Each year when I return from vacation, I take the time to read carefully the editions of the Catholic News that were issued during my absence, along with the many memoranda and e-mails that are piled neatly on my desk by my secretary.

One of the very many positive points of information about the Archdiocese that I noted in my reading this year was the reference to the two-day retreat that has been scheduled for all the Department Heads of the Archdiocese.

I was pleased to read about the retreat and, in particular, that it had been decided on by the membership itself. 

To my mind, the retreat speaks to three issues:
1) It highlights the importance of proper spiritual motivation for administration in the Church which St Paul understands as a ministry (1 Cor 12: 5) and is, in truth, a form of pastoral care;
2) It provides a powerful witness to the people of the Archdiocese about proper values. Motivation for pastoral administration is not about business, control or power, it is about salvation, service and forming community on the teaching of Jesus;
3) Those in the ministry of administration must not only feed and serve others, they must also be open to being fed themselves. The process of being fed clarifies motivation, facilitates perseverance and helps administrators to maintain balance in their challenging and, at times, very stressful service to the Church.

Let us reflect briefly on the issue of proper motivation.

Essential questions

Why do we do what we do? Why do we avoid what we avoid?
The ideal answer to those questions is that our love for God, our fidelity to the covenant relationship we have with God and the discipleship commitment to the Lord flowing from our Baptism and Confirmation guides our lives.

On a less ideal level the answer to those questions may be more complex. The answer could involve merely natural motives e.g. financial gain or an inculpable lack of freedom that prevents firm choices.

Possibly, there are motives that are clearly not Christian, what spiritual writers call “the self” i.e. “what is in it for me”. Contemporary understanding of self is rooted in the perception that one’s preferences are their own justification. There is no objective criterion for choosing one value or one option over another.

It is amazing how many people do not understand themselves and cannot state or explain the motivation for their way of life. All believers, especially those in leadership, must understand themselves in the context of their faith and must exercise careful oversight regarding their motivation for ministry.

Proper motivation for Church administration

People who think and live as believers are not perfect people, but they are people who live in the presence of God and who manifest these general characteristics:
1) They understand the foundation of their own God-given dignity and they respect themselves.
2) They respect others for the same reason mentioned in #1;
3) They pray regularly and celebrate their faith liturgically;
4) They are open to the teaching of Scripture, Tradition and the Magisterium;
5) They listen well and communicate with clarity and honesty;
6) They are willing and able, whenever necessary, to rise above personal preferences to serve the Church;
7) They are willing and able to collaborate with others for the good of the community. 
These characteristics will inevitably become visible (or not) in the behaviour patterns of those who serve in Church administration.

The challenge to grow 

Proper motivation is not something static. Motivation, as a qualitative concept, is open to growth. People develop Christian motivation through conversion to the Lord. They can grow into much more mature motivation through ongoing conversion through which their surrender to the Lord deepens.

Growth in motivation for those in Church administration is important not only for themselves but also for others. Those in administration must help motivate others for community, for decision-making and for community service. To do that effectively they must be personally involved in the process of surrender to the Lord.

Application to the archdiocese

After two Synod sessions and much restructuring in the Archdiocese, a great deal of emphasis has been placed on the importance of listening, sharing, planning, decision-making, implementation and evaluation in a community setting. Parishes, Vicariates and the Departments on the Archdiocesan level all have councils/boards.

Thank God, more and more people are becoming involved in all aspects of the Church. Preparations for Synod 2008 have already begun. As the process continues, it is important for all those involved in the many levels of Archdiocesan service to evaluate their motivation for participation.

An invitation

It would be helpful if, on a voluntary basis, the various levels of administration in the Archdiocese e.g. parish councils, vicariate councils, principals with their teachers and staff would follow the example of the Departments Heads and decide to gather for retreat to consider their spirituality, their motivation, their ministry and their responsibility to help build the future of the archdiocese.