Basilian Father Douglas L. Mosey, president and rector of Holy Apostles, said, "Right now, the pastor has so many tasks that he can easily be drawn away from his central mission, which is to pray and preach the Word, to be a celebrant of the sacraments, a man of prayer, a teacher and a preacher."
The Master of Pastoral Studies program, recently approved by state Board of Governors for Higher Education, will begin in September, Father Mosey said. "We will have three concentrations offered: parish administration; a concentration in religious education, for catechists, DRE’s, etc.; and pastoral ministry, to educate laypeople for assistance with pre-Cana, baptismal preparation, bereavement groups, etc.," he said.
Other concentrations, such as youth and music ministries, may be added later, he said.
"We want the Catholic administrator to be someone who understands and embraces the full Catholic teaching," he said. "We’re trying to evangelize as well as educate. The mission of Holy Apostles is to cultivate lay, consecrated and ordained Catholic leaders."
Deacon James Papillo, vice president of administrative affairs and an associate professor of humanities at Holy Apostles, said the program could attract retirees who want to give back to the Church. "I just had a conversation with a person who is a teacher in a public school system who is thinking about retiring and at the same time working for the Church," he said.
Pastors now rely mainly on volunteers to help with parish work, and many of them lack the expertise this program would teach, he said. "Pastors would be more comfortable and have more peace of mind with [help from] someone with expertise," Deacon Papillo said.
"I really do think that a lot of people will find a master’s in administration attractive," he said. "It does provide an avenue, for laypeople especially, to get involved in a professional way, to get involved in the Church."
Father Mosey said that about three years ago there were about 35,000 paid lay Catholic administrators in the country. Urged on by Archbishop Henry J. Mansell and other members of Holy Apostles’ board of directors, Father Mosey in July submitted to the state his proposal for the program. The proposal stated, in part: "A primary objective of the program will be to develop in participants an understanding of ministry within the life and mission of the Roman Catholic Church."
Father Mosey said, "We want Catholic parish administrators, a man or woman of faith. He or she would know and adhere to everything that the Church teaches and that Jesus Christ has revealed."
Most of the program can be taken on campus or online, Deacon Papillo said, but the course also includes an internship requirement. Each student will be assigned to work in a parish and take part in theological reflection and to appear at Holy Apostles for an oral presentation of a written paper.
Deacon Robert Pallotti, director of the archdiocesan Office of the Diaconate, was on the planning committee for the program. He said, "There are deacons who want to take advantage of the opportunity. It’s a solid program. It will teach good administrative skills, pastoral skills and appropriate theological skills."
Information about this and other programs at Holy Apostles is available at www.holyapostles.edu or (860) 632-3010.
