UP FRONT
Transitions: Powerful Parish Pauses
Peg Garvey-Mitchell

Sister Regina Fidelis and Sister Beata Virginia, my high school Latin teachers, would be pleased and proud to know that I remember that the meaning of the word transitio is “I go across.” Transitions can invite one to go across territory with vehicles of powerful conversations that can significantly influence the experience of all involved. The absence of careful, thoughtful planning for transitions in a parish can result in consequences that have a negative impact on a community’s sense of identity and a pastor’s sense of himself.

The entire church is in a time of transition, making this an optimal time for developing a culture of acknowledgment and affirmation around times of transition. My conviction about the importance of transitions and the variety of ways by which they can be navigated has largely come about as a result of my work in parishes and dioceses. The opportunity and privilege of serving as a teacher and facilitator have allowed me to be in the front row learning from and listening to pastors and parishioners.

Transitions are part of parish life on small and large scales. The change of a pastor is one of the larger transitions that a parish faces. A broad range of reactions from pastor and parishioners may show up. Pastors come in all different packages. Factors such as personality, understanding of change, and ideologies around community and mission will shape the pastor’s ideas about transition. Core assumptions that underlie the thinking and practice being proposed are that transition times can be a source of grace and healing or not; that the community’s sense of itself as being the People of God can be strengthened and assured; that the pastor’s legacy to the parish and the incoming pastor is worthy of honor; and that brother priests can witness to their love and respect for each other by sharing a commitment to the community’s growth. Planned or unplanned circumstances will dramatically influence how people and pastor understand and navigate the transition territory.

The ideas that are proposed here relate to a scenario where a change of pastor is planned. Creative energy can be harnessed to develop transition conversations that can serve to ground everyone in the powerful reminder of God’s abiding love and presence.

Transition for the Outgoing Pastor

In the instance of a pastor retiring or being re-assigned, there is time for thoughtful consideration of how to make the transition a rich and meaningful experience for both the outgoing and incoming pastors and the parish. There are any number of ways to craft processes that would add great meaning to an important time in the life of the parish and pastors.

First, let’s think about the outgoing pastor. He may have served the parish for a long or short time. Whether he’s an introvert or extrovert, a thinker or dreamer, an administrator or shepherd, or a combination of any or all of the above, he has taken who he is, offered what he has, and served the people of God. Leaving the parish may be just fine with him or it may not be to his liking at all. The parish may be flourishing or it may be in a fallow time. His successes may be evident or not; so too his failings or shortcomings. It may be the best of times or the worst of times. Whatever the case, the leave-taking is one full of meaning for the one who is leaving and for those who are staying. Time in the parish has been spent on activities at the heart of the matter. The pastor who is leaving is someone who has been called to preach the word, celebrate Eucharist, marry couples, anoint the sick, participate in parishioners’ lives, call forth gifts, and lead the community of believers through the ups and downs of life. The measure of how fully he has responded to that call will determine the path the transition takes.

Transition for the Parishioners

Next, let’s consider the parish. A community of faith who gather at the table of the Lord has been in a relationship of communion with their pastor. The sacred ground of varied kinds of relationships exists in the parish. For some, “Father” is someone whom they know from a distance or the curmudgeon who over time has grown on them. For others, Father is the beloved shepherd who calls the community to prayer and service. Those parishioners more intimately involved in the life of the community find themselves enjoying or surviving their relationship with the pastor. Whether that relationship has been a source of satisfaction or not, parishioners and pastor have been companions on the journey. The parishioners know whom they have had in their pastor; they do not know whom they will have.

Transition for the Incoming Pastor

Then there’s the incoming pastor, who adds a third presence to this transition picture. He may have sought this parish assignment or may have been sought after. This may be his first pastorate or his second or third. This parish may look like a great challenge or a piece of cake. He may be the perfect match or may take some getting used to. High or low energy, introvert or extrovert, conservative or liberal, he is coming to preach, teach, celebrate, and lead. He brings his own image of God, priesthood, and parish. For a time at least, he will be new and unknown and perhaps finding his way in the footsteps of his predecessor.

Common Ground

Three different parties who are distinctly different in their place in this scenario have much in common. Change is the common theme. A sense of anticipation and not knowing how this is going to play out characterize the experience of all. All are invited to count on each other, to see each other through, and to help each other “go across” in faith and trust. If there have been hurts in the relationships between pastor and parishioners, there can be the opportunity to go across and forgive. Endings and beginnings are ripe with chances to deepen relationships and truly make a difference in each other’s lives.

