Two priests in archdiocese receive grants
to take sabbaticals
By Brandon A. Evans
Two parishes of the archdiocese recently received clergy renewal grants from Lilly Endowment Inc. to be used for their pastors to take sabbaticals.
St. Christopher Parish in Indianapolis received $45,000 to send Father D. Michael Welch on a sabbatical, and St. Rita Parish in Indianapolis received $26,930 to send Society of the Divine Word Father Stephan Brown on a sabbatical.
The grants are from the Clergy Renewal Program for Indiana Congregations, and are awarded annually to some who apply for them.
This year, 36 Indiana churches of various denominations were awarded grants for their ordained pastors to enjoy a period of spiritual, mental and physical renewal.
Craig Dykstra, the endowment’s vice president for religion, described all those receiving grants as “wise counselors, efficient administrators, effective fund-raisers, inspiring orators—and fully present whenever needed.
“Many have served up to two decades without taking an extended leave,” he said. “They invariably describe their work as bringing great joy. These sabbaticals give them the opportunity to refresh and renew themselves for their service ahead.”
Both Catholic priests in the archdiocese who will be taking a leave from their labors are doing things that will not only help them grow, but also help their parishes grow with them.
Father Stephan will be taking a three-month sabbatical beginning in June 2006.
A bi-ritual priest in the Latin and Maronite rites, he will spend one month in Ohio studying the ancient languages of Aramaic and Syriac.
From there, he will travel to Brazil for a couple weeks to learn Portuguese.
“And then I’m going to do a study of Afro-Brazilian spirituality, culture and theology,” he said.
After one month in Brazil, Father Stephan will head to Big Sur, Calif., for a retreat at the New Camaldoli Hermitage.
“And then, following some time of rest, I’ll return to the parish,” he said.
When he returns, he will bring back with him all that he learned to share with his parishioners.
Especially following the movie The Passion of the Christ, there has been a renewed interest in the ancient language of Aramaic, he said, a language used by Christ himself.
Father Stephan said that already he shares with his parishioners aspects of the Maronite Rite, and has introduced Aramaic to the people in some liturgies.
Studying the language will help him to continue to do that.
Also, his time in Brazil will bear fruit for the parish, which is predominantly African-American.
“One of the things that we have been working on for several years…is the incorporation of our African-American culture in our liturgy, worship and spirituality,” Father Stephan said.
In Brazil, he will have a chance to study an African culture that is rich in theology, spirituality and liturgy.
“Our American experience was one where everything that was of our African roots was kind of stripped away,” he said. That did not happen in the Afro-Brazilian community, and what resulted is a blend of African spirituality and Christianity that Father Stephan is very interested in.
Without the grant from Lilly Endowment, none of this would be possible, he said.
Likewise, Father Welch said that his sabbatical would not be as extensive without the grant. As it is, the grant covers not just all the costs involved in each pastor’s trip, but also the cost of programs for the parish and replacement priests.
“The parish pays nothing,” Father Welch said. “The Lilly grant is just an unbelievable thing.”
He looked into applying for a clergy renewal grant last year after Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein approved his request for a sabbatical.
Father Welch will be leaving for his sabbatical on Aug. 22 and returning on Dec. 14—in the interim the associate pastor, Father David Lawler, will take care of the sacramental duties, along with a few other priests.
“The first week of my sabbatical will be spent pursuing a lifelong dream of spending a week at a tennis camp in Vermont,” Father Welch wrote to members of the parish.
From there, he will spend 10 days in contemplative prayer at the Trappist Monastery of Gethsemane in Kentucky.
After that, he will travel to Washington D.C., for a month of study at the Washington Theological Union. He wants to focus on St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross.
Next, Father Welch will spend time at the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium, and also travel to the Abbey of Taize in France, where music is composed that many parishes including St. Christo-pher Parish, use during liturgies.
He will end his sabbatical with friends in Austria and perhaps some early snow skiing.
Beyond sending the parish updates, he hopes to start a program at the parish to teach children more about contemplative prayer and also have a special weekend with a speaker from the Washington Theological Union.
Father Welch said parisioners are excited about his trip.
“The reaction I’ve gotten is, ‘We’re really, really happy for you, but we’re going to miss you’—so that makes you feel pretty good,” he said. †
