a preventative. It worked.
"No man needs a vacation so much as the person who has just had one."
Among the good things about my friends is that they have the capacity to do things without imposing their desires on another. So some went walking; one day we made a group trip to financially contribute to the arts and crafts community coffers of Gatlinburg (an eight-mile loop of roads with 150 different shops); a few ventured to the honky-tonk town of Pidgeon Forge; four took a cable car ride to a mountain peak; some read; I managed to complete a cross-stitch piece. Several of us drove 100 miles into Asheville, North Carolina, to see the Biltmore, the largest private home in the U.S.
On the last evening we caravaned in two cars to Cades Cove in the national park. The brochures said that at dusk the wild life (animal, not human) comes out for viewing. For once the brochures were right. We saw four stands of deer, assorted crows and squirrels and spyders and old old cabins, and a mama bear and her cub. In fact, we witnessed mama bear climb a tree at least 40 feet into the air, to protect her baby nestled higher up the tree. If you saw on the National Geographic channel what we witnessed with our eyes you would gasp. Nature at its best.
"If only we would give, just once, the same amount of reflection to what we want to get out of life to the question of what to do with a two week vacation, we would be startled at our false standards and the aimles procession of our busy days."
Then it was time to go home. I can say that this was one of the most relaxing and enjoyable vacations I've ever had. Why? No cell phone certainly helped. Great and pleasant friends even more. And the knowledge that I return to work that I love, refreshed to do the ministry with more energy and perspective.
"Laughter is an instant vacation." --Milton Berle
A motley group of friends and I had the wonderful fortune to go on vacation together last week. We have gone away a couple of times before -- cruises to the Carribean and to Alaska -- and like to picnic together. This time it was a land-based trip, to the Great Smoky Mountains outside of Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
"Every now and then go away and have a little relaxation. To remain constantly at work will diminish your judgment. Go some distance away, because work will be in perspective and a lack of harmony is more readily seen." --Leonardo DaVinci
Eleven of us rented a "million-dollar" log cabin for one week, with nine of us staying there and two bringing their camper and staying in a nearby campground. Our super-organized friend got a great laugh out of the rental agent when she said the group of us wanted a cabin which could sleep nine, "with seven of us not wanting to sleep with one another." (We had one married couple and seven singles.) So "Luca's Lookout" was ours for a week. (To see this modern marvel, google "Luca's Lookout" with the zip code, 37738.)
"Those who say you can't take it with you never saw a car packed for a vacation."
What do you do on a vacation? Eat. Prime among our decision to go away was to experience the great cooking gifts several of us had. It took us two Sunday-afternoon picnics, but we finally got the menu planned: ham and all the fixins on Saturday, steak (really prime filet mignon) on Sunday, chicken on Monday, pork on Tuesday, salmon on Wednesday, and left-overs on Thursday and Friday. And what leftovers! Of course, this listing fails to include the appetizers, fresh veggies, whipped potatoes, lucious salads with homemade dressings, wines from various locales, and desserts such as fruit, apple cobbler, strawberry shortcake and homemade vanilla ice cream.
My contributions were three: eat, say "Fantastic!" about every five minutes, and do the dishes. I say without a hint of vanity I was excellent at all three.
"Unless there is a grave reason to the contrary, a pastor is permitted to be absent from the parish each year for vacation for at most one continuous or interrupted month." Code of Canon Law, canon 533, #2.
Among our group were two priest friends. This made celebrations of the Eucharist easy. We brought all the "ecclesial stuff" necessary for Mass with us, and enjoyed our prayer on Sunday and on August 15, for the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from the luxury of a great room. The huge windows overlooked several mountaintops of the Great Smoky range. Offering a long sermon is impossible, when your congregation can tune you out and see God's bountiful beauty right in front of them. And no collection, either!
"A vacation is having nothing to do and all day to do it in."
One of the unexpected pleasures of our luxurious cabin was that there was no cell phone service and no internet service. No one had told us this during all our preparations. At first this was terrifying. What, go without looking at our cell phones about every 15 minutes? It took two members of our group until Tuesday to stop looking at their smart phones, and finally "learn" this truth. One, a lawyer, was particularly stymied, and drove to the the top of the hill, about a mile, every day to talk with his secretary.
I was secure, however. I had given strict instructions to the parish secretaries and my priest associates. I was only to be disturbed on three conditions: If the pope called me; if the bishop called me; if one of my four churches burned to the ground. Thankfully, none of these happened.
(You never know, however. As I was preparing for vacation last month, I told this joke to our seminarian intern, who politely laughed. Then he said that a classmate's home parish pastor had also given this instruction when he went on vacation to the Jersey Shore, only to be called on the second day of vacation. When the pastor responded testily to the phone call, his parochial vicar said, "Well, the church burned down. Really. Really." And he wasn't fooling.)
"A vacation is what you take when you can no longer take what you've been taking."
