New pastors looking to strengthen their managerial and business administration skills have several opportunities to do so during the upcoming months.
Provincial Minister Kevin Mullen, OFM, recommends these programs to friars who are new to their roles as pastor or administrator, as well as to those who have been in the position for a while. “It would be a helpful follow-up to the guardians’ meeting we held last month.”
St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Baltimore is offering a four-day workshop from Nov. 2 to 6.
Featuring collegial learning in a seminar format, the program will cover topics such as “The Canonical Role of the Pastor,” “Parish Finances and Budget,” “The Pastor, Civil Law and Pastoral Administration,” and “The Unexpected Challenges of Secularity.” A complete agenda is included in a detailed flyer.
Participants are asked to register and pay the $850 fee by Oct. 25. The workshop’s cost includes hotel-quality guest rooms, each with a private bath, climate control, study area, phone and Wi-Fi. Guests will have access to a state-of-the-art conference room, as well as St. Mary’s theological library, fitness center, campus and neighborhood walkways.
The program will provide opportunities for fraternity and socials. Priest faculty will be available for spiritual consultation and participants are welcome to meet with diocesan or religious order priests in private sessions.
For more information about registration and the facility, contact Krista Koronios at kkoronios@stmarys.edu. Details about the program are available through Msgr. David Fulton at 908-256-2639 or dfulton@stmarys.edu.
Just after Christmas, Seton Hall University and The Leadership Roundtable are offering a conference for new pastors. “A Toolbox for Pastoral Management,” set for Jan. 4 to 9, aims to help pastors strengthen their skills in the areas of administration, finance and personnel management.
More than a dozen experts from various fields will present on topics such as theology of management, stewardship, internal financial controls, risk management, building finance and pastoral councils, according to the event’s description.
Hugh Macsherry, OFM, pastor of St. Anthony Parish in Camden, N.J., plans to attend.
“Clearly people are recognizing that, as priests, we were not trained to be the business and financial officers that ordained pastors are expected to be,” he said. “I am going in order to supplement my pastoral training with some of the business knowledge needed to lead a Catholic parish today.”
— Maria Hayes is communications coordinator for Holy Name Province.