From the President
Father Dan Dorsey

I count meetings among the things I need to suffer through with grace. But a few years ago, I became involved with a group and I actually look forward to the meetings associated with them! I’ve found that after meeting with the Home Mission Leadership Conference (HMLC), I come away feeling that my ministry as Glenmary’s president has been enriched. Father Wil Steinbacher, Glenmary’s point person for home mission leadership, is also Glenmary’s representative to HMLC. In the following article, he shares the details of how this collaborative group works and the fruits that have been born from their work.

Father Dan Dorsey

In 1999, I proposed to Dr. David Byers, executive director of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Secretariat for the Home Missions, that we work to bring together representatives of religious communities working in home mission dioceses. Working together, these communities and funding agencies could share charisms in unique ways.

The first meeting of the Home Mission Leadership Conference was held in 2000. The HMLC includes representatives from 12 religious communities and three funding agencies. We meet annually to pray, reflect and discuss our work in the home missions. Representatives bring their own gifts to HMLC as well as the rich charisms of their religious communities.

Facing declining numbers of members in our communities, we’re all looking for new ways to continue our mission charisms. Through our collaboration we have brainstormed many possibilities such as the Collaborative Ministry Development Initiative which has now become a reality.

Planning for the initiative began at our 2001 meeting as we identified a need for the formation of lay ecclesial leaders. There were several things that came together to make this formation a reality. The founding of the Congar Institute for Ministry by the Southern Province Dominicans became the key. Dominican Father Wayne Cavalier was appointed director of the institute that offers training for lay ministers. Giving us further direction for the initiative was the 2005 U.S. bishops, Coworkers in the Vineyard of the Lord, a resource for guiding the development of lay ecclesial ministry.

Explaining the rationale for the Congar Institute, Father Wayne says it’s a result of a need for religious formation for lay people caused by the declining number of religious and the increasing number of lay people assuming more ministerial roles. And few of these lay people have had the same opportunities for formation that religious have had.

This is especially true in home mission dioceses where there is a dearth of financial opportunities, education and formation. With input from HMLC, the Congar Institute will provide these opportunities.

In September 2007, the HMLC voted to move forward with the Collaborative Ministry Development Initiative and to have the Congar Institute carry out the project. Members of HMLC also serve on the Board of the Congar Institute.

Through the initiative, dioceses request that Father Wayne visit to study formation programs that are already present and make recommendations for other possible programs. He connects folks with existing courses; where there is a gap in a particular area he asks personnel of the participating religious communities to present courses or workshops. There is a charge for the services.

This first venture shows this type of collaboration is possible for religious communities and as a result of working together creatively, good things can happen for the mission of the Church and the mission of the religious communities.