What Brisbane Archdiocese’s new vicar general Fr Peter Dillon enjoyed most about his days producing and presenting a talk-back radio segment in the 1990s was the unexpected. Source: The Catholic Leader.
People from all walks of life called in and he never quite knew what they were going to talk to him about or which direction the conversation might go.
And being a Sunday night program when Brisbane had little Sunday nightlife – there were plenty of listeners to hold him to account.
It gave him a healthy appetite for the unexpected and prepared him well for his new role as vicar general for the Brisbane Archdiocese, where the unexpected formed a central part of the job.
Fr Dillon, 46 years a priest, said the great thing about the Church today was how many skilled operators and experts he had to call upon in any field.
When he faced a difficult topic, unlike on radio, he was not alone on the air.
He said his job as a decision-maker was not to know everything; he just needed to know who to talk to for a trusted opinion.
He said the level of professionalism and expertise in the Church was only available because of the increased involvement of the laity.
It meant when he made a decision, he did so with strong backing and advice, and that gave him confidence.
“I have the job that Jesus never mentioned,” he said with a laugh.
“I suspect that there were some people preparing meals for him, shopping for sandals, etc – I think that there were people working beside him making sure that things are in place for him to do His work. He worked as a team, not in isolation.”
Fr Dillon said it was unfortunate how administration-heavy the modern-day priesthood had become, not just in the archdiocesan agencies but in pastoral life, too.
He sees a future for the Church where the laity formed the core of fulfilling certain administrative roles of the Church, freeing the clergy “to do what they were ordained to do”.
“I think that’s probably what Jesus might have had in mind (for the Church),” he said.
FULL STORY
New vicar general Fr Peter Dillon is tuning into new waves of Church leadership (By Joe Higgins, The Catholic Leader)
