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2 Join us on the canals of Venice Exploring leadership and laughter in the Church Nearly 140 grads and friends of the College gathered in Siegfried Hall on Friday, October 28 to meet J.A. Loftus, s.j., newest member of the SJC community and presenter of the Tenth Annual Grads' Association Lecture, "The Challenge to Religious Leadership: or, if I'm in charge around here, why is everybody laughing?" For just over an hour, Loftus shared reflections from his "privileged experience of walking intimately" with many different church leaders during some very troubling times, and invited his listeners to learn with him something about the "glories and pitfalls" of leadership in the Church. Drawing on his background as a social scientist and former executive director of a hospital for religious professionals in need of emotional care, Loftus addressed the present state of Church morale and its origins. Going beyond the issue of clerical sexual misconduct, he explored the "pervasive shift that has been taking place for decades concerning the very image of a leader, the image of a priest," and invited listeners to review some of those images. "It is a long way from Bing Crosby and Barry Fitzgerald in Going My Way, to Father Guido Sarducci on Saturday Night Live," noted Loftus. "Think, for example, of Father Mulcahey on M*A*S*H: a 'nice' man who is almost totally out of it. Lovable, but usually useless. Priests these days are often seen as damnably irrelevant -- at best!" Since the formulation of self-image and self-esteem for religious leaders is no different than for the rest of us, said Loftus, these images of priesthood begin to go to the root of the problem. We are all intrinsically shaped by what others think of us. From a psychological point of view, he commented, who others say we are can get quickly translated into who we say we are. Leaders then begin to believe what they hear; this is evident in just about any profession involving authority, from police and parliamentarians, to physicians, lawyers, and parents. "We are all fragile in this regard," noted Loftus. "But for priests this is a brand new phenomenon. And my subtitle, 'If I'm in charge, why is everybody laughing?' suddenly becomes less funny." Loftus suggested that a broader cultural shift is also taking place, and that the Church is not alone in facing the dilemma of what to do with the leadership vacuum. "The Church is in the midst of ... a radical social shift at the moment. There can be no sliding through this upheaval." But Loftus concluded by reminding the audience that the greatest gift we can offer leaders of today and tomorrow is to attempt to walk together in confidence with our ears open. "We are together leaders and followers -- impelled toward a Church of genuine compassion, of openness, and of welcome," he said. "We need to dream powerful and big dreams of inclusion, of togetherness. We need to be able to imagine ourselves as leaders -- and then the laughter will die down." A cassette tape of the Tenth Annual Grads' Association Lecture can be obtained through Update! for $6.00. Please make cheques payable to St. Jerome's Centre for Catholic Experience. Two handsome gondoliers, two weddings, and one long-lost heir to the throne of Barataria -- all set to music. Fun and nonsense, you say? Well, you're right. It's Gilbert & Sullivan's The Gondoliers, and you're invited to join the St. Jerome's Grads' Association in Stratford on Sunday, June 25 for an afternoon of music, theatre, and good company. The day's activities have been planned to be of interest to the entire family. "Gilbert & Sullivan is spectacular as far as theatre goes," says English Professor Ted McGee. "There are great sets, costumes, music, dancing, and lots of action. It's the perfect combination to appeal to both adults and children." While G&S is a definite change of pace from the usual Shakespeare excursion, the Grads' Association felt it was time to take advantage of one of Stratford's other great strengths: its musicals. As with all Gilbert & Sullivan produced at Stratford, the basic material is reworked for a current audience. In this case, it should not only provide great laughs for the adults, but also a wonderful introduction to contemporary Canadian culture for the children. A couple of years ago, McGee began taking his nine-year-old daughter, Haley, to the theatre to celebrate the end of a successful school year. "Children eight and up would probably benefit the most from an experience like this, "notes McGee."It's the perfect opportunity to provide them with a fun introduction to theatre. The songs stick with the kids, too -- Haley is still known to break into a chorus of "I'm called Little Buttercup" from her earlier H.M.S. Pinafore experience and the storyline is easy for them to follow." Naturally, with or without youngsters, all grads and friends of the College are welcome to join in this Grads' Association event. All we ask is that you be young at heart! The agenda for the day is: Lunch at the Queen's Inn, Stratford, 12 noon Pre-performance introduction to Gilbert & Sullivan and The Gondoliers Matinee performance of The Gondoliers, Avon Theatre, 2:00 p.m. Post-performance chat with cast members Yes, I/we would like to attend The Gondoliers on Sunday, June 25,1995. Name ID # (if applicable) Address Phone Number of Tickets: Price for lunch and the show is $41.70 per person (Price includes $10.00 off the already reduced group ticket rate.) Please RSVP by Friday, June 16, 1995 to Leisa Wellsman, St. Jerome's College, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G3 519-884-8110 (phone) or 519-884-5759 (fax). Cheques should be made payable to St. Jerome's College.