Homily of Father Phil Feltman, Pastor of St. Mary Parish, Sandusky

Principals’ Institute, Thursday, October 21, 2004

Dear Principals,

With St. Paul I too pray that "God will bestow on you gifts

so that you will be strengthen inwardly by His Spirit

That you will have Christ dwell more fully in your hearts thru faith

And may love be the root and foundation of your life."

I will make my four points and then we can go to dinner.

First: Notice how Jesus came into this world, and, as he spoke in today’s gospel, with one specific goal and agenda. Jesus came to offer himself in total obedience to the Father so that we would receive redemption and salvation.

This was his one clear objective, and nothing would deter him from it.

So when Satan offered to him other alternatives, like be a miracle king, bread king or Rule the world with power, (you know the temptations), his answer was "No."

Later when Peter and Thomas and the other apostles tried to have him stop talking about “going to Jerusalem, suffering and dying and rising three days later.

His answer was – "get behind me, Satan. You are judging like men, not like God".

Point: Jesus lived his life according to Clear-Cut Objectives. He had a target on the wall, and he aimed for it.

I think that as administrators you need to have a clear objective painted on the wall.

At times it appears that some may administer out of fear rather than out of focus.

It is important to have a clear objective on the wall as a target. I understand that there are probably only a few times in the school year that the basic 4 things of students, faculty, parents and personal life are all in alignment. Usually one or more of the four are gnawing at your time and energy. If you are not administrating out of a focus, a clear-cut objective, then this gnawing of one of these other things will occupy your time and distort your vision.

As Administrators in our Catholic Schools you must have as your clear-cut focus,

your primary objective, your target on the wall, raising, nurturing, leading students to be God-like. Anything less than that is not worthy of your time, effort or our support.

You are administrators of our Catholic schools to focus on character, not careers. It is not important whether they finish with letters behind their names or not, whether they are stars in sports or business. What is important is that they become God-like in their lives.

My second point just follows from this.

If you have a clear-cut objective, if you are administrating out of a focus rather than out of fear, then you know that the strongest and most influential teacher for your students, faculty and parents is your modeling of these Christ-like attitudes.

As an administrator you must model what you are focusing them to become.

It is as if you were to take your faculty at faculty meetings, your parents at parent meetings, and your students at assemblies, and you would sit them down and say to them, "Okay, as your administrator, principal, leader, I know that I have a responsibility to you in teaching and leading you. So, however you see me treat other people, that is the way I want you to treat other people; however you see me handle people who upset me or are upset, that is the way I want you to handle people who upset you.

However you see me pray, that is the way I want you to pray.

However you see me drive a car, that is the way I want you to drive a car.

However you see me correct, encourage, discipline another, that is the way I want you to correct, encourage, discipline. However you see me handle my frustration, that is the way I want you to handle your frustration.

Ladies and gentlemen, if you cannot say that now, you must address it.

Jesus used this same model, "I am the way the truth the life. Follow me."

Point 3, Build relationships that bind.

Notice how Jesus spent three years building up relationships with the twelve apostles because he knew that they were to carry on the message. Notice how you as administrators will go to the person that you have a stronger relationship with to ask them to do something more. Build relationships that bind.

You are to do more than just check out their lesson plans; you are to use this as an opportunity, as well as the classroom visitations, to build relationships and not just get another job or tasked finished.

This is especially true for your faculty, but it applies to the students and parents as well.

Finally, Point 4 and then I will quit.

You must learn the special 5 words.

You must memorize them and use them.

The faculty needs to hear you say them as well as the students and parents.

It is the only way that you will achieve credibility when you act too quickly or not quickly enough.

The first two words are "I’m sorry."

When you didn’t have all the facts and made the decision, when you waited too long, or were just too irritated.

The next three words are "Please forgive me."

Scripture says, “Love covers a multitude of sins."

So I plead with you to have a very clear objective in your mind of what you are to be doing; namely, leading, raising godly students.

Don’t waiver from that target.

Second, know that you are to model what they are to become. That includes faculty, students, and parents.

Third, build relationships that bond. It is a spiritual axiom that the stronger the relationship, the more likelihood that your values will be passed on to others.

The weaker the relationship, the less likely that is to happen.

And remember the 5 important words when you are mistaken.

You are not perfect. Know that you are on a journey, a process, and you make mistakes.

Do these things and you will have done all that you can do.

Do less than this, and we are wasting our time.