Dreams and Visions

My book The Pivotal Pastor recalls a six-year period when Fr. Ron Lewinski came to St. Mary at Fremont Center to build a church and the Church. In his first Sunday bulletin column he wrote, within days of arriving, I want to establish, right from the beginning, my firm belief in good communication, consultation, and teamwork.  

He began writing a Vision paper--not just a vision statement--that outlined his vision for the future. Four months later, he published a list of five phases as he anticipated them. Each phase identified a milestone, a time frame for achieving it, and a brief description of what it represented. His comments would prove to be remarkably accurate. He was, in a word, predictive.

Of course, the majority of parishioners read it thinking he was simply dreaming. They didn't know Ron Lewinski.

The parish also began conducting Town Halls to which everyone was invited. Naturally, those who showed up represented the sort of people who usually show up at such functions. Most are people who are supportive or at least willing to learn what is happening. Then there are those who are undecided. And finally the few who are resistant on a scale from 'silent agitator' to 'outspoken critic.' Some severe critics, of course, did not bother to come. 

Lewinski wanted everyone's participation. He made that clear from the start, and kept repeating it throughout the six-year project. His concept of 'everyone' wasn't constrained to the adults I already mentioned. He wanted the children involved as well. So he talked about the project with school children. He solicited written response to questions like How many seats should be in the new church? What color should the new church be? What person should have a statue in the new church? Why do we need a new church?

He asked the children to make a drawing of what they thought the new church should look like. Months later the project reached a point where more details were known about the design of the facility and some of the art that would decorate it. The parish created a coloring book of selected features. It was a way for families to gather, talk about what was happening and share their excitement.

Some of the children’s creative, surprising, and humorous answers are in The Pivotal Pastor. I’ve shown in the banner of this Reflection some of the artistic responses the Kindergarten children produced. Some portions of their work were predictive as well.

Next time, I’ll share the drawings from some adults.

Send me your comments/questions.

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