The following article is reposted with permission of The Pittsburgh Catholic, the official newspaper of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, September 25, 2009.
by: Chuck Moody
Some 34 priests will be the first ones in the Diocese of Pittsburgh to participate in “Good Leaders, Good Shepherds,” a two-year curriculum for clergy specifically designed to help Catholic priests overcome the complex challenges of priestly ministry.
“Bishop (David) Zubik wants our diocesan church to be a ‘Church Alive,’” said Father Joseph Mele, director of the diocesan Department for Post-Ordination Formation. “To help achieve this goal we need priests and lay leaders that can more effectively, confidently and joyfully fulfill their administrative responsibilities.
“The bishop understands that ministry today is very demanding, especially of our priests.” The reason the diocese is hosting Good Leaders, Good Shepherds is because Bishop Zubik sees the program “as a valuable tool in service to his leadership and unwavering commitment to shepherding and supporting the priests of Pittsburgh,” said Father Mele, who also is diocesan vicar general, vice rector of St. Paul Seminary and director of spiritual formation at the seminary.
“This program is exceptionally successful because it helps priests relate better with not only people in the parish but also with other priests who they come to know as they grow in a learning environment that is highly interactive, relevant and pastoral,” Father Mele said. Good Leaders, Good Shepherds was developed by the Catholic Leadership Institute, which is based in Exton, Pa., in suburban Philadelphia.
“Using Jesus Christ as the ultimate shepherd and model of leadership, the Good Leaders, Good Shepherds curriculum for clergy was specifically designed to help Catholic priests overcome the challenges today of a diminishing number of clergy and more complex circumstances for priestly ministry,” the company’s Web site states. “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.”
The Catholic Leadership Institute has partnered with the bishops and priests in 37 dioceses and archdioceses in the United States for its programs. Bishop Zubik is a member of the episcopal advisory board of the organization.
Father Joe Carr, parochial vicar at St. Kilian Parish in Adams and Cranberry townships, said he was “very excited” about beginning the program. “It’s going to be a significant investment in time, but I’m excited not just because it brings in expertise from outside the diocese from the people who have thought this through but also piloted it in other cities quite effectively,” Father Carr said. “I’m also excited that it’s not just a program for new pastors and future pastors, it’s also a program that has some very experienced pastors in it.
“I’m excited that while you’re not just getting information from the ‘experts’ from outside, but you’re also getting practical experience from people who have lived this. And not just lived it, but they’ve lived it here in the Pittsburgh Diocese, which is very different than many other places. “There are pastors like Father Sam Esposito, and Father Lou Vallone and Father Bob Cedolia. Those are people that have been at this for years and not only bring practical experience, but an intimate knowledge of our specific diocese.”
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