Every priest needs to have a vision for his priesthood and for the parish he serves. Because today's blog is a continuation of yesterday's on leadership, this post will focus on the latter. So... do you have done the hard work of discerning a vision for your parish? Most of us haven't. If … [Read more...]
“Can’t I Just Serve Well?”
This is a question/conversation that comes up fairly regularly with seminarians and priests. I strongly believe that in most American parishes it is NOT enough to just serve well and that one of the things we are called to do as "fathers" is lead. Yes, we need to strengthen our own life in … [Read more...]
Self-Discipline, Camaraderie, and the Demon of Noonday
Even in the West, where we have built up huge walls to keep it out (and bread and circuses to keep us busy when the siege is strong and infiltrations are many), pain makes its way into our lives. Pain may not be the right word; I'm not talking about the sudden "oops I stubbed my toe" sensation, but … [Read more...]
A Paean to the Reliable Naysayer
Many of the personalities that populate our parishes seem to come out of central casting: the community historian, the pious worshiper, the issue advocate, the reliable worker ... the list goes on and on. When priests seek advice from other preists about how to best lead, manage, and serve them, … [Read more...]
A Reflection on a Quiet Celebration
This past Saturday I had the opportunity to do something special; I concelebrated with a man on the 44th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood. From the outside it looked pretty simple: just a quiet service in a small chapel. On this, what I hope to be the first of a "40 Days of (Old … [Read more...]
GGWB Episode #16: Honor Among Priests
"Honor Among Priests" Fr. Anthony Perkins Good Guys Wear Black Podcast (AFR, 10 November 2016) In this episode, Fr. Anthony uses insights from his former career in intelligence to explain the spiritual vulnerability of our priests (and the need for vigilance). After a commercial break for a new … [Read more...]
A Code of Conduct for the Brotherhood of Priests (a first cut)
When I joined the Army, we were quickly taught the Army Values, the Soldier's Creed, and the Code of Conduct (and similar sets of rules/expectations). We learned them by memory and had to recite them – and live by them– even under stress. At the same time we began learning the unwritten rules of the … [Read more...]
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