The Daily Saint

The Productivity of Protest

In case you missed this, Catherine Doherty, one of the great women authors and mystics from this past century, is making headlines.  To be more precise, her devotees are the ones stirring things up.

Doherty's followers are returning the famed Order of Canada medal that Doherty received- in protest.  As Canadian officials recently awarded the same medal to a noted abortionist, Doherty's community decided to make a statement by returning her award to the Canadian government.  An interesting form of peaceful protest.

I imagine that Doherty is slightly amused and saddened by all of this.  A woman of great decency and courage, her heart must be heavy at the thought of Canada's slip in judgement.  Still, good can come from bad and her followers creative action is a sign of the legacy left by Doherty.

Visiting a Faith-Based Hero

This week I've been at the Education Law Symposium.  After my presentation on Campus Ministry and Legal Issues, I traveled an hour outside of Louisville to Gethsemane Abbey, where Thomas Merton lived and is buried.  I spoke with Brother Rene, who knew Merton for nearly 20 years- "a joyful man" he said. 

Here are some photos of my trip to the famed Gethsemane Abbey.  (note: last photo is not my own)

 
 

This was a great getaway from the more serious material covered at the symposium.  What made it even more interesting though was the company I was blessed to have: a Marist brother from Texas, a Jesuit from Nebraska and a laywoman from Chicago.

A Year ago on The Daily Saint: Free Download

Devoted readers of TDS will remember that I used to provide weekly downloads.  Since it's Friday, I dug into the vault and retrieved this post from a year ago.  (ok, not exactly a year ago but it works just as well)

Read Surefire Ways to Live Out Your Mission Statement

GTD Insight: How Next Action Thinking Can Fill a Leadership Void

If you haven't caught up with Leadership Journal in a while, their recent edition focuses on teams and how they lead.  I was especially fascinated by an article about how one church went from a one pastor model to a team approach of four men who lead together.

Can you imagine if every church was led by four instead of one?  Blows your mind doesn't it?

The featured church, Next Level Church in Denver, explained how their model allows for deeper service, more humility, greater accountability and a healthy buffer in case one leader falls. It also allows for a community to get things done.  Maybe, just maybe, it decreases the amount of 'leadership complaining'.

All of us complain about our leaders.  I just wish they would do more of this... Why can't he be more like... It drives me crazy when... When you practice GTD, you are putting next-action thinking into play.  You stop looking around and wondering why it isn't moving fast enough and

you
    start
       making it happen.

This of course builds you up as someone who actually produces results.  You are then able to do the work of four instead of one.

3 Things I've Learned from the Pope's U.S. Visit

Pope Benedict XVI is quite a guy.   Even for those who are not Catholic, his profile and presence speak volumes.  I've learned the following:

1. Just because you are 81 doesn't mean you can't make the most of your position. See Benedict's grueling itinerary below.
2. Putting a problem on the table is always the best solution.  Benedict met yesterday with victims of sexual abuse.
3. Visits matter.  While Benedict is only in the States for a few days, his speeches and initiatives will take months to digest.

From meeting with thousands of people to President Bush to victims of sexual abuse, Benedict has made the most of his visit to the U.S.  Imagine the average 81 year old following this itinerary:

Date	Time	Description
Apr. 15	4:00  p.m.	Andrews Air Force Base Pope Benedict XVI arrives in Maryland and is greeted by President and Mrs. Bush as well as church officials. During his visit to Washington, D.C., the pope will stay at the Vatican Embassy, on Massachusetts Avenue NW.
Apr. 16	10:30 a.m.	White House Welcoming ceremony and private meeting with President Bush. This is only the second time a pontiff has visited the White House. John Paul II was the first.
Apr. 16	5:30 p.m.	National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception Prayer service and meeting with 350 U.S. bishops at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.
Apr. 17	9:30 a.m.	Nationals Park The pope offers Mass. This will be the first non-baseball event in the new park.
Apr. 17	5:00 p.m.	Catholic University of America Address to the leaders of more than 200 Catholic colleges and superintendents from the 195 U.S. Catholic dioceses on the importance of Catholic education.
Apr. 17	6:30 p.m.	Pope John Paul II Cultural Center Meeting with Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus, Jews and representatives from other religions.
Apr. 18	9:45 a.m.	Kennedy International Airport Arrives in New York. During his visit, the pope will stay at the East 72nd Street residence of Archbishop Celestino Migliore, the papal nuncio to the United Nations.
Apr. 18	10:45 a.m.	United Nations Gives address to the General Assembly, as did Pope Paul VI in 1965 and Pope John Paul II in 1979 and 1995.
Apr. 18	5:00 p.m.	Park East Synagogue Meets with Jewish clergy.
Apr. 18	6:00 p.m.	Church of St. Joseph Prayer service with leaders from other Christian denominations.
Apr. 19	9:15 a.m.	St. Patrick's Cathedral Mass for priests, deacons and members of religious orders.
Apr. 19	4:30 p.m.	St. Joseph's Seminary Meeting with young Catholics, including 50 with disabilities.
Apr. 20	9:30 a.m.	Lower Manhattan Visit to ground zero.
Apr. 20	2:30 p.m.	Yankee Stadium The pope offers Mass. The 200th anniversary of the Baltimore Archdiocese and the anniversaries of the Dioceses of Boston, New York, Louisville and Philadelphia will be celebrated.
Apr. 20	8:00 p.m.	Kennedy International Airport departure

