|
Tucked
away behind the town centre shops of Blackburn is St Anne’s
House, the reconstructed church stands impressively next to it.
This place encapsulates my journey as a priest. There is a door
on the first floor of the house that leads to several offices. To
most people this is place of work but for me I cannot blink and
forget. The counselling room, was once my bedroom. The large meeting
room, was once my lounge. The staff washroom, was once my bathroom.
Our data control unit, was once the spare bedroom and the adjacent
room was what I kept for storage. Today it communicates with people
throughout the UK and different parts of the world. I arrived here
fifteen years ago, naïve, much thinner and with a lot more
hair. Although I’ve travelled around the world and communicated
with a variety of cultures, I’ve been in this one place since
ordination, tucked behind the town centre shops of Blackburn.
In synchronisation with the development of THOMAS is my own development
as a man. I am continually learning about the complexity of being
human and how God is giving us this moment of life each day to release
our creativity and innovation; this is what I bring to priesthood.
That conversion of ideas into the development of services that can
liberate disenfranchised people trapped by drug and alcohol addiction
is at the heart of my ministry. Each day is a discovery for me and
the passion for new ways of working with hard to reach groups grows
stronger each year.
Jesus was a motivator of people. He used metaphor and had an interest
in people development. Today I find myself leading an organisation
that, metaphorically, walks with people from the hill of Calvary
to the tomb of resurrection. Watching a human life regain its dignity
and zeal for living is a reminder of how God works in and through
systems that are rooted in prayer and interested in the excluded
of our society.
Priesthood is an exciting journey. We are connected to a
reservoir of God’s people. Each person has a multitude of giftedness.
Although in some cases it’s more hidden and waiting to be unlocked.
I find it astonishing that we can be the tool God uses to liberate
human life. This constantly motivates me not to give up on a person
who is still struggling with heroin, crack cocaine, or alcohol.
Cascading this down to my managers and frontline staff is essential.
My job is to develop the system that can change a person’s
life. Yes God does work through systems.
Each day presents me with a challenge of how to dig deep enough
so that people can discover their inner passion for a new way of
living. For this reason I bring my priesthood into the world of
drug treatment and criminal justice strategies. The board room is
the engine room that can make change possible with an injection
of finance and human resources. Yet it’s on the frontline where
real change takes place. This is where we connect with human minds
and hearts that are lost and looking for direction.
As a management strategist, soon to become a fellow of two Chartered
Institutes, I endorse the spiritual side of learning, communicating
with public, private, and third sectors. I continually promote the
values of the Gospel. The prevailing reality for me is to elevate
the importance of human life as an asset to our world. My task is
to lead a team of people who are interested in helping people live
proactively with life’s demands and pressures, building and
making use of rewarding relationships with others; yet at the same
time helping people not to be afraid to make tough decisions.
Priesthood is diverse but there is one unifying variable
that unites us all and that is to serve the Lord. Every system we
develop in THOMAS is rooted in the Gospel. I use the analogy of
a “laboratory” to define our work. Each human life presents
me with the unknown and it can provide me with an opportunity for
new learning and understanding of God who reveals himself to me
through the asset of life.
An essential ingredient for priesthood is to seize the moment of
today. Tomorrow will be history and God will use other people in
a different generation. Jesus calls us as men who are willing to
be developed. This does not end with ordination. The older I get
I come to realise that there is so much yet to discover about God
in his people. Each human encounter also has the potential to reveal
something new about God in me. This often involves what I call “a
change pattern of thinking” and it starts with me. I am never
afraid to admit I got it wrong. This echoes through my leadership
style in THOMAS.
At the end of a long day, I return home and reflect on how God has
spoken to me since the sun rise. This enables me to look at mistakes
and successes and gives me new insight to learn from my own weaknesses
and build on my strengths.
I may lead one of the biggest drug and alcohol total abstinence
communities in the North West. Yet there is so much more to do.
This is the mantra, but it’s all in God’s hands. At the
end of each day I have tried my best to serve. In the words of the
Irish Playwright, Sean O’Casey, “every action of our lives
touches on some chord that will vibrate in eternity.”
For further discussion thoughts Ideas please feel free to email
Fr. Jim McCartney.
Your ideas and thinking is important to all at THOMAS.
Article
date: June 2008
..
|
