what makes a distinguished pastor? - ocs …ocs.archchicago.org/portals/23/distinguished pastors...

What Makes a"Distinguished Pastor"?

Survey of past Distinguished Pastor recipientsreveals their thoughts on spiritual andprofessional leadership of schools

Jim King

HFather John!" came thecries of excitement as hewalked into the cafeteria.A little girl couldn't con-tain her joy and, throwing

lunchroom rules to the wind, ran fromher seat to give him a giant hug aroundhis stomach. Before he was able towalk 20 feet, another dozen studentshad gotten up to greet him.

As Father John Fleckenstein walkedthrough the lunchroom and visited withthe students at their tables, their eyeslit up as they talked to him. The tablesahead of him had students craningtheir necks to be sure he was comingtheir way. A cafeteria monitor trailedbehind attempting to bring order tothe joyful chaos he left in his wake.Not only is Father Fleckenstein a priestwho brings delight to the hearts of hisstudents with his relationships, he is avibrant pastor who has given his com-munitya passionate vision of Catholiceducation.

Father Fleckenstein and 49 otherpastors around the country have beenrecognized with the DistinguishedPastor Award by the National CatholicEducational Association (NCEA)overthe last five years. Their contributionsto their communities and the whole of

22 Momentum April/May 2013

Catholic school education have beenfar-reaching. To better understandthe extent of their contributions, theDistinguished Pastor Award winnersfrom 2009-2012 were participants ina national study. The research was de-signed to understand four things: whatqualities and behaviors the pastorsexhibit; what are the dynamics of theirrelationships with their principals; whatelements were part of their formation;what advice do they have regardingseminarian formation and Catholiceducational leadership. Through aqualitative study involving examiningapplications and nomination letters,pastor interviews and school site visits,particular understandings were uncov-ered about these unique leaders.

The dynamic of a pastor's lead-ership in a school can be critical toits success (Wojcicki, 1982). Hope-fully, the example of these exceptionalpriests can provide models for otherCatholic school leaders and future pas-tors now in the seminary.

Engaged and InspiredVisionAs the school's pastoral leader,

these priests have a vision of Catholiceducation in the life of the parish andthey are highly active in promoting this

vision. From the pulpit, in parish com-mittees or personal conversations, theypromote Catholic education and how itfits into the active life of their particularparish. This conviction comes largelybecause of the effects these pastorshave seen on the lives of students andtheir impact on the parish. As one pas-tor noted, "Catholic schools are thelifeblood of our church. Other programsjust do not hold the same impact forour kids."

Pastors noted that they see howthe students from the parish schoolare often the most active parishionerswhen they become adults. A pastorcommented, "(Catholic education) it'sall worth it. Whatever we put into it. OurCatholic school students are the ones :making the biggest differences in ourparishes."

Research supports these observa-tions. Students who attend Catholicschool are more likely in their adultlives than their counterparts to at-tend Mass regularly, to have an activeprayer life and to contribute financiallyto their parishes (Convey, DeFiore,& Schuttloffel (2009). Some pastorsmentioned that they see how the par-ents of the school get more drawn intothe life of the community and are someof the most engaged people in parishlife.

PresenceThese Distinguished Pastors are

highly present in their schools. Theyare visible to students and parents andinvolved in their lives. They are foundgreeting students in the drop-off line inthe morning, playing basketball duringrecess, stopping in to serve lunch atthe cafeteria, teaching a lesson in theclassroom or cheering at a volleyballgame. As one pastor put it, "Be vis-ible in the school. We're all busy...butI know that the presence of religiousis so important." School communitiesnote how priests make getting to theschool and its events a priority.

The Distinguished Pastors also seta great deal of importance on being

engaged in the school boards andcouncils. They find the time to providedirection, inspiration or to be a sound-ing board for the members. Theseorganizations are part of the leadershipof the school and the pastors make it apriority to be there.

Spiritual LeadershipThe pastors are not simply present,

but they bring presence. School lead-ers explain that they are impressed bythe deep sense of spirituality that theirpastor brings to all they do. While thisis certainly the goal we hope all pastorsachieve, these priests significantly suc-ceed and the effect is dramatic. Beingactive with the school sacramentallyis a key piece, but it is just the begin-ning of their work. They are also highlyinvolved with student retreats, workingwith students in the classroom, cel-ebrating prayer services, leading theirstaff in reflections and retreats. Mostsignificant is that the DistinguishedPastors make the Catholic identity ofthe school a visible and vocal priorityand are passionate in supporting thatmission as the school's priority.