Our vacation got a curve on its first day, when the rental agent called while we were en route, to say that we could not use Luca's Lookout. Bats had taken up residence, and it would be a couple of days before they could be removed. So we repaired to Taygen's Place, which one humorist promptly dubbed Pagan's Place. This turned out to be just as nice a temporary home as Luca's. Six bedrooms, a home theatre, poot table, kitchen worthy of any cable tv chef's competition, two hot tubs, gas grill, and two wonderful porches facing the mountains. We learned that each of these cabins sits on no less than three acres of land. At night I could only see the lights of one other cabin off in the distance. And a billion stars.
"There is probably no more obnoxious class of citizens than a returning vacationist."
We did not count on unexpected visitors, however. On Tuesday night, after everyone else had got to sleep, and I was the last one watching tv, two bats decided to join us. "Beavis" and "Butthead" flew around, well, like bats. They are fast! And tiny too. They seemed to avoid me as much as I wanted to avoid them. I woke up two of the most responsible of my friends. We had to drive up to the top of the mountain to get cell phone service, where an hour passed before the emergency call operator finally realized we were not kidding when we said we had a bat infestation. The rental agent was understanding, no easy thing after we woke her up at 12:30 a.m., and readily offered us a comparable unit, which was conveniently empty further down the mountain.
After much searching on google, and some sleepy discussion, the three of us made an executive decision not wake our friends. We simply closed the doors yet left all the lights one. In the morning we could make a group decision. Blessedly, by morning's light the bats also retired out the unknown opening they had found between the logs, and never returned. We stayed in our cabin, leaving the lights one all night as a preventative. It worked.
"No man needs a vacation so much as the person who has just had one."
Among the good things about my friends is that they have the capacity to do things without imposing their desires on another. So some went walking; one day we made a group trip to financially contribute to the arts and crafts community coffers of Gatlinburg (an eight-mile loop of roads with 150 different shops); a few ventured to the honky-tonk town of Pidgeon Forge; four took a cable car ride to a mountain peak; some read; I managed to complete a cross-stitch piece. Several of us drove 100 miles into Asheville, North Carolina, to see the Biltmore, the largest private home in the U.S.
On the last evening we caravaned in two cars to Cades Cove in the national park. The brochures said that at dusk the wild life (animal, not human) comes out for viewing. For once the brochures were right. We saw four stands of deer, assorted crows and squirrels and spyders and old old cabins, and a mama bear and her cub. In fact, we witnessed mama bear climb a tree at least 40 feet into the air, to protect her baby nestled higher up the tree. If you saw on the National Geographic channel what we witnessed with our eyes you would gasp. Nature at its best.
"If only we would give, just once, the same amount of reflection to what we want to get out of life to the question of what to do with a two week vacation, we would be startled at our false standards and the aimles procession of our busy days."
Then it was time to go home. I can say that this was one of the most relaxing and enjoyable vacations I've ever had. Why? No cell phone certainly helped. Great and pleasant friends even more. And the knowledge that I return to work that I love, refreshed to do the ministry with more energy and perspective.
"Laughter is an instant vacation." --Milton Berle
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Like an MBA for Catholic pastors
Thirty-two of us graduated today. The Diocese of Pittsburgh cohort #2 of the "Good Leaders Good Shepherds" program concluded with a festive lunch and graduation.
The curriculum uses the best contemporary business practices and applies them to the world of the 21st century U.S. Catholic parish. GLGS sees leadership in five contexts: self, one-to-one, team, organizational and strategic alliance/relational. We attended 30 full days of workshops over the past 18 months. The GLGS program takes pride in avoiding like the plague boring lectures. Rather, the "learning leaders" engage us with multimedia, role playing, small and large group discussion, personal reflections, even the occasional movie. (We watched "Hoosiers," "The Karate Kid," "Twelve Angry Men," "Romero" and "Keys of the Kingdom." Each one showed us the concepts we were learning in vivid narrative.) We were constantly exhorted to take what we learned and apply it to our pastoral situations. It was not all work. Our "final exam" came by our learning teams competing with "GLGS Jeopardy."
The GLGS program came about because so many clergy realized that the seminary teaches men how to be priests, but does not teach us how to be pastors. This responsibility of teaching men how to pastor had devolved upon the local church. In decades past, a newly ordained priest could trust that he would have three assignments of at least five years each in different parishes prior to becoming a pastor. (At least this was the custom in the large Northeast and Midwest U.S. dioceses. In smaller dioceses, and in mission territories, a man might become a pastor in only a year or two.) If the learning did not come explicitly from the pastor's mentoring, it came by osmosis and observation. But as our priestly numbers have shrunk, so has the time between ordination and becoming a pastor. In our diocese it's now not unusual for men to assume pastoring responsibility after only four or five years of ministry
At the same time, pastoring has become more complex. "Going My Way" went and gone years ago. Today's U.S. pastor has to deal with millions of dollars of buildings and income, and guide a dozen or more paid staff. I've met pastors from Texas and Florida with 20,000 or 30,000 people in their parish. The Five L's of Administration -- lights, leaks, locks, loot and lawns -- have been supplemented by the leadership, multiple languages of immigrants, lawsuits and the occasional loony.
