August 2011

What gets measured, gets noticed

Back when I was in business, I was very involved in ISO 9000 quality auditing. One of the key elements we used to evaluate was how measurements were used, especially by management, to determine the quality of a product or process. A very simple observation guided our thinking: “What gets measured, gets noticed.” And it is true. To say “we sold more widgets this quarter” provides valuable knowledge, but to say “we sold 5% more widgets this quarter” is more valuable.

Article date
2011-08-20

The College of Consultors

I had a meeting this morning to try and determine which of the various dossiers I currently manage I am going to have to drop/transfer to someone else once I am ordained a bishop, because I am already pretty busy and I can’t just take more on without giving up something. The process of taking on new tasks has already started, mind you: I recently received a letter informing me I have been appointed as a member of the College of Consultors for the Archdiocese of Montreal.

Content date
2011-08-10

Welcome to the Apostleship of the Sea!

Pastoral care in the Catholic Church is normally offered on a territorial basis: people receive basic pastoral care from their neighbourhood parish, and more specialized services are usually offered on the diocesan level. There are, however, some categories of people who can’t avail themselves of the regular forms of pastoral care. One such category is sailors (a.k.a. seafarers): their travels take them from port to port for long stretches of time, preventing traditional pastoral care from taking place.

Article date
2011-08-07

The silly side of bishop shopping

As readers of this blog know, I have recently been going shopping for speciality items for bishops. Shopping is really not my thing, but as it turns out a great many people have been following this particular element of my recent vocational evolution with great interest. One journalist told me at one point not to be surprised if people were really curious about the shopping. “Great,” I replied dryly, “I’ll be the Kate Middleton of the episcopal world.” His reply? “I wish you had said that on camera!” Um, no.

Content date
2011-08-07

Cor et anima una

One thing about becoming a bishop is that it is traditional to take a motto. It can be in any language, although many take it in Latin (for more of a universal touch, I suppose). After much reflection, I’ve picked mine: COR ET ANIMA UNA.

Content date
2011-08-02