Strained PartnershipsSadly, much of the research on the

relationships between pastors and prin-cipals shows a strained partnership.Pastors in other studies concluded thatconflict within the parish is createdwhen priests exert exceedingly tightcontrol over the school, ignore its exis-tence or fail to provide support to theprincipal. The relationships betweenpastor and principal are frequentlypoor, with a lack of understanding ofroles contributing highly to the situation(Schafer, 2002, Schafer, 2004).

Clearly, Canon Law places the finalauthority of decisions in the parish inthe hands of the pastor as derived fromthe bishop. However, over the past cen-tury, education has taken a vast shift inthe art and science of teaching and theprofessionalization of the career. Yetpastors still are asked to be the finalauthority in a school without most ever

having any training in education, asidefrom on-the-job training. Often thepriest is totally untrained about how torun a school (Rigg, 2009).

Most pastors have had no train-ing in the technical field of moderneducation. The difference in this levelof knowledge is akin to being compe-tent in using the steering in a car andbeing able to engineer the steering in acar. One covers functional knowledge,the other requires theoretical under-standing. (This is much the same statelay principals are put in when theyare asked to be the school's spiritual

Another one said, "I lead the spiritualrole. I get to know the students andget to know their parents." Many of theDistinguished Pastors said they werepresent as an advisor to the principal.Other studies confirm that Catholicelementary schools function stronglywhen based on such roles by the prin-cipal and pastor (Brock & Fraser, 2001;Weiss, 2007).

Enterprise Builton TrustThe level of deference these pastors

show is based a great deal on trust.The pastors empowered their princi-

DISTINGUISHED PASTORS 2012

leader-most lack any formal trainingfor the job and report in studies feelingvastly unprepared for the role.)

Unique LeadershipThe Distinguished Pastors approach

the perils of leadership in their ownway. They have managed to avoid thepitfalls that are prevalent in other par-ishes. As a whole, these pastors placea great deal of respect in the profes-sional abilities of their principals anddefer authority to them. As one pastorsaid, "I have to lean on the principals,rely on their strengths and trust them.I don't try to be those people. Thepastor should not try to be the princi-pal" Many of these pastors noted thattheir role was the spiritual leadershipand well-being of the school while theprincipal was the educational expert.

pals to lead the school and use theirprofessional experience and expertiseto handle the school as a ministry ofthe parish. The pastors showed a greatdeal of support to their principals,even in times of conflict with parentsor other staff. In return, the principalsgave strong efforts to keep their pas-tors informed and involved and fre-quently sought out the pastors' advice.They kept in frequent communicationwith one another and it was recognizedas a key factor of their trusting relation-Ship.

There must be a free and openexchange of thoughts and opinionsbetween pastors and their principals.There is little value in time spenttogether exchanging particulars of aparent dispute or facts about a teach-er issue if all parties aren't honestly

Momentum April/May 2013 23

expressing their thoughts and opinionsabout the situation at hand. The Distin-guished Pastor Award winners demon-strate high trust relationships with theirprincipals. Support, outreach and hon-est communication all build this trustbetween them.

The pastors noted one other pointthat was a factor in their strong rela-tionships with their principals. They puta great deal of emphasis on the hiringof the principal. Many noted it wascrucial for them to hire a principal withthe same vision of Catholic education.Being sure a common dream for theschool was shared from the beginningmade the basis for the relationship

thirds of the pastors were at one timefull-time teachers or principals. Sev-eral of them held education degreesand a few taught briefly or part-time.These pastors found that their educa-tional experience directly affected theirdecision-making ability and vision.

"Teaching gave me a first-handunderstanding of the value of Catho-lic education. When you're in it-do-ing it-it leaves you with understand-ing." This was from a pastor who hadhimself attended Catholic schools asa child, but who found that the experi-ence of teaching added an entirely newperspective. One pastor was currentlyteaching one class a day at his school.


work. One stated, "Be very careful inhiring the principal and then let themrun the school. I don't (run the school).Have confidence in them-even in theirweaknesses-of course they will havethem." It could be concluded that thedeference from pastor to principal wasnot just willy-nilly abdication, but achoice based on trust after commonground was established.

