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Diocese of Springfield
Diocese of Springfield

Lenten Clergy Day of Reflection

March 20 2018

For priests and deacons

Tuesday, March 20th (11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.) at the Bishop Marshall Center

 

Fr. John Tuohey will be the speaker. The theme of his reflection is “Goliath Never Had A Chance, Personal Reflections On Humility in Ministry.”

 

Lunch will be provided, and confessors will be available for the Sacrament of Penance.

 

Fr. John is a native of Westfield and Our Lady of Blessed Sacrament Parish. He studied at the American College in Louvain, Belgium and was ordained in 1981. His assignments include Holy Name in Springfield and the Newman Center at UMASS, Amherst. He completed his Ph.D. in moral theology at Louvain with an emphasis in healthcare ethics and was on the faculty in the Department of Theology at Catholic University of America from 1987-1996.

 

Fr. John spent a short time with Mercy Health System in Oklahoma City, OK before moving on in 1998 to take on a newly created endowed chair in applied health care ethics at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center in Portland, OR. He returned to the diocese in June 2017 and was assigned to St Mary’s parish in his native Westfield, the parish where he was baptized.

 

Fr. John’s theme for the day is “Goliath Never Had A Chance: Personal Reflections On Humility In Ministry.” When we think of the story of David and Goliath, we usually see David as the little guy, the underdog who overcame tremendous odds against his all-powerful foe. In this reflection Fr. John will revisit this famous battle scene to suggest that because of David’s humility in a moment of crisis, it was Goliath who never had a chance. After 30 years in special ministry in various parts of the country, Fr. John has had to rediscover the importance of humility in returning to pastoral ministry, a humility that is not the opposing virtue of pride, but of complacency. Using the story of David and Goliath as a backdrop, he will reflect on his personal experience of the importance an unexpected and sometimes unwanted humility plays in our ministry.