As I was sitting in a hospital waiting room recently, I happened to pick up a copy of “The American Scholar,” the quarterly magazine published by Phi Beta Kappa. It was a 2010 issue that contained an article by William Deresiewicz, former Professor at Columbia - and Yale University. He has his own blog, “All Points” to which he posts on Mondays. The article entitled, Solitude and Leadership, was actually a “lecture delivered to the plebe class at the United States Military Academy at West Point in October 2009.”

His premise is that leadership requires solitude. Almost sounds Catholic doesn’t it, George Patton meets St. Benedict. This is already a hot issue in the Catholic Church and its importance is only going to continue to grow. It is already a big issue in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia with the school restructuring. It will continue to be a HUGH issue in Manayunk and in other “Regional Planning Areas” throughout the Philadelphia in the near future with pending parish restructuring. It might not be at the center of the “New Evangelization” (prayer will - quiet time combined with solitude) but leadership will be one of the key spokes in that wheel moving forward.

I have been privileged to be in touch with and work with several leadership organizations in my soon-to-be-18-years of priesthood. Some are listed here under “Exciting Organizations and Initiatives.” What is fascinating is that NONE of these organizations existed when I was ordained.

New Initiatives?

New Evangelization?

New move of the Holy Spirit? ….. It certainly gives me new hope.