Having a faith conversation with old and new friends is as easy as setting the table.
FAITH FEEDS GUIDE VISION
Introduction to FAITH FEEDS 3
Conversation Starters 6
• Visionary by Matt Bourque 7
Conversation Starters 9
• Hacky Sack, Examen, and Vision by Fr. Joe Laramie, S.J. 10
Conversation Starters 12
• Visionary Leadership as Servant Leadership by Jen Kowieski 13
Conversation Starters 15
Gathering Prayer 16
Faith Feeds is an initiative by Boston College’s Church in the 21st Century Center (C21), which was founded in 2002 to serve as a catalyst and a resource for renewal of the Catholic Church in the United States. Faith Feeds was originally designed for individuals in Catholic parishes who are hungry for opportunities to talk about their faith with others who share it. Considering many Catholic schools are an extension of a parish, a customized set of guides has been developed for Catholic educators. C21 worked in partnership on this project with the Roche Center for Catholic Education, a center that forms Catholic educators to become agents of change who work to create excellent PreK-12 Catholic schools.
Educators in Catholic schools who strive for excellence embody the following virtues: adaptability, joy, attentiveness, vision, and humility. St. Ignatius stated, “All the things in this world are gifts of God, created for us, to be the means by which we can come to know him better, love him more surely, and serve him more faithfully. As a result, we ought to appreciate and use these gifts of God insofar as they help us toward our goal of loving service and union with God.” (The Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola)
These Faith Feeds guides challenge Catholic educators to reflect on how they are living out their vocations in their everyday lives. Together, the C21 Center and the Roche Center hope to deepen the faith of educators and bring communities of people together through these Faith Feeds reflections and questions. All authors in these guides are committed Catholic educators who have a deep love for Catholic schools and strive daily in their vocations to love and serve God.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Who should host a FAITH FEEDS?
Anyone who has a heart for facilitating conversations about faith is perfect to host a FAITH FEEDS.
Where do I host a FAITH FEEDS?
You can host a FAITH FEEDS in-person or virtually through video conference software. FAITH FEEDS conversations are meant for small groups of 10–12 people.
What is the host’s commitment?
The host is responsible for coordinating meeting times, sending out materials and video conference links, and facilitating conversation during the FAITH FEEDS.
What is the guest’s commitment?
Guests are asked to read the articles that will be discussed and be open to faith-filled conversation.
Still have more questions?
No problem! Email church21@bc.edu and we’ll help you get set up.
READY TO GET STARTED?
STEP ONE
Decide to host a FAITH FEEDS. Coordinate a date, time, location, and guest list. An hour is enough time to allocate for the virtual or in-person gathering.
STEP TWO
Interested participants are asked to RSVP directly to you, the host. Once you have your list of attendees, confirm with everyone via email. That would be the appropriate time to ask in-person guests to commit to bringing a potluck dish or drink to the gathering. For virtual FAITH FEEDS, send out your video conference link.
STEP THREE
Review the selected articles from your FAITH FEEDS Guide and the questions that will serve as a starter for your FAITH FEEDS discussion. Hosts should send their guests a link to the guide, which can be found on bc.edu/FAITHFEEDS.
STEP FOUR
Send out a confirmation email a week before the FAITH FEEDS gathering. Hosts should arrive early for in-person or virtual set up. Begin with the Gathering Prayer found on the last page of this guide. Hosts can open the discussion by using the suggested questions. The conversation should grow organically from there. Enjoy this gathering of new friends, knowing the Lord is with YOU!
STEP FIVE
Make plans for another FAITH FEEDS. We would love to hear about your FAITH FEEDS experience. You can find contact information on the last page of this guide.
CONVERSATION STARTERS
Here are three articles to guide your FAITH FEEDS conversation. For each article you will find a relevant quotation, summary, and suggested questions for discussion. We offer these as tools for your use, but feel free to go where the Holy Spirit leads.
