SUPERIOR — A representative from the Washington, D.C.-based National Leadership Roundtable on Church Management met at the Telemark conference center in Cable with Bishop Raphael M. Fliss and more than 170 representatives from parishes throughout the Superior Diocese on May 17. The roundtable is an association of laity and clergy but not legally linked to the Catholic Church. It promotes “excellence and best practices in the management, finances and human resource development of the Catholic Church in the U.S. by greater incorporation of the expertise of the laity.”
The roundtable’s representative and director of planning and member services, Michael Brough, recommended effective management tools to the workshop participants who hailed from 86 of the Superior Diocese’s 105 parishes.
Workshop organizer, Fr. Philip J. Heslin, the moderator of the curia, was impressed with Brough’s grasp and explanation of the complex administrative challenges parishes face, and gratified that diocesan residents, both clergy and laity turned out to hear about the work of the roundtable.
“I was most pleased that so many pastors and parish leadership people attended and understood the importance of our workshop on church management,” Heslin said. “Mr. Michael Brough gave us a thorough explanation of this topic.”
Workshop attendees received “Parishioner’s Guide to Understanding Parish Finances” and watched a DVD, “Church in America,” which was produced by the roundtable to stimulate parish discussions on church management and finances. Impressed by the expertise of those featured on the DVD, Fliss promised a copy and its accompanying workbook for each pastor in the diocese.
According to Brough, the diocese is one of the first in the country to put into action the roundtable’s best practices in every parish.
“Bishops across the country are taking seriously the need for excellence in the administration of parishes and indeed dioceses,” he said.
Heslin reported that Fliss said that it is important for all parishes to “have structures for shared responsibility and participation and (to ensure) that all finance and business matters are transparent.”
A good cross section of parish personnel attended the best practices workshop and included pastoral and finance council members, parish trustees, deacons, business managers, secretaries, bookkeepers, pastoral associates and diocesan personnel. |