Educators Leading EducatorsAn important point was uncovered

during the course of the study. Whilemost pastors are not trained or experi-enced as full-time educators, this is notthe case with many Distinguished Pas-tors. Of the 30 interviewed, nearly two


"I'm really getting to connect with thekids. I certainly have a greater respectfor my teachers." he said, laughing. Itappears that when bishops can allowtheir priests to spend some time teach-ing, it makes them better leaders oftheir parish schools.

Two Styles of LeadersMost all of us are familiar with the

life of Moses. When we look closely athis life, we can see God calls him toutilize two distinct styles of leadershipin his lifetime. As the visionary leaderwho left the burning bush with God'smessage, he did what seemingly noone else could do. God enables Mosesto accomplish a clear vision and liber-

ate God's people from Egyptian slavery.Later in life, Moses faces an equallydaunting task. Wandering the desert,the people of Israel lost not only theirway but their faith in God. Moses him-self was overwhelmed with the task. Inthis situation, Moses was instructed byGod not to lead individually, but to leadby way of empowering 70 authoritiesfrom the people of Israel. God wantedMoses to retain his position as leader,but to delegate his authority to the oth-ers.

What is interesting about the Dis-tinguished Pastors is that, as a group,they display these same two leadershipstyles. There are those who displayvisionary leadership. They are singularpersonalities whose dynamic visionand leadership accomplish what seem-ingly no one else could. They defy theodds and succeed where others fail.Their schools enjoy success becauseof the clear efforts of the pastor. Whendiscussing visionary leadership, we arenot just discussing the regular monu-mental tasks of leading a Catholicschool in today's environment; thisis leadership on a whole other level.These pastors have created tuition-free tithing schools, rebuilt hurricane-devastated facilities, opened thrivingschools in dioceses where they repeat-edly close, and opened spiritually oracademically themed schools. Theyaccomplish above and beyond in thealready demanding job of a pastor.

There is another and far more promi-nent style of leadership among theDistinguished Pastors. These priestsdisplay empowerment leadership.While highly present and invested inthe school, they defer the leadershipdecisions of the school to the principal.

As one pastor put it, "I have moreconnection to Catholic education as apastoral leader than as a professionalleader. My role is supporting my princi-pal. I put a lot of trust in my principal.They are the professional. They havethe education. They have the training."Another said, "Pick a good principaland then take a supportive role. I'm not

an educator, I lead the spiritual role."Finally, another stated, "I tell (the prin-cipal), we might consider this or thatand then we talk, but I'm not an expertin education. Good communication iskey. Some principals think the pas-tor will interfere; we talk about this upfront. I let them do their job."

These pastors wanted to know whatwas going on in the school and were al-ways available for advice, but they leftthe decision making to the principalsand made it clear to parents that thisis who ran the school. While this canall sound lofty and philosophical, onepastor had a more tongue and cheekexplanation, saying to another pastorat the awards ceremony, "I don't knowwhy they're giving me this award. I justget out of everyone's way."

It is worth noting that many of thevisionary leaders also exhibit traits ofempowerment leaders. While the pas-tor may have a brave vision, he mayimpart it to the principal and move onto other elements of leading the vi-sion forward. "I give the vision ...then Ihave to lean on the principal, rely onher strengths and trust the principal. Idon't try to be those people. The pastorshould not try to be the principal." All ofthe pastors were clear about having apassion and vision for education. Onepastor stated, "If you are not that guywho has the passion and insight, youmust have someone who is. And thenlet them go!"

Catholic School InfluenceIt is significant to note that the vast

majority of the Distinguished Pastorsfound their calling in part becauseof the visible and active presence ofa priest in their own Catholic school.Many of these pastors recalled theirown Catholic school pastor being en-gaged and involved. They drew the in-spiration for their own vision of Catholiceducation from the model their pastorprovided them as children. It gave ahealthy model of the parish as com-munity and the pastor as visible andconnected to them." I loved my parish

growing up. That environment can havea big impact on people," one pastorsaid.

These Distinguished Pastors saw adirect connection between their ownvocation and the positive model theirschool pastor provided them in theiryouth. To them, the highly visible priestin their own school provided them in-spiration to join the priesthood.

Professiona IDevelopmentNeeded

Clearly these pastors are ahead ofthe game and provide strong leader-ship for their communities. However,certain needs are still apparent. One

"Distinguished Pastors set a great

deal of importance on being engaged

in the school boards and councils.

They find the time to provide

direction, inspiration or to be a

sounding board for the members.

Theseorganizations are part of the

leadership of the school and the

pastors make it a priority to be there."

tain certifications. Pastors, whose finalauthority in the parish school trumpsall three professional groups, failed todemonstrate the basic signs of ongoingprofessional development in education.

