The Deacon's Bench - June, 2008

Several parishioners have asked why priests and deacons get moved around and what the process is to select replacements. Let me sketch out the rationale and the process as best I can.

Clergy get moved primarily because we serve the diocese as a whole. A bishop needs the liberty to see to the best interests of everyone, and that requires that he be able to assign people to serve where the need is greatest. Another reason is that movement is good for clergy people. It keeps us alive, in touch with the meaning of ministry and on our toes. If you’re always facing Pedro Martinez, it’s good for you to have to stand up to Mike Mussina every now and then, wouldn’t you think? A third reason that we get moved around is that it’s all too possible for some if us to feel that we ‘own’ a parish, and vice versa. A parish needs to be focused on Jesus and the service of God through the service of one another. Not on a particular pastor. Not on a particular deacon.

So how are new clergy selected, anyway? Although movement can happen at any time, the maximum stay for a pastor is two six-year terms, and for a deacon, it’s two five-year terms. As the ends of terms approach, priests and deacons can certainly look around for other places to go, but it doesn’t mean much. We’re sent where the bishop sees that the need exists.

Openings are advertised and priests can apply. At least one visited St. Pat over the last few weeks to see what it was like. The vicar for Priests (Msgr. Gerry Schmitz – a truly good man, I need to tell you), visits the parish and finds out what we like and don’t like. He met with the Parish Council and staff on June 17 to do just that, and he got both barrels. A board of priests and Msgr. Schmitz take a look at available people, the folks who have applied and our statements, and then make the best call they can. Their recommendation goes to Archbishop Mansell, who has the last word, but rarely does something different.

Msgr. Schmitz will know from the volume of phone calls, letters, e-mails and personal visits in the first few months just how well the new assignment is working. We were told that if a pastor lasts a year, he will likely last the duration unless he gets reassigned in the meantime. Probably the best thing to do in times like these is to take the advice of St. Francis of Assisi (a deacon, I’ll have you know), whose prayer is familiar to many of us:

"Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."

Deacon Tim’s Fast Recipe #1
1 can tuna drained of whatever it was in
1 can mushroom soup
1 can carrots and peas
Toast

Put everything except the toast in a pot and mix it up. Try not to look at it too closely. Heat it up. Serve over toast. The darker the room, the better.