POPE FRANCIS Presented by Renée Underwd January 11, 2016
Opening Prayer Lrd, teach me t be generus. Teach me t serve yu as yu deserve; t give and nt t cunt the cst, t fight and nt t heed the wunds, t til and nt t seek fr rest, t labr and nt t ask fr reward, save that f knwing that I d yur will. Prayer fr Genersity (St. Ignatius f Lyla)
I dream f a missinary ptin, that is, a missinary impulse capable f transfrming everything, s that the Church s custms, ways f ding things, times and schedules, language and structures can be suitably channeled fr the evangelizatin f tday s wrld rather than fr her self-preservatin. Ppe Francis
Table Activity What are qualities f a gd leader? What are qualities f a bad leader?
T ften, thse in leadership psitins seem preccupied nly with their wn status r incme. Unable t inspire r unite us, they are nt imaginative enugh t slve the seemingly intractable prblems that plague us. They are afraid t make the tugh chices r even t level with us. They are insufficiently curageus and theret lead us thrugh challenge and drive change. Chris Lwney
Leadership Think abut why we are s disappinted with the leadership status qu. Imagine a new way t lead that wuld inspire us. Articulate the cmmitments we can make t becme better leaders in ur wn lives.
A Leadership Handbk frm the 16 th Century Leaders act n beliefs and cnvictins frmed lng befre they reached the executive suite r papal apartments." Cnsequently, if yu want t understand Ppe Francis' "leadership visin," then yu need t understand the underlying "leadership frmatin" which, fr Francis, was the rigr f his training as a Jesuit. Ignatian Spirituality Jesuit Training lng Persnal Cred
Spiritual Exercises A cmpilatin f meditatins, prayers, and cntemplative practices develped by St. Ignatius Lyla t help peple deepen their relatinship with Gd. Fr centuries the Exercises were mst cmmnly given as a lng retreat f abut 30 days in slitude and silence. In recent years, there has been a renewed emphasis n the Spiritual Exercises as a prgram fr laypeple. The mst cmmn way f ging thrugh the Exercises nw is a retreat in daily life, which invlves a mnth lng prgram f daily prayer and meetings with a spiritual directr. The Exercises have als been adapted in many ther ways t meet the needs f mdern peple.
A Leadership Handbk frm the 16 th Century Pilgrimage fr Yung Jesuits They are bliged t survive n their basic resurces and the help they meet n the way. They experience pverty in their wn cnditin and they get t meet, knw, and learn frm pverty in their encunters. They experience the frntier a favrite wrd fr Francis. Jesuits Freg any Advancement St. Ignatius f Lyla, felt that excessive persnal ambitin was the "mther f all evils in any cmmunity r cngregatin." St. Ignatius instructed the Jesuits "never t seek higher ffice" and develped a training prgram t "rein in the human tendency t strke ne's eg by seeking status, pwer, and advancement. He knew hw rganizatinal infighting culd damage rganizatinal mrale." Their fcus must be missin and they must be ready t take any lad prffered t them. Francis himself addresses this issue vividly: The freedm frm ambitin r persnal aims, fr me, is imprtant, it s imprtant! Careerism is leprsy! Leprsy! A Jesuit Must Knw Himself He must cnsider his weaknesses and strengths realistically. He must knw hw far he falls shrt yet he must value himself as an instrument fr missin.
A Leadership Handbk frm the 16 th Century A Jesuit Must Value Others Frm the pr, wh can teach us mre than we can teach them, t the atheist, whse capacity fr ding gd is a witness t the Redemptin. Gd is t be fund everywhere: I have a dgmatic certainty: Gd is in every persn s life. Gd is in everyne s life. Even if the life f a persn has been a disaster, even if it is destryed by vices, drugs r anything else Gd is in this persn s life. A Jesuit has a Bias Twards Actin Always n a jurney, pausing frm time t time t cnsider his directin, but he must always step frward and risk mistakes if he is t reach his destinatin. A Jesuit Exhibits Persnal Humility I am a sinner. This is the mst accurate definitin. I hear the ech f Mandela: I am nt a saint unless a saint means a sinner wh keeps trying. Nt a bad definitin, I think.
Grup Discussin Name sme f the early activities f Ppe Francis that tld yu, This man is different.
Deliberate Pupse in Actin Francis has undertaken t crrect the mismatch between the Church s missin and the Church s practice. It is a frmidable challenge. A manager wuld have withdrawn int his sanctum, written ut a missin statement, and detailed the necessary changes and hw they shuld be made. A leader says: I understand the missin and I am ging t live it ut in my persnal behavir. I am ffering an invitatin, nt a cmmand. He sets ut the principles and then leaves it t his managers t explre the detail. He must start by changing minds s that we can end by changing the Church.
Implicatins fr the Church Ppe Francis has acted frcefully t shake us frm ur cmfrt zne with his "back-t-the future" 16th Century challenges, prclaiming that: Christians need t get beynd their "cmfrt znes" and live with greater "apstlic fervr." The Church needs t be mre "pr, and fr the pr." Thse in the Vatican diplmatic crps (and all thers in the hierarchy) shuld understand that "careerism is leprsy." The glbal culture is rted in believing that mney is mre imprtant than peple. Fellw bishps must becme "Men wh lve...pverty, simplicity, and austerity f life."
Will He Succeed? A man always has tw reasns fr what he des: a gd reasn, and the real ne. Francis is bent n ensuring that the gd Church and the real Church are ne and the same thing. In nearly eighty years f Cathlic life, I had given up ever expecting t see it. J. Pierpnt Mrgan
Six Habits & Cnvictins Be wh yu are (but first yu must knw wh yu are). Authentic pwer is service (dn't just walk in the shes f the less frtunate, wash their feet). Immerse yurself in the wrld's jys and sufferings. Withdraw t find perspective. Build n stnes and live in the present. Create the future.
In Summary Ppe Francis prbably des nt have a leadership philsphy, but nly a fcus, that n being a fllwer f Jesus.
I believe in the surprise f each day. frm Ppe Francis persnal Cred.
Clsing Prayer Take, Lrd, and receive all my liberty, my memry, my understanding and my entire will, All I have and call my wn. Yu have given all t me. T yu, Lrd, I return it. Everything is yurs; d with it what yu will. Give me nly yur lve and yur grace. That is enugh fr me. Suscipe (St. Ignatius f Lyla)