The demands on today's priests areacknowledged as being exceedinglyhigh. Yet, in a field that has becomeexceedingly professionalized and highly


pastor noted, "I go to the NCEAconven-tion and read NCEApublications. WhileI don't have to be up on every edu-cational trend, I need to have a goodvision of school leadership. I'm all forthe work of learning best practices. Aspriests, we don't do enough of this typeof development and Sharing."

This pastor's thoughts were reflect-ed throughout the results of the study.Few of the pastors regularly soughtout education resources as a sourceof building their vision of Catholiceducation. Teachers, principals andsuperintendents are all expected toremain current in the field by readingvarious books and journals, attend-ing workshops and conventions andeven continuing coursework to main-

governmentally regulated, it wouldseem reasonable to hope for betterpreparation from those with final au-thority over the schools.

Advice from PastorsThe pastors were asked what advice

they would give to help build Catholicschool appreciation among seminari-ans as well as advice they had for otherCatholic school education leaders.Many of the pastors had involvement inworking with the seminaries in previousassignments and were cognizant to notoverburden these programs with evenmore agenda issues. However, they didfeel a few pieces could be incorporatedwithout overburdening the seminaryprograms.


The pastors recommended thatwhen the seminarians are given fieldplacements in parishes, they should begiven parishes with vibrant schools andpastors passionate for Catholic educa-tion. One pastor stated, "Seminarianshave to get into the schools and theycan't just hear a speaker.

Catholic schools are much morethan just a subsidy. It is awesometo be the priest of such a structure(a parish with a school)." Yet, it wasrecommended that the seminariansbe given a basic introduction to themerits of Catholic schools as more andmore seminarians have not attended

they wanted the bishops to understandthe high level of support for Catholiceducation that existed and a deepdesire to encourage their vigilance indifficult situations. The pastors notedthe emphatic support that the bishopshave offered to Catholic education intheir documents. Pastors, in turn, wantthe bishops to understand that theyhave the strong backing of pastorswhen difficult decisions are made con-cerning Catholic education.

RecommendationsTime In light of the work of these in-

credible pastors, several points can be


Catholic schools. Heard much morewas the recommendation that the sem-inarians be given more pastoral lead-ership training. There were concernsthat they needed more skills in being acollaborative agent, a leader who worksamong the people, not necessarily lord-ing above them.

As for advice to other Catholic edu-cation leaders such as bishops and su-perintendents, the pastors were overallsupportive of the efforts currentlybeing made. Careful attention from allinvolved with pastor placements at par-ish schools was a high concern. Therewas a strong desire to support theplacement of committed Catholic edu-cation pastors at parishes with schools.There was also a strong conviction that


shared with others in hopes of emulat-ing their successes. First, these pastorsare present in their schools. The timedemands on today's priests are highbut these men commit their formal andinformal presence to the activities ofthe school. The data suggests that themore other pastors are able to do thesame, the more the community wouldbe built through their presence. Theirpresence is directly connected to thespiritual mission of the school. Buildingthe kingdom through the mission of theschool drives these pastors' thoughtprocesses. Having a conscious conceptof Catholic education and vocally pro-moting it appears critical for pastors ofsuccessful schools.

leadership Style Distinguished Pas-

tors take one of two deliberate leader-ship styles with their schools. Somepractice visionary leadership and takegreat efforts to lead herculean projects.Other pastors utilize empowerment lead-ership. They assist from the side. Theysupport and advise but do not directlymake decisions. For them, the pas-tor's role is to lead the spiritual forma-tion of the students and staff while theprincipal and other professionals leadthe academic and other school con-siderations. It seems that the successof these schools is tied to the pastorschoosing one of these distinct styles. Itwould seem crucial for other pastors tomake the same conscious choice.

Diocesan Help: Define Roles andSet Communication Diocesan educa-tion offices have a part to playas well.Often the dioceses provide support andinformation throughout the school year,but another small step could greatlybuild the pastor/principal relationship.In the schools of Distinguished Pastors,most often there seems to be a clearunderstanding of roles and communi-cation expectations. When new pas-tors and principals are paired togetherit would be beneficial to have a clearunderstanding of these areas. Otherstudies suggest this does not read-ily occur. If diocesan offices were ableto direct a workshop or, even better, aretreat where these two are providedinformation, a forum for prayer and thesetting to formulate together the dynam-ics of their partnership at the beginning,evidence suggests their school would befar more successful in the long run. Thisdoes not mean that the diocese has toregulate how these two establish theircommunication and roles-only to pro-vide them a forum and information, andthen let them have the time to commu-nicate clearly how they will handle thesedynamics. With a single day or half day,the diocese could help set positive andlasting parameters for the success ofthe school.

