As I write this Sunday’s bulletin, I am in Stamford (scarily too close to NY Yankee territory) at our Archdiocese of Hartford’s annual Priest Convocation—a meeting of the priests and our Archbishop—to discuss issues of import to the local administration of the Church and for future pastoral planning.

Tuesday afternoon’s conference was given by Kerry Robinson, executive director of the Catholic Leadership Foundation, who spoke on the importance of utilizing lay talent—in business, strategic planning, budgeting and best practices—for the benefit of managing individual parish operations. Her comments were not directed at replacing the pastor but rather to pinpoint specific skill-sets for the benefit of growing the parish for the glory of God. She noted that many corporate leaders have been positively influenced by religious sisters, brothers, priests and lay college professors and they want to give back to the Church and to God.

As I listened to Kerry’s talk I could not but help think how St. Catherine of Siena Parish is already working in this direction. We are blessed to have a great deal of lay involvement in our Finance Council with business leaders in accounting, strategic planning and marketing, budgeting, and forecasting; on our Parish Council we have business men and women who give their talents in planning how the parish will grow forward to meet the needs of our parish community, expand our ministries, deepen our spiritual growth, and encourage more lay involvement; and, in other many ways talents from the ladies who oversee the flowers and plantings on our property, those who review and provide the knowledge to build a new parking lot or give improvements to our facilities—heat/AC systems; all our religious education catechists who pass on the faith, moms and dads volunteering at youth ministry, and more. We are a blessed community—and I am a very blessed priest—to have so many willing and talented people who love their God and their parish and want to give of their time and talent to make it a wonderful parish. Thank you!