Clergy Take Care; Laity Beware

This post is to compact the previous post, ‘Laity Beware’ and to underline the fact that since I have contacts the length and breadth of the country via Catholic organisations and social media, it is not advisable for readers to enter into speculation as to the Diocese, parish and individuals concerned. In brief the facts of my post were as follows:

• ‘X’ was a long-standing catechist under two former parish priests

• ‘X’ had taught the children that although it was allowable to receive Holy Communion on the hand the norm is to show God respect by receiving on the tongue, offering this to the children as something they might like to do for God. In ten years no child had declined, but some parishioners were unhappy that the norm was being presented.

• ‘X’ met with their new pastor and was told to continue his/her preparations for providing the First Communion preparation course but then had his/her initial meeting with parents cancelled from the pulpit without explanation on the day the meeting was announced in the Bulletin.

• ‘X’, on querying this with the pastor after Mass, was told the pastor would ‘get back on that’, but didn’t do so.

• ‘X’ was covertly excluded from the First Communion preparation programme, only discovering it had actually begun when the children were presented at Sunday Mass some weeks later.

• To avoid public dispute and wounding of the pastor, ‘X’ wrote to him privately, asking the reason for his/her furtive exclusion and having his/her first preparation meeting publicly derailed at Mass. ‘X’ received a reply of three to four lines saying ‘your concerns have been noted’ but making no response to those concerns.

• When at an open meeting of the parish a parishioner stated the pastor had been ‘receiving hassle’, the pastor said it had all come about because he had spoken to ‘X’ (naming ‘X’) about First Communions saying to continue on but had now decided that ‘was not for the best’.

• The Bishop was present at this open meeting and did not defend the good name of ‘X’ at any point. His only comment was that ‘more people need to be involved now’, thereby allowing the impression that ‘X’ had been monopolising lay roles. 

‘X’ felt as though s/he had been on the receiving end of prejudice and poor handing by the clergy, thus the stated purpose of the post remains: to advise clergy taking up new appointments -and Bishops who make those appointments:

Pastors should take a year or more to get to know the personalities in any new appointment so as to avoid making changes on the strength of tittle-tattle (be it from teachers, medics or other persons who, despite having professional qualifications, remain subject to the self-interest we call sin). Failure to do this means the pastor can be being drawn into personality clashes and/or attempts by individuals to achieve prominence/dominance (the need to be ‘big fish’ -but in a very small pond!)

Bishops should avoid being drawn into such dynamics early on and becoming the proverbial sledgehammer.

Bishops and Pastors might ask themselves if those who have the pastor’s ear have a history of complaining about former pastors, as it may indicate they are now taking the opportunity with a weaker pastor, to monopolise lay roles themselves and to re-make the parish to their own liking, thereby making of the pastor (at worst) their puppet, or at best their obedient child/servant, with consequential removal of his integrity.