“The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.”

A friend of mine was the pastor of a nondenominational charismatic church in Colorado Springs when I was in college. I met him when the congregation he founded had about 2,000 members and it would eventually reach 14,000 members. I learned a lot from him and appreciated his belief that God was calling me to ministry. When that call became specific to Catholic priesthood, he gave me his full support. (I am grateful for his role in my life and, even though his ministry at that church ended in scandal, we remain friends). I don’t know if there is a scientific basis for this, but I remember my shock the first time he said, “I can only effectively pastor about 150 people.” His congregation was large and growing, but he could only pastor 150 people? What he meant was that he could only provide direct pastoral care and deeper relationships with about 150 people. It’s not just his limitation, but for any of us there is a limit of the capacity we have to be directly and meaningfully involved in the lives of others. In Protestant circles, it’s common wisdom that a church with one pastor will plateau at about 200 members because of this limitation. As the pastor of St. Boniface and St. Patrick parishes with over 5,000 total members, I sometimes repeat that statement to make an important point. Namely, it’s not all about me!

It is true that we have a great staff composed of highly competent and committed ministers that help to provide pastoral care, build relationships, and cast vision for our mission. God works through them as well as through me. While there is overlap, in each area of ministry, our staff help to pastor their own 150 people. I think of our teachers in their classrooms, our bereavement ministry for those who grieve the death of a loved one, our RCIA process for those seeking or being led to become Catholic, our youth ministry programs, our celebration of Mass each week, the outreach from our Associate Pastor, senior priests, and deacons, and I could go on. More than that, however, is the Spirit alive in each of you and the gifts God has given to you for the good of all. An important part of our shared experiences and the friendships we build in our parishes is that of pastoring one another. I think here of our various councils and boards, the Women’s Circle, the Men’s Club, our Bible studies, all of our ministry and service groups, our PTO, our coaches for athletics, our catechists in their classrooms, Scouts, the Knights of Columbus, the Leprechauns, and our men’s and women’s Welcome Retreat teams, just to name a few. In each relationship and in the leadership of our ministries, we pastor one another. When understood this way, even though we may be limited individually, God works through us to guide and feed his flock. It is a real responsibility and we are each gifted and equipped to lay down our lives for those God has providentially given to our care. It is up to us.

Of course, Jesus is the Good Shepherd and is our shepherd. The word “pastor” comes from the Latin word for herdsman or shepherd. Jesus is our model and we each are members of his body. We guide, protect, and nourish each other as God has given us the means and opportunity to do so. As Pastor, if anything, I am a shepherd of shepherds. Or, from an early image in my formation, I am a conductor of an orchestra that makes beautiful music. My role as Pastor helps to give unity, tempo and shape to the breath of God in each of you for the good of our communities and of the world. I don’t make the music, I serve it. The music wouldn’t happen without God or without you. It’s not all about me, but about our Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit active and alive in each of us and in all of us together. Play on!