A cohort of 13 diocesan clergy have participated in a pilot leadership development program, tailored specifically to helping priests recognize their God-given gifts and talents in order to shepherd and serve through their own unique design.
“Each of our priests has answered his call to the priesthood – and for this, we are all grateful,” says Donna Ottaviano-Britt, Secretariat for Pastoral Outreach and director of the Diocese’s Office of Discipleship and Leadership. “Though they are all called to the same priesthood of Jesus, the primary desired outcome was to help the priest see why Jesus needed him specifically to be his priest because of unique strengths, core motivations and ministry styles.”
The Gifted Leadership – Called by Name program traces its origins to the 2019 Convocation of Catholic Leaders: The Joy of the Gospel in South Jersey. The gathering included leadership workshops for clergy, and it sparked interest in continuing to support those skills of pastors. And while sourcing leadership development opportunities wasn’t difficult, Ottaviano-Britt says the goal was to find something that could be more impactful – “something that would help an individual priest realize his own unique and unrepeatable gifting.”
“The great hope was each priest would find affirmation and realize how his unique set of strengths and motivations are essential to the flourishing of the kingdom,” she says.
The pilot cohort included 13 priests hailing from across the Diocese of Camden who were willing to participate and also share feedback to help further develop the program for their peers.
Each priest was assigned an executive coach, with whom he worked over the course of more than four months. The process included completing a personal narrative – each telling his own story – and various assessments designed to help explore individual gifts, strengths and motivations. Along with Ottaviano-Britt and a key strategic partner to her office, Cara Stolarczyk, the pilot was designed with executive coaches Joseph Cavanaugh from Equip2Equip and Joshua Miller, Ph.D., co-founder of Inscape Personal Vocation.
“The 13 priests who participated in the pilot found the experience with the executive coaches very beneficial. Many expressed they knew many of the things discussed in these coaching sessions, yet could not have articulated it well until time with the coach and exploring the assessments,” Ottaviano-Britt says. “Others shared that this process contributed to a more integrated picture of exactly how unique they truly are, and others said it helped them understand more fully how others perceive them.”
Father Raymond Gormley, pastor in Parish of the Incarnation, Mantua, saw “opportunities for growth both personally and spiritually” as the program unfolded. “Throughout the process, there was a greater clarification of the gifts that I have, and to have a greater sense of verbalizing those gifts,” he says.
Father Gormley encourages priests who participate in the program in the future “to be open to the experience, as it can help you to discover things that you never realized about yourself and the ways you bring your gifts to your priestly ministry.”
Father Joshua Nevitt, parochial vicar in Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, Absecon, was also a member of the pilot cohort.
“Each of us is unique and unrepeatable in God’s eyes, and each of us has our own unique set of God-given strengths and motivations. The Gifted Leadership – Called by Name initiative was one of growing deeper in my awareness of what these God-given strengths and motivations are,” he says. “Through this experience, I felt as if I was being given the language needed to describe those parts of me that are deepest within myself.”
Father Nevitt describes gaining a greater appreciation for what God has called him to do, and how he can answer that call. He has already put what he learned into practice in his parish community.
“I have become more intentional about the way I approach various matters and issues within ministry,” he explains, adding that the program also helped him to recognize the specific gifts within each person he encounters.
“Realizing that every single person was placed by God in this moment of history for a purpose has changed the way I approach other people,” he says. “When I see someone approaching a situation in a way that I wouldn’t, I’ll ask myself, ‘How is this person using their God-given gifts and talents in this situation? How can I come to a greater appreciation of God’s action in that person by recognizing their gifts and talents?’”
After participating in the pilot, the 13 priests not only fully endorsed the program, they recommended that their fellow clergy be given the opportunity, too. A second group of priests is currently working with the executive coaches, and the program has been further developed through the clergy’s feedback.
“Time with an executive coach is just something most of us never get – even in the secular space. This only occurs at the very top of an organization, if at all,” Ottaviano-Britt says. “My great hope is the clergy of the Diocese of Camden find optimal ways to lead and minister using the gifts, strengths and talents God gave them. When we can lead through and with our gifts, our lives are lived more fully and with passion and joy.”
She adds that this type of work is critically important today. “Here in the 21st century, the challenges are many, and the Catholic Church must lead,” she says. “Making this contribution to the leadership skills of our clergy is important for the path forward, as it will be for the laity.”
Father Nevitt agrees, saying such programs can enrich ministries and support development of the broader Catholic community in South Jersey.
“The Diocese of Camden has many priests, and countless more lay leadership and faithful, but only one you,” he says. “As members of God’s faithful grow in the awareness of their uniqueness, we come to see how God is working in our lives and in the lives of our brothers and sisters. Together, we can each build up the Church.”
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