Fr. Bill Sheehan OMI
Provincial of the Eastern Province USA

Summary of Main Presentation

I survived a huge amount of air turbulence when I flew in here last night, and thought I wasn't going to make it, but here I am, which assures me that "all shall be well."

As I open myself and my life to you, I will try to answer the three questions on the sheet. First as to what were the major events that have shaped my life as an Oblate and what qualities I might then possess?

Probably, no not probably but definitely, the first event was back in 1968 when, under obedience, I was assigned to Godfrey, Illinois to be part of the team for the first joint novitiate of the provinces. I had two years there and we had 37 novices one year and 27 the next. In that time, being new to this work, I discovered I wasn't sure where I was on some core issues.

So I left the novitiate to learn what I was supposed to be doing, and that brings me to the second major event of my Oblate life, going to Duquesne graduate school and sitting at the feet of Adrian Van Kaam and Susan Muto- (and much preferred sitting at her feet by the way,) and studied in an interdisciplinary way, the area of spirituality. This for me was a watershed, a personal experience that was like a three year novitiate. It was one of the most integrating moments of my life.1

When I graduated, I was assigned to Washington, at 391, as director of formation and then went to Brattleboro, as pastor to a Vatican II parish. I was there for 3 years and had such wonderful, wonderful experiences working with such great people. After three years there, we gave the parish back to the diocese, and I was sent to Florida.. I cried my way down to Florida, and it was one of the hardest experiences for me- for us to be giving back something that was so good. It killed me, I can tell you.

I had 7 years in Florida at Overtown working in our Afro-American parish and was Director of Lay Formation for the Diocese and got to see the quality of our Catholic lay people, and that was such a wonderful privilege. Then, for three years, I was Director of the Ministry to Priests and that allowed me to experience a wonderful view of the diocesan clergy.

In 1988, I was assigned under obedience back to Godfrey, Illinois and going back there into formation, I could see such a difference in the candidates. There was a world of difference between 1968 and 1988. While there, I developed a taste for venison and was well fed, and had a wonderful experience.1

Then I was called back to Washington to be Provincial leader for the Eastern Province. For all these Oblate experiences, I feel a deep gratitude.

As for the role I see for the new Provincial, I feel that he needs to be open to collaboration and co-operation. After my Godfrey experience of the national novitiate where we had men from all the provinces, the idea of the amalgamation of the 5 provinces seemed natural to me. 1

There were two events along that path. The first was in 1994 at Waltham, where I had great hopes that we would take this step to be one, but we were not ready, and though we did commit to a greater degree of collaboration, I left that meeting feeling very disappointed. The 1995 meeting at Belleville was a real move forward, when the majority took the decision to restructure, and that renewed my sense of hope. I knew that some of the brethren were not happy with the decision and I am thankful that we are working towards a healing in all of this, and that it is happening. I am grateful for that and would want to do all I could to foster a sense of healing. 3

What the new provincial will need to do, I believe, is articulate a missionary vision and inspire men at the local level. 10

It will be a collaborative ministry, and he will have to build and form a leadership Team. He will need to be able to delegate according to people's gifts and talents. He must work closely with the regional superiors to build up each area. 1

I am very convinced after 6 years as provincial that life is lived on the local level, and that leadership finally only works depending on how much we are willing to invest in the local level. Therefore, I believe that the local Superior is key.

What I would see as the priorities of the new team are that they reach out to engage the laity, and encourage lay ministry in the service of mission. That we respect the laity and their own call to mission. They are co-equal with us by right of their own baptism. I see the need to breathe new life into our mission, bring a new vitality. I think that vocational recruitment is a necessity, and we must have a focus on Youth Ministry. 10

St. Eugene de Mazenod

I look forward to the future with hope and that hope is rooted in the memory I cherish of Saint Eugene who, at his most vulnerable moment, found the courage to send missionaries to Canada, Africa and Sri Lanka. We are called in a very vulnerable time to be courageous, to be refounded. We have a present, and I really believe we have a future. 3

Additional excerpts from Bill Sheehan's answers to one small group’s questions.

"There is a gap between our espoused values and our operative values....."

"We have got to begin to talk to one another without being defensive or shooting darts at each other. There's got to be a quality to our life that is attractive....."

"I see this change calling for something that is structurally new, and that we are not always locked into a parish mentality, that we find other ways of collaborating between parishes...." 1

Q-"What about younger guys who are not so interested in parish ministry?"
A- "What I would talk about is not parishes but Oblate Mission Centers where the emphasis rests on the community and its outreach, and where we have the freedom to ask who are the people who are not touched by the ordinary parish ministry? This is a way of shifting the way we think of doing mission. We can try and reach the people who are falling between the cracks. I think we need to ask ourselves,'Can we do this differently? Have we become so bureaucratic and so institutionalized in the way we do mission?" 9

Afternoon sharing responses to group concerns.

"I firmly believe in our role to empower the laity, and to renew our own sense of mission. I believe that the work we do in our retreat houses and Colleges is quality work, but what we need to do is refocus and work out what it is that we are going to let go off, and what we are going to concentrate more in. 9

As for the question of how we will support the mission in Zambia, I compare it to the situation of Puerto Rico in our own province, that these missions are very fragile at the moment. I think that we have to acknowledge that first of all, that they are very fragile, and take a deep breath, and if we can refocus our efforts and come to be more unified around our missions, we would be able to take another look. I don’t know Zambia personally but what I hear is that there is great energy there, and that it is full of promise for vocations and that we are playing a dynamic role in building up the local church. That is very Oblate work. I would invite people to consider Zambia as a priority, for all of us including myself, to take another look, and we need to ask each other"Will you go to serve the mission there?" The buck ultimately stops with the grass roots, and if there is no response to that invitation, I think we should be asking why there is no response." 3

"Sister Elizabeth Johnson told us at a meeting that I attended something that has been bouncing around in my head ever since. She said that the ordinary structures of apostolic life in which we have grown up are dead. And the new ones are still coming into our consciousness." 1

Charlie stole my idea when he talked of Oblate Mission Centers, and I think that is the way to explore. We do wonderful work, especially in our institutions, our emphasis is on mission and we are even obsessed with service. But if we are to be supported so that we can offer an attractive witness to lay people and youth, we need to develop communities, and not Lone Rangers. We have to deal with the human situation, and yet, still be rooted in prayer, fueled by mission. Renewal will take place, built upon prayer, community, mission.1

This is a great opportunity for us, not for us to simply survive but to prosper. There is fire in these ashes. 6

I wouldn’t be putting my life on the line as I do here if there wasn’t."9

Final Words

" Bishop Dan Ryan once visited the novitiate and we had a great night of sharing and as he left, he said to me, "I’m really glad to be a part of the same church as you are." I feel that way with you all, proud and grateful to be a part of the same mission family." -- Father Bill Sheehan omi