Path of Transition

So what can be done to make the change of pastor a much-needed and valuable experience for pastors and parishioners alike? There is not a one-size-fits-all formula, but there are some guiding principles that may be applied to all kinds of pastors and parishes. These principles include a process that fits with the culture of the pastor and the people, an understanding that doing some transition work will set everyone up to move on to the next page or chapter of life, and a commitment to appreciating the gifts of pastor and parishioners

Finding a Good Fit

Every parish develops its own way of being a community of faith. The first thing you want to think about is, “What would work here? What processes would have meaning for pastors and people?” For example, the outgoing pastor may be open to some facilitated conversations between himself and the staff and/or parish council where he and they reflect on important things about their relationships, the contributions they have made to each other’s lives, and the hopes and dreams they have for the future. The outgoing pastor may wish to include the incoming pastor in this conversation.

Maybe a parish prayer service with the theme of thanksgiving could be celebrated. Woven in could be a facilitated interview with the pastor who is leaving, a staff member or lay leader, and the incoming pastor. It is a powerful image to see and hear outgoing and incoming pastors in conversation that promotes listening, learning, and appreciating the community of faith.

The outgoing pastor would need to see this as an act of love for the parish and his brother priest. The incoming pastor would need to receive what is being offered and open himself to possibilities. The people would receive the outgoing pastor’s words of appreciation and affirmation and offer a generous spirit of hospitality and welcome to the incoming pastor. The giving and receiving could be mutual and life-giving. The outgoing pastor would need to be in on the design of the process. It might be appropriate to invite him to stretch a bit out of his comfort zone, but not push him into a position of such discomfort that the experience would be a strained one with a disappointing outcome.

Honoring the Newcomer

Second, the parish would want to attend to the incoming pastor’s preferences. It would be a great start if he could be brought on board and participate in a facilitated conversation with the outgoing pastor. If the outgoing pastor is not able to do the transition work described above, the incoming pastor could craft processes early in his administration that would help him and the parish reap the benefits of a well-orchestrated transition. The implemented process for the conversations would need to be crafted relative to who would be included.

Transition and Timing

Third, you want to think about timing. Parishes traditionally have receptions or parties for outgoing pastors and installations of incoming pastors. Where does it make sense to position these conversations? Can it precede the party? Can it be integrated into the incoming pastor’s welcome? When can all of the players give thoughtful time and attention to conversations that will most assuredly be moments of grace?

Why the Reluctance?

Given my experience with interviewing pastors and lay leaders, I am convinced that what I am proposing here is a modest attempt at influencing how parishes can participate in conversations during transition times. The reluctance or discomfort in such conversations exists for several reasons. There is a way in which we all know how unsettling change is and how much we would prefer that it didn’t occur. All transitions involve endings. Endings signal loss and the approach of the unknown, which evokes fear. Even in situations where the relationship with the pastor has been fraught with challenge and difficulty, emotions of a different nature run high. We may mistakenly believe that if we don’t draw attention to the change, we can minimize its impact. Another factor that may contribute to reluctance to participate in conversations is that we fear vulnerability. A final possibility is that creating a transition plan for a parish has just not been thought about due to the long list of other priorities and demands placed on pastors, staffs, and lay leaders.

A Case for Conversations

There is good reason to add transition work to the list of parish priorities. Everyone has something to give and something to gain. The outgoing pastor gets to reflect on his pastorate in a way that will assist him in moving on to the next chapter of his life with deeper understanding and appreciation of the gifts of priesthood and community. The parish gets to tell the pastor how he has contributed to their lives and how they have grown in faith as a result of his influence. They also get to be affirmed by the outgoing pastor and deepen their sense of being the People of God, a community of faith and love. The outgoing pastor has the opportunity to point to a future that is not his but that is theirs, and in so doing leaves a most memorable legacy.

The conversations with the incoming pastor give the newcomer the chance to appreciate his predecessor and to publicly pledge his faithful service to the community. He can also be the recipient of generous hospitality that can offer great comfort in a new place and time. The community receives the needed assurance that the days ahead are ones they will travel together. What’s not to like about this?

A Blessed Time

The winds of change are upon us. This time in the church calls for new effort to stimulate thinking, suggest possibilities, and propose practices that can truly change the face and feel of transitions on a parish level. Conversations that allow people to acknowledge endings, share deeper meanings of relationships, and look ahead to a future of promise are blessed times. Who among us is not in need of a blessing? Who does not benefit from being one who blesses? To all faced with transitions I say, “Good crossings! Safe landings! Come and go with God!”

Peg Garvey-Mitchell, MSW, recently served as the facilitator for the Diocese of Metuchen’s first synod. She is a consultant to the NPLC and facilitated the 2007 and 2008 Bernardin Conferences for the Catholic Common Ground Initiative.