| FROM THE DESK OF FR. BRIAN “Fr. Brian, what happens to you now?” That, in varied forms, has been one of the frequently asked questions in light of Fr. Flynn’s new assignment. I really have appreciated all the love and concern. And I’ve been really grateful in working with the Pastoral Center for their sincere interest and pastoral care for the good of our parish and for me. This past week the answer has been made official. Effective August 1, 2010, Cardinal Sean has appointed me as Administrator here at St. Edith Stein Parish. “The Administrator”…it sounds like a movie hero that Arnold Schwarzenegger should play. This is how the Cardinal’s letter describes the role: the administrator is “responsible for the total administration of the parish which includes all financial matters, the administration of the parish property, all policy decisions, and all other matters pertaining to the pastoral care of the parish.” [Not quite as glamorous as a movie hero and no matter how often I tell her, my mom is not impressed when I say at home that “The Administrator” never washes the dishes]. You’re no doubt thinking to yourself, “Isn’t that description the same thing as being the pastor?” Not exactly. Unlike the role of a pastor, the role of administrator is one that does not have a specific term to it. Such an open ended term in the role of parish administrator suggests something of a transition time. And that seems appropriate for where we are in light of Fr. Flynn’s new assignment, as well as where I am in “priest years”. Had the Cardinal named me pastor, with the six year term that goes with it by Canon Law, then by the time I left here, I would have been in my first assignment for 13 years. It’s long been the experience in the Church that such longevity in one place is not generally in the best interest for the growth of a parish or a particular priest. In fact, it’s already unusual for me as a priest to have been in a first assignment for seven years [and all in all, it’s been a pretty unusual seven years at that]. These years have seen a period of six months with me administrating the parish during Fr. Flavin’s sabbatical. Then, his unexpected departure and the new transition from there into team ministry. Parochial vicar to temporary administrator to co-pastor, and now to parish administrator. Wow. Add to this the news of Fr. O’Donnell’s new assignment from Christ the King to St. Joseph’s in Needham, and the fact that Fr. Cloherty at Our Lady of Lourdes will be eligible for retirement in a year’s time, and it becomes fair to say that transition, in terms of parish staffing by priests, is the order of the day. All of this having been said, it seems appropriate, in my case then, for the Archdiocese to look at something that was more open ended and geared towards an eventual transition into a new team of priests to lead Brockton within the next couple of years. What that all looks like is not exactly clear just yet. But what has been very clear in the many meetings with the Cardinal and the staff in both the Clergy Personnel Office, and the Office of Pastoral Planning, is that the Church in Brockton is a priority to those in the Pastoral Center. And that our feedback as a parish will be critical to whatever plan comes to be. In all of it, it’s good to remind ourselves that the work we’re about always is the mission of Christ and His Church. It’s never helpful for the work to see it as parish [s] against “the diocese”. It’s so easy for all of us, priests and laity to lose sight of that at times. We are the Archdiocese together, trying to figure out, all of us, how Christ’s mission will best be served with the resources we have. Please pray for the work of brainstorming that’s ongoing, and please feel free to ask any questions you have. God Bless |
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