The following article was published in the December 18, 2008 issue of the Catholic Advance, the official newspaper of the Diocese of Wichita.
By Christopher Riggs
The priests of the Diocese of Wichita are good leaders and good shepherds, but Donald R. McCrabb is teaching them about leadership theory and leadership skills so that they can be even more effective. McCrabb, and Dennis Van Auken, instructors with the Catholic Leadership Institute, based in Exton, Pa., made their home at the Spiritual Life Center, Wichita, from Dec. 2-5 for the first in a two-year series of Good Leaders, Good Shepherds presentations to 43 priests of the diocese. “Our priests are dedicated men,” McCrabb said. “The whole purpose of this program is to give them some insights about leadership theory and leadership skills, so that they can become better leaders, better shepherds.”
The Good Leaders, Good Shepherds’ curriculum, offered by the institute, is based on one of the most researched models of leadership ever developed, but has been designed specifically for priests – their needs and their challenges. McCrabb said at the completion of the course, the priest will have examined the way he leads in five areas: Leadership of Self, Leadership in the One-to-One, Leadership of Teams, Leadership of the Organization, and Leadership of Strategic Relationships.
“One of the contexts is leading self,” he said. “That’s what we’re working on in this module and in the next module. It’s an awareness of their gifts and their skills, but it’s also an awareness of some of their blind spots.” The program is being taught in 28 dioceses in the United States, including the dioceses of Dodge City, Salina, and Kansas City, Kan. The feedback from priests who have completed the program is good, McCrabb said. “The guys are really able to be clear about what their role is, be clear about their vision, and now they have ways to really get other people in the parish engaged in that and working so that…they will be singing from the same sheet of music.”
Van Auken said his vision for the priests is to help them become more effective leaders so that they can spend more time shepherding and building their flock. “We help them discover who they are,” he said. “If you know who you are, what your natural tendencies are, what your values are, and what we call your ‘persona,’ then you can be versatile and adapt because now I know how I respond to stimuli.” If a priest understands how he will respond to a situation, Van Auken added, he will be able to adapt to that situation to achieve what needs to be accomplished.
Bishop Michael O. Jackels said he is gratified by the efforts of the priests to pastor the people of their parishes and institutions. “They have pastoral hearts and have a holy desire to be better pastors, he said in a letter printed Nov. 21 in the Catholic Advance. McCrabb added that the Good Leaders, Good Shepherds program is a big commitment by the priests. “It would be really encouraging to our priests if the laity affirmed their commitment to their own leadership formation, offered their support through prayer and personal encouragement, and if they’re able, through their generosity.”
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