BY: ED GIGANTI
Mr. Giganti is senior director, ministry leadership development, Catholic
Health Association, St. Louis.
In his article "Nurturing
the Ministry's Soul" in the September-October 2004 issue of Health
Progress, Bill Cox described the creation of the Ministry Leadership Center
through the collaboration of five Catholic health systems in the West. In October,
the board of the center announced the appointment of Laurence J. O'Connell,
PhD, STD, as executive director of this new approach to the formation of leaders
for Catholic health care.
Now, 22 religious congregations sponsoring Catholic health facilities, together
with the Catholic social service agencies in Illinois, are joining together
to initiate a program of leadership formation for the health care and social
services ministries. A pilot of the program, "Building a Community of Executive
Leaders," begins this month. The program is sponsored by the Illinois Catholic
Health Association (ICHA) and Catholic Theological Union (CTU), Chicago, in
cooperation with the Institute for Pastoral Studies at Loyola University Chicago
and Dominican University's St. Catherine of Siena Center, River Forest, IL.
I recently spoke with Philip J. Karst, PhD, executive director of ICHA, to learn
more about the program.
Toward Lay Leadership
The effort was initiated two years ago at a meeting of ICHA's corporate members,
the bishops in Illinois, and the leaders of the congregations that sponsor Catholic
health care in the state. "At that meeting, they discussed the transition
in the ministry toward one that has more and more lay people in leadership roles,
at both sponsorship and executive levels. "There was concern about the
laity's preparation for assuming these responsibilities," Karst said. "Many
lay people entering these roles haven't had formal training on Catholic ethics
or on the issues around Catholic identity. They may not have the knowledge,
the vocabulary, or the recognition to effectively lead a ministry of the Catholic
Church." The outcome of the discussion was the formation of a task force
to focus attention on the issues and develop strategies for dealing with them.
Eventually, the task force divided into two groups, one examining issues of
lay sponsorship and another addressing preparation for executive leaders. Terry
McGuire, EdD, vice president of mission integration at Wheaton Franciscan Services,
Inc., led the second group. "They worked from the assumption that there
is a lot of good work already done in leadership formation," Karst said.
"Why reinvent the wheel?"
As it is being piloted, the program consists of a one-year educational experience.
Karst said that a cohort of 20 to 25 senior level executives from health and
social service ministry organizations will be accepted for the pilot. These
leaders will participate in three "mini-retreats" and regular audio
conferences and online dialogues covering three broad areas of study:
- Foundations of the church, its history and teachings, and its application to
leadership in the 21st century
- Theological and ministerial development, with a focus on ethics and social justice
- Directions of organizational leadership in a Catholic organization
Retreats will require two nights and one workday each from participants. Audio
conferences and online dialogues are expected to require about five hours per
month.
In addition, each participant will be paired with an advisor with whom he
or she will meet, face to face during retreats and via e-mail throughout the
year.
A Model of Theological Reflection
Karst said the program has been built on a model of theological reflection.
"It involves tradition, culture, and the subcultures of health care and
social services, as well as personal experience. This particular model has been
identified as a way to understand the world and to bring the tradition of the
church to the world," he said. "The first time the group gets together,
they will learn this theological reflection model. They will also bring to the
program real-life situations with which they are dealing — cases of opening
or closing lines of service or how to pay employees — and examine these cases
in light of what they are learning about theology. The intent is to bring the
tradition and teaching to real-life circumstances."
The program is intended to:
- Foster a community of leaders for Catholic health and social service ministries
- Enhance individuals' understanding of the foundations of Catholic ministries
- Transform participants' understanding of and approach to addressing operational
and strategic matters within the organizations they lead
"The goal is to live a different way," Karst said, "to transform
a person's understanding. Participants will not just be exposed to a lot of
topics. They will be expected to move this information into how they react
to the world."
A core team of faculty members from CTU, Loyola University Chicago, and Dominican
University designed the program and will teach it. Karst said that ICHA turned
to CTU and Fr. Thomas Nairn, a professor of ethics there, because of a previously
existing relationship. Fr. Nairn, along with Fr. Myles Sheehan, SJ, MD, of
Loyola's Stritch School of Medicine, provided ethics consultation on end-of-life
issues when, several years ago, ICHA brought together various resource people
in response to growing threats of physician-assisted suicide. Their input
contributed to the 2001 pastoral letter, signed by all the bishops of Illinois,
"Facing the End of Life."
Karst said that ICHA hopes the program will yield these outcomes:
- Greater understanding and appreciation of the importance of the Catholic
health and social service ministries within the life of the church
- Enhanced abilities among leaders to integrate Catholic tradition and teachings
into addressing the operational and strategic challenges facing health ministry
organizations today
- Health and social services agencies strengthened to meet the challenges
of the future
"The bishops are very enthusiastic about the program," Karst said.
"We hope that, after completing the program, participants will be recognized
in some public way by their local bishops.
"Karst added that tuition for the program is low, making it possible
for leaders from social service agencies and long-term care facilities to
participate. The cost is $2,000 per participant, covering all housing and
meals at retreats and all materials. In addition, ICHA has established a scholarship
fund in the name of the late Bishop Edwin Conway, who was health care liaison
for the Archdiocese of Chicago and former chairman of Catholic Charities in
the city. Applications for scholarships to cover a portion of the program
fees are available from ICHA.
For more information on "Building a Community of Executive Leaders,"
contact Karst at [email protected].
From Mission to Service
In November, I had the opportunity to observe the first of two modules of
a new leadership formation program for Catholic Charities leadership offered
at the University of Notre Dame. Called "From Mission to Service,"
this program of mission-based leadership and organization development offers
a curriculum developed by the university's Department of Theology and Mendoza
College of Business.
Carolyn Woo, PhD, dean of Mendoza College, told me that the university was
approached by Catholic Charities USA leadership to create a program for leaders
of local Catholic Charities agencies. Woo said the program represents a first
for Notre Dame — the first joint project of the theology and business departments.
Notre Dame underwrote all the costs of the program except travel and lodging
expenses for participants. Woo said that because of the university's contribution,
the program was able to stipulate a high level of commitment from participants.
Each participating agency was required to send a team of three to five people,
including the executive director and at least one trustee.
Teams of managers and trustees — 45 people in all — attended the first
program. During the two and one-half days, they participated in sessions on
Catholic social teaching, the mission of Catholic Charities, leadership and
mission, and values-based decision making. Each team brought the concept for
an action-learning project to the program. During the months leading up to
the second module, scheduled for March 14-16, they will work on these projects
independently. Woo and other Notre Dame faculty are available for consultation
as needed. The teams will present the results of their projects when the group
convenes in March.
Copyright © 2005 by the Catholic Health Association of the United States
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