Last Chance for April Public Event!

Here is the PDF for tomorrow's event, Prayerfully Speaking, at Seton Hall University.  I'll be presenting on the topic of "Developing a Talk".  I hope to see you there in what looks to be an excellent event for those hoping to fine-tune their public speaking abilities.

What if Your Best Still Isn't Enough?

You have the education.  Your resume is impressive as the day is long.  The passion is still there.  You still arrive early and stay late.  Your planner is rough around the edges due to its use.  You've still got your edge and you could work in any number of competing organizations.

But what if it's still not good enough?

What if the community that you're currently in doesn't get it and thinks that you're kind of ordinary?  Worse yet, what if they are taking you for granted, thinking that you're a lifer?

Your 'best', while still impressive to some, has lost its luster.  The honeymoon is over and you see the warts around every corner.  You have three choices:

• Stay and be miserable.
• Stay, dig in and look beyond the 'now'.
• Leave.

The choice you make is of course a reflection of yourself.  Better do some power reflecting and get away in solitude.  It's the best that you can do.

Next Public Workshop: April 12 at Seton Hall University

My next public workshop will be held on April 12 at Seton Hall University in South Orange, NJ.  I will be one of three featured speakers for the day and I'll apply GTD principles to the topic of public speaking.  It should be a great day so if you're in the area, stop by and enjoy this university event!

Click here for more info about the event, including how you can sign up.

Are You a Spectator or a Participant?

Photo by HometownInvasion

If there is one thing that GTD teaches us it's to close the open loops in our life.  These often revolve around our project list.  It's often the  seemingly small projects ('buy gift for Claire') that we leave open until the very last minute, when we are forced to do something ('only one day until Claire's birthday').  The lesson?  Act on your thoughts and keep your projects moving...somewhere and somehow.

My students and I have been studying a critical event from the 1960's which I believe encourage the closing of some open loops and the opening of others.  Vietnam War?  Nope.  Labor movement?  Not even close.  We've been studying what is known as the Second Vatican Council.

Vatican II was a meeting (actually a series of them) which lasted from 1962-1965 and involved nearly 2500 Catholic bishops.  Some key decisions were made at Vatican II, including the groundbreaking idea of holding worship services (Mass) in the language of the people.  But that's not even remotely close to being the most important aspect of the council. 

What Vatican II did for Roman Catholics and for the world was to encourage people to go from being spectators to participants.   When we become participants, we take responsibility and that of course involves risk and vulnerability.

Some areas in life in which we can move from spectatorship to being players might include:

• Leadership at work: rather than being a complainer, a participant takes action where he can and does his job to a high level.
• Leadership at home: rather than putting himself first in the family, a participant seeks to lift up those around him.  What can I do to make my home happier for those around me?
• Leadership in your community:  close an open loop (i.e. the school board is spending money irresponsibly) by running for office, volunteering on a committee or hosting a party.

You can see the interchange between leadership/participation and the closing of loops.  The best online resource for a Vatican II overview can be found here. I believe that we are all capable of leadership which is a fancy word for being a participant ... in life.

Public Workshop This Week: Meet The Daily Saint in Person!

I'll be speaking this week at a public workshop and would love to meet as many TDS readers as possible.  St. Vincent de Paul church in Stirling, NJ is hosting the event, called "Bible 101" on Sunday, March 2 at 7pm in the church meeting room. 

If you live in the area (or feel like driving!), stop by and bring a friend. 

My talk will be entertaining, funny and very practical.  I'll be focusing on the basic structure of the Bible, key points from Mark's Gospel and detailing a simple "how to" for daily Scripture reading.  Even if you're not a big Bible reader, it should be a good time and I'd love to meet as many folks as possible.