This guide’s theme is: Vision
VISIONARY
by Matt Bourque
Some look to the future with dread, anxiety, and longing for the “good old days,” worrying about the present and worrying especially about the future. Remarks about how things are going down the tubes, or “what will things be like in 5 years?” or “I worry for our children” are ubiquitous. And, to be fair, there are plenty of legitimate reasons to be anxious, concerned, or even frightened about what is to become of the world, the nation. Similar feelings of worry can stem from a school, a job, a family, or a relationship.
In the Book of Ecclesiastes, King Solomon warns: “Do not say: How is it that former times were better than these? For it is not out of wisdom that you ask about this.” The irony is that every generation since King Solomon’s time (and I am certain before it as well) has reflected with nostalgia about the past, and implicitly denigrated the future. But Solomon, who asked for and received from the Lord the gift of wis-
dom, acknowledges and warns that those who look longingly to the past (and consequently, look anxiously and discouragingly to the future) are not doing so out of wisdom.
We speak of vision as sight—the ability to see, quite literally. Blurred vision, double vision, and tunnel vision are familiar terms to all of us. Sometimes the word vision is used to describe the quality of having imagination. We also think of vision as a dream— scriptures are full of references to those who have visions—Joseph, the prophets, and St. John come to mind. A visionary is someone who has a special gift to see the future, or someone who sees possibilities where others do not. A visionary is someone who leads others, saying “come with me” toward a future that is uncertain, and in that uncertainty there is excitement, imagination, possibility, and opportunity.
In my role as a Catholic administrator, I often look to our mission and philosophy to guide my work, and rightly so. But it can be overlooked that our schools should be visionary as well, articulating what we hope to be or achieve. If the mission of a school or institution is its purpose—the reason we are here, the reason we exist—then the mission is the most concrete and concise of that institution’s statements or foundational documents. If a school’s philosophy is how we live out this mission, then the philosophy is a sum of the guiding principles unique to the way we do things.
But the vision—that is unique, changing, and fluid over time. It is an exciting and ambitious statement about where we wish to be and what we wish to achieve. It is the most future-facing of all these foundational documents that encourages, guides, and directs a school or institution. And in that, it is the most alive.
A vision is not so much a 3-5 year strategic plan complete with action steps and due dates. It is first and foremost a disposition—to lead and move forward with excitement, positivity, enthusiasm, and the right mixture of idealism and pragmatism. The attitude of being visionary is more important than the actual vision itself—man plans and God laughs, after all. With a visionary heart and mind, faithful disciples can look ahead to “the good new days” and allow God to use them to create a bright and exciting future.
Matt Bourque is the principal of St. Mary School in Mansfield, MA. He is also a member of the Roche Center’s 2022 Catholic Leadership Cohort.
VISIONARY
“Then the Lord answered me and said: Write the vision; make it plain....For there is still a vision for the appointed time; it...does not lie.”
—Habakkuk 2:2–3
Summary
Matt Bourque speaks to the idea of vision as both physical sight and as the Biblical theme of a dream or the quality of having imagination. A visionary sees possibilities in unexpected places and leads others past the “good old days” toward that bright future to be made. Bourque points out that schools, not just individuals, need to be visionary as well—grounded in the school’s mission, philosophy, and purpose and also propelled by its vision into the future. It’s a matter of being able to look ahead with a mixture of idealism, pragmatism, and enthusiasm toward “the good new days.”
Questions for Conversation
1. Do you find yourself longing for “the good old days”? Or do you typically look toward the future rather than the past?
2. How can adopting a visionary attitude or mindset impact how you approach your role in life (professionally, in your family, etc.)?
3. Who is a visionary leader who you have worked for, learned from, or admired? What was so special about this person to you?
HACKY SACK, EXAMEN, AND VISION
by Fr. Joe Laramie, S.J.
I grabbed the hacky sack midair, stepping over a freshman boy who was lying in the hall listening to music on his headphones. He didn’t notice. “Come to my office at the end of the day to get this back,” I said. “Father! But we had 20 hacks in a row!” cries a sophomore. “And, Jimmy, you owe me a permission slip,” I added. Another boy sees me and strides over, “Um, Father, I need to switch retreats because of my lacrosse game.”
