Sabbatical Definition
A sabbatical is a period of paid leave granted to a university teacher or other worker for study or travel.
Research has clearly shown—and the Diocese of Virginia confirms in its Sabbatical Leave Policy— that “a periodic sabbatical is a healthy and effective means of preventing burn-out and of renewing and enhancing a church professional’s capabilities for dealing effectively with problems facing those who need help.” In the university setting, this is traditionally one year for every seven years worked. Our Diocese requires in the clergy letter of agreement that congregations grant their rectors a sabbatical and suggests a period of three to six months, usually no more frequently than every five to seven years. Mother Kathy has been our rector since November, 2017, so it’s time for the two congregations of Beckford Parish to start planning for her to take a sabbatical in 2025.
Why Here…Why Now
As she enters the seventh year of her ministry here in Shenandoah County, Mother Kathy has not only had the challenging responsibility of ministering to a yoked rural parish with limited resources to provide her with staff support, she was thrust into a type of leadership by the COVID-19 Pandemic that no one could have imagined or prepared for. The experience gave a whole new meaning to the term “winging it.” Working closely with us all, she had to adapt to a situation fraught with unknowns, fear-mongering, life-threatening consequences for herself and her congregants, and a situation that even the experts were scrambling to figure out. She stepped up, committing herself to staying in touch with Diocesan edicts and guidelines and setting up alternatives to in-person worship and fellowship. She worked with other local clergy and parish leaders to determine best practices and to do what we could to continue our various congreagational ministries, especially food pantries and GAP.
Throughout this period, Mother Kathy faced several significant health issues, her own and Marty’s, both emergency and chronic/ongoing.
The forced church closures predictably resulted in attrition and lower, but increasing, attendance after we were allowed to offer in-person worship