September 16, 2021
Feast of St. Cornelius and St. Cyprian
Dear Friend,
Through the Realigning Resources for Mission process, we have made a commitment to recruit, hire, and retain the best and most competent people. So, what does this look like for our parishes?
When I first came to work for the Diocese of Lansing almost ten years ago, Bishop Boyea asked me to be involved in the hiring process of every person we brought on staff. His most important direction to me was, “Make sure you hire disciples!”
The wisdom of his direction has guided the way we recruit candidates to ensure that we are “fishing” in the right waters to “catch” people who have a heart for Jesus; it has informed the way we put hiring committees together and the types of questions we ask candidates to ensure they are on a journey with Our Lord; and finally the Bishop’s direction has inspired the way we provide benefits to employees to retain people who are on fire for Jesus’ mission to “Go and make disciples of all nations.”
The Red Vineyards near Arles, Vincent van Gogh (1853-90), Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow
Practically speaking, we have a goal to implement these same strategies for our parishes as we help them to identify the vital paid positions in the parish so they can recruit, hire, and retain disciples who are committed to our Lord’s mission to make more disciples.
The first step of this process is to ensure that every paid position in the parish, from the lay ministry positions to the bookkeeper and the custodian, have well-written position descriptions which outline the required competencies, tasks, and responsibilities. The descriptions must also clearly outline how each position has a role in building a culture of discipleship in their parish. This will help the parish groupings to ensure that everyone on staff has a clear understanding of what is expected of them to serve the parish community well.
When open positions are identified, the parish will need to advertise in order to attract disciples to apply. One of our best recruiting strategies is encourage those who are engaged in their faith to refer other fellow disciples with the right competencies to apply. We will need to identify a hiring committee specific to each open position and develop an interview guide to ensure we are asking the right questions to determine competency as well as a commitment to the mission.
As a religious employer, we get to talk with people about their faith journey as well as hear about their professional experience. I have found myself on sacred ground with people in interviews many times over the years when they share a deeply personal experience of Our Lord breaking into their lives, calling them to follow Him. People who work in our parishes need to be vulnerable enough to share at least a little bit about their relationship with Jesus during an interview because sharing our faith journey is fundamental to a culture of discipleship in a parish.
And lastly, our parishes will get creative in ways they can offer both intrinsic and extrinsic value to those who are employed at their parish. The intrinsic value provided needs to include a culture of regular prayer with colleagues, growth opportunities through discipleship formation, competency development and flexible work schedules. While parishes need to be good stewards of their resources, retaining talented disciples will not happen unless the employees are paid well enough to not have to seek employment elsewhere. Our parishes will be guided on fair pay ranges for positions to attract and retain disciples, provide a broad range of affordable insurance benefits, discounts for employees who send their children to Catholic schools, and other extrinsic rewards such as extra paid holy days and holidays and generous paid time off policies.
Hiring and retaining competent disciples of Jesus Christ who are ready, willing, and able to make disciples in our ten counties will set the Diocese of Lansing on fire for our Lord and bring more people into a deep friendship with Jesus.
Yours in Christ,
Yours in Christ,
Lisa Kutas
Watch: George Landolt is a parishioner at St. Mary in Williamston and the Chief Financial Officer of the Diocese of Lansing. He is also a member of the Realigning Resources for Mission committee. In this short video, George reflects upon today's Realignment of Resources for Mission principle:
"A healthy parish in the Diocese of Lansing equips and empowers parish staff by hiring the best and most competent people."
Guidelines for Friday Prayer:
Prayer: At three o’clock each Friday afternoon pray the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary. To help with prayer, Eucharistic Adoration from Saint Mary Cathedral in Lansing will be live-streamed on YouTube and Facebook. If you can’t manage to pray at 3pm? Just say the Holy Rosary whenever you can.
Fasting: The present norms for fasting suggest that we eat no more than one full meal, as well as two smaller meals that together are not equal to a full meal. It is also permissible to attempt a strict fast. A penitent’s age and health should always be taken into consideration before fasting.
Almsgiving: Giving alms is a “work of justice pleasing to God” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2462). Hence, each Friday we should donate money or goods to the poor or perform another act of charity. Let’s not reach sundown on a Friday without having poured out some of the content of our heart or our wallet or both during the day.