It’s lunchtime at Rockhurst High School in Kansas City. These are my sheep — 1100 boys. I was the director of campus ministry 2012-15. I taught, planned retreats, led retreats, trained students and teachers to lead retreats, and collected permission slips. A lot of permission slips.
Rockhurst High School has a mission statement, like all Jesuit schools. That mission is “educating Ignatian leaders, ‘men for others,’ in the Roman Catholic,
Jesuit college preparatory tradition. In the spirit of St. Ignatius Loyola, its goal is the formation of the whole person.” A few words sketch out our identity and goal as a school.
A mission statement is a roadmap that guides our path. That mission must be in the center of our vision. It answers the questions, “What are we doing here? Where are we going?”
And sometimes it’s hard to keep our ‘eyes on the prize.’ With the blizzard of permission slips, hacky sacks, theology quizzes, and parent-teacher conferences, it can be hard to remember, “Wait, what am I doing here? And where are we going?”
During this lunch break, I was headed to the school chapel. It was the one place in the school where I could find quiet. Every day, I stopped in for eight minutes to pray the ‘examen’ prayer of St. Ignatius. The
examen prayer helps me and us to focus on my mission each day. It’s a simple prayer that helps us to reflect on God’s action in my day, my response, and God’s call for me in the ‘gritty details’ of daily life. Here it is in five easy steps:
Intro: Start with a familiar prayer (Hail Mary, brief scripture, etc.
Look back on the last 24 hours with gratitude: “Lord, how have you blessed me? How have you been at work in my day?”
note my struggles and sorrows from the last 24 hours; hold these up to god’s lIght: These may include sick relatives or problems in my classroom. Is God’s light breaking through amidst my challenges?
petItIons: Ask God to bless any people and projects that need special help and grace.
look ahead to the next 24 hours: “Lord, what am I excited about? What are you excited about?” Close with a familiar prayer.
There is a cumulative effect to the examen. Yes, it helps me to find some peace and guidance each day. And, over time I may notice certain areas that are consistently ‘grace-filled.’ Perhaps I find grading to be surprisingly enjoyable; I see my students’ growth, and I can adjust my teaching based on their successes and struggles.
Teaching is hard work! We love our students and sometimes they drive us crazy! The examen helps me to separate what is essential from what is inessential. “Ok, Lord. I may not finish grading today, but I’ve got to make that announcement about the new senior retreat.” I sometimes led an examen for my students and for teachers. “Let’s reflect on our first week together,” or “What were a few graces from this Kairos retreat?”
The examen prayer helps me to recenter in the Heart of Christ in the heart of my day. It helps me to ‘keep my eyes on the prize’ in a busy day. Jesus has sent me to this school with a special mission. “Lord, how did I form the boys in the Catholic faith in my first period class today?” The examen keeps my vision fixed on the Good Shepherd and His sheep each day.
Fr. Joe Laramie, S.J., is the National Director of the Pope’s Prayer Network (Apostleship of Prayer). This essay is adapted from his book, “Abide in the Heart of Christ: A 10-Day Personal Retreat with St. Ignatius Loyola, based on the Spiritual Exercises.” (Ave Maria Press, Notre Dame, 2019).
Learn more about the Pope's Prayer Network at PopesPrayerUSA.net and about Fr. Joe Laramie's work at JoeLaramieSJ.com.
HACKY SACK, EXAMEN, AND VISION
“Try to keep your soul always in peace and quiet, always ready for whatever our Lord may wish to work in you. It is certainly...a greater grace, to be able to enjoy the Lord in different times and different places than in only one.”
—St. Ignatius of Loyola
Summary
Fr. Joe Laramie, S.J., recounts his days as director of campus ministry at Rockhurst High School in Kansas City. Between breaking up hacky sack games and collecting endless permission slips for retreats, he prayed a daily examen prayer in the school chapel, centering himself on his own mission and that of his school: “educating Ignatian leaders, ‘men for others.’” This experience of praying the examen helped him find “peace and guidance each day” and to find “areas that are consistently ‘grace-filled.’” The examen helps separate the essential from the inessential, refocusing oneself on the Heart of Christ, with “eyes on the prize” amidst the business of life.