Professional Development As thede facto authority over parish schools,pastors do need to commit to more

professional development in the fieldof education leadership. While findingtime is no easy task, the results paygreat dividends for the success of theirschools. Pastors need to make a com-mitment in our increasingly technicalfield of education. Diocesan educationand clergy personnel departments canassist by promoting conferences avail-able around the country or even facili-tate their own. Catholic universities andpriests' professional associations canplay their part by developing, promotingand hosting such events.

Seminaries The Distinguished Pas-tors had a strong appreciation for thework of the seminaries with severalhaving worked there themselves. Theyhoped seminaries would consider us-ing parishes with strong schools andsupportive pastors as locations forfield placements where not alreadythe practice. There was feeling amongthese pastors that while a bit moreknowledge about Catholic educationwould be nice, an even better use oftime would be on developing semi-narian pastoral leadership skills. Theconcern expressed from many of thesepastors was that the vision of top downleadership possessed by many semi-narians clashed with the collaborativeenvironment of parish life.

Bishops Evidence suggests that apriest'S visible and personable pres-ence teaching in Catholic school isconnected to greater priestly vocations.We know that successful pastors leadto successful Catholic schools and thatstudents of successful Catholic schoolsare far more successful as activeCatholic parishioners. While we cer-tainly are in an era where parish priestsare stretched thin, finding creative ac-commodations would strengthen thebroader Catholic community in the longterm. Some bishops are finding cre-ative solutions by assigning transitionaldeacons or recently ordained priests toteach full time for a few years before aparish assignment. No one answer willbe the key but a commitment to thisseemingly difficult concept will yield

positive benefits for the whole CatholicChurch.

The Distinguished PastorIn the end, while so much is expect-

ed of our clergy, these DistinguishedPastors deliver leadership to theircommunities that build the kingdomthrough schools. They are highly en-gaged in their schools and show astrong passion for building the spiri-tual lives of their parishioners. Thesepriests often found their calling to thepriesthood because of the close andpersonal presence of their own pastorswhen they were in school. Some show

tion courses at the University of [email protected]).

References

Brock, B., & Fraser, J. (2001). Principals and pas-tors sharing school leadership: Perspectivesfrom Nebraska and New South Wales. Catho-lic Education: A Journal of Inquiry & Practice,5(1),85-100.

Convey, J., DeFiore, L., & Schuttloffel, M. (2009).Weathering the storm: Moving Catholicschools forward. Washington, DC: NationalCatholic Educational Association.

Rigg, J. (2009). A study on the effects of cen-tralization of Catholic school administrationupon the mission of the school pastor and

DISTINGUISHED PASTORS 2008 .dynamic and visionary leadership andanother group showed a style of lead-ership that demonstrates confidencein others and places decision-makinginto the hands of the professionalsaround them. Yet even among thesefine men, more needs to be done to en-gage clergy in educational professionaldevelopment. In a country with manyquestions as we look forward regard-ing our Catholic schools, it is a blessingto have the presence of these Distin-guished Pastors providing a model forothers to follow.

Jim King is a former Catholic schoolteacher and principal. He is currentlya Catholic Educational Leadershipdoctoral candidate at The Catholic Uni-versity of America and teaches educa-

principal. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation,Capella University, Minneapolis, MN).

Schafer, D. (2002). Leadership role expectationsand relationships of principals and pastorsin Catholic parochial elementary schools.(Unpublished doctoral dissertation, GonzagaUniversity, Spokane, WA).

Schafer, D. (2004). Leadership role expectationsand relationships of principals and pastors inCatholic parochial elementary schools: Part1. CatholiC Education: A Journal of Inquiry &Practice, 8(2), 234-249.

Weiss, S. (2007). Pastor-principal relationship inthe parish school. Catholic Education: A Jour-nal of Inquiry & Practice, 11(1), 7-22.

Wojcicki, T. (1982). Role perceptions and roleexpectations of pastors in Catholic parishelementary schools as perceived by pas-tors, principals, and teachers. (Unpublisheddoctoral dissertation, University of San Fran-cisco, CA).


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