DAY 3 OF THE PRIESTS RETREAT GOING VERY WELL...........

Monsignor Michael Heher, of the Diocese of Orange, is presenting us with a very unique, out of the box Retreat on Reimagining the Priesthood.  He is challenging us to break free of being, Nice, Admirable, People Pleasers, to be our Prophetic, Servant-Leader selves.  Not  agreeing to every proposal our parishioners make, but showing vision, and causing the parish community to think and act, in ways that take their lead from the priests and pastors, by putting the common good of the community believers first and foremost.  This concurs with my long held philosophy that the ordained, "Priesthood is not a Popularity contest".  We are ordained to the Priesthood of Jesus Christ, to serve and to lead the People of God, as ministers of the Gospel.  I have learned as do most priests through the years, that the decisions we make, or the direction we lead the parish, will not always meet with unanimous agreement or support.  Parishioners are for the most part wonderful collaborators with the clergy and the religious, in my experience of parish ministry.  But there are also those in every  community, who are critical, controlling, monopolizing, and curmudgeonly; as though they are the pastor and parish in total. The Retreat talks Msgr. Heher is providing us, are on target in terms of how effective and purposeful we are, and can be, if we do not put being thought of as nice, admirable, go along to get along, good priests, in the ascendancy; and relinquishing our rightful, prophetic, responsibility to serve all the parishioners, by leading the entire community in the direction it needs to go...........Fr.  Troy