Questions for Conversation
1. Read your school’s mission statement. Then, write a personal mission statement for yourself based on your school’s mission. What is God’s mission for you at your school?
2. Take a moment now to look on this day with gratitude. What stands out to you in this exercise? What might have been hiddent to you at the time, but that you are now ableto recognize in gratitude?
3. What helps me to keep "my eyes on the mission"when I am busy or stressed? A favorite prayer? A religious image on my desk?
VISIONARY LEADERSHIP AS SERVANT LEADERSHIP
By Jen Kowieski
As a runner, I have a playlist of my favorite songs that get me off the couch and into my running shoes. The same is true in church — certain songs speak to my heart in places that even the best homily can’t reach, and The Servant Song is one of those. Not only is it a beautiful tune, but the image of Jesus as a servant leader is deeply meaningful to me. At the core of my role as a Catholic school leader, I am called to serve the students, staff, and families in my school. My school’s mission statement ends with, “We prepare our students for lives of faith, service, and leadership,” and so I believe that part of my role is to set an example of serving others for the greater good.
Being a servant leader feels comfortable, but being a
visionary leader scares me. When I think of being a visionary leader, the first image that comes to mind is that of the prophets. They were lone voices prophesying a future that others could not imagine. As I prepared for my first school leadership role, I could see how curiosity, humility, and joy had been woven into my practice as a teacher. But I could not see how vision had been part of my teaching experience, and I had no idea where to begin in becoming a visionary leader. As I was moving into the school community, a member of my leadership team said, “We need to schedule a time when you can speak to the whole school community and share your vision.” My stomach sank, and I worried that the school board had hired the wrong person.
I have strengths in being able to solve the problems in front of me, but how do I imagine a version of our school that does not yet exist? And who am I to have a vision of what our school community will be in the next five to ten years? This is only my first role as the leader of a school, yet it seems like vision takes some time to develop. Finally, even if I could have a compelling vision of what our school can become, how do I inspire others to trust and believe in that vision?
In the past two and a half years as a school leader, I have slowly come to realize that being a visionary leader begins with having hopes for my students and requires working with others. I imagine that for any of us, when we love someone else, we have great hopes for what their future will include. When I ask myself, “What do I most want for the students in my school?” I can fill an entire notebook.
At first, I had the hubris to believe I alone am responsible for bringing those hopes into being. But through some successful experiences of bringing about meaningful change, I have learned that I must invite others to share their hopes and foster a culture in which we work together on our shared goals. I ask myself, “How can I better listen to others’ hopes and ideas? What are the shared hopes in my community? Who has experience and expertise that will help us develop the steps to reach our goal? How do I invite them to share in this work?”
Developing a shared vision that invites others into the work brings me back to The Servant Song:
We are here to help each other Walk the mile and bear the load.
A visionary leader recognizes the strengths in the community and welcomes the support of others to advance the future of the school.
Jen Kowieski is Head of School at Saint Columbkille Partnership School in Brighton, MA.
VISIONARY LEADERSHIP AS SERVANT LEADERSHIP
“A leader is a good leader if he or she is able to generate other leaders among the young.”
—Pope Francis
Summary
On the one hand, Jen Kowieski describes the deep meaning the idea of servant leadership has for her as a Catholic school leader, especially in the work of student formation. She describes visionary leadership, on the other hand, as even more challenging and even frightening. Not only is there difficulty in defining the vision, but the challenge of how to “inspire others to trust and believe in that vision.” Kowieski settles on the truth that meaningful change comes when others are invited in to be part of the visioning process, lifting up each others’ strengths.
Questions for Conversation
1. What are your hopes and dreams for the future of your school? The future of Catholic education?
2. With whom do you share your hopes? Why do you share your hopes with the people you identified?
3. What are some ways you have worked with those people to bring your hopes into being?
GATHERING PRAYER
Personal Prayer of Pedro Arrupe
Pedro Arrupe, S.J. (1907-1991)
Grant me, O Lord, to see everything now with new eyes, to discern and test the spirits, that help me read the signs of the times, to relish the things that are yours, and to communicate them to others. Give me the clarity of understanding that you gave Ignatius.