To respond to the felt need of so many priests and bishops, the Catholic Leadership Institute created the "Good Leaders, Good Shepherds" program. In the words of their website:
"Using Jesus Christ as the ultimate shepherd and model of leadership, the Good Leaders, Good Shepherds curriculum for clergy was specifically designated to help Catholic priests overcome the challenges today of a diminishing number of clergy and more complex circumstances for priestly ministry. The goal is to minimize the frustration and energy spent on their administrative roles and maximize the joy and time spent on the pastoral duties for which they were uniquely ordained. The impact will be more holy, healthy, and happy shepherds of vibrant parish communities, leading more people to a deeper relationship with Christ." ( Visit www.catholicleaders.org )
The curriculum uses the best contemporary business practices and applies them to the world of the 21st century U.S. Catholic parish. GLGS sees leadership in five contexts: self, one-to-one, team, organizational and strategic alliance/relational. We attended 30 full days of workshops over the past 18 months. The GLGS program takes pride in avoiding like the plague boring lectures. Rather, the "learning leaders" engage us with multimedia, role playing, small and large group discussion, personal reflections, even the occasional movie. (We watched "Hoosiers," "The Karate Kid," "Twelve Angry Men," "Romero" and "Keys of the Kingdom." Each one showed us the concepts we were learning in vivid narrative.) We were constantly exhorted to take what we learned and apply it to our pastoral situations. It was not all work. Our "final exam" came by our learning teams competing with "GLGS Jeopardy."
Along the way we priests, along with our diocesan bishop, David Zubik, not only learned a new language of leadership, with such ideas as DISCposition, phases of performance, sponsor and charter documents, team formation and nurture. We also grew a little closer as a presbyterate, in priestly bonds of fraternity.
And so today at our graduation, Catholic Leadership Institute executive director Father Bill Dickinson congratulated us on our perseverance. He likened our certificate of achievement to receiving an MBA in Catholic pastoring. He also gently challenged us, saying that completing the hours and hours of workshop only brings us 20% of the potential of the curriculum. We have to see GLGS with the vision of a three, five, or seven year implementation. If we apply the GLGS concepts in our parishes and pastoral situations, we can really break open the potential of what we learned, to become excellent Christian leaders in the manner of Jesus Christ, and to build up alive and vibrant and energized Catholic parishes.
I am most grateful for our bishop and diocese to bring GLGS here, and for the opportunity to experience a vision of what excellent leadership might look like. The end of the workshops comes as I begin pastoring four parishes in New Castle. For years we priests have been exhorted to "work smarter, not harder." Now, along with my two fine parochial vicars, and the dedicated volunteer members of our pastoral and finance councils, I have the chance to put this rich learning into practice.
Drone thoughts
The committee which organizes the annual offerings for clergy education of the Diocese of Pittsburgh approached me to offer a class this fall. I've been blessed to have been asked several times to be a presenter. Many of our priests and deacons take seriously their professional and ministerial responsibility to continually update themselves, and attend these sessions. Each year there are a wide range of topic covered, both in the annual fall and spring convocations, and with individual classes.
The topic suggested to me for the fall is to discuss the morality of the use of drones in warfare. I confess that I've not paid much attention to this subject, as our country is winding down its war presence in Iraq and Afghanistan. But a series of op-ed pieces, on both sides of the morality issue, have recently been published.
I am only at the beginning of my research. If anyone has thoughts about the morality of the use of drones, or just wants to share with me insightful articles, please let me know by the email address: almadefrankd@gmail.com . Thank you!
And a great time was had by all...
The St. Vitus Parish Big Festival of 2012 is history. We were blessed by fantastic weather. In pastorspeak, that means there was no threat of rain to dissuade parishioners, neighbors and friends from coming onto our church grounds. The festival committee worked very well together to tweak a good program and make it better. Our sponsorships were up, our Kiddieland was rejuvenated, Joe and his hard-working kitchen cooks brought out some new items, and the grounds were alive all four evenings. (To those who laughed at my idea to add salads to our menu, I can only say, haha! We sold out all salads every night.) And who knows how important the Baby Doll Dance on Thursday was to our attendance! What a show!
I was able to report to parishioners at Masses on Sunday, August 5, that a preliminary financial report showed our gross receipts were up a huge 33% over last year. We'll post a full financial report in a few weeks, after all the bills are paid, but the one bill I have is a gigantic debt to our veteran and almost four dozen new volunteers who made the St. Vitus Parish Big Festival the success it was.
Let's do it again next year, bigger and better!
I was able to report to parishioners at Masses on Sunday, August 5, that a preliminary financial report showed our gross receipts were up a huge 33% over last year. We'll post a full financial report in a few weeks, after all the bills are paid, but the one bill I have is a gigantic debt to our veteran and almost four dozen new volunteers who made the St. Vitus Parish Big Festival the success it was.
Let's do it again next year, bigger and better!
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