ST. LOUIS — As members of other religious communities are doing, friars of the Province of the Sacred Heart in the St. Louis/Chicago area participated in a Provincial Leadership Workshop last month at the Mercy Center here.
Holy Name Province friars have been involved in their own leadership development initiative since the summer of 2008.
The Jan. 12 to 15 workshop centered on fraternity in mission. “It means the way we live together,” said Provincial Minister Fr. Michael Perry, OFM, who spoke about the concept. “It is the privileged place we encounter God; and it defines the way we are in the world, the way we walk in the world, and are friars on the move.”
Fr. Jim Perluzzi, OFM, spoke about the book from the General Curia, Franciscans Without Frontiers, which explains the concept of Franciscan mission. The group referenced theologian Henri Nouwen’s definition that a leader should be a “man of prayer, compassion and contemplation.”
The group also discussed how friars interact, and the various styles of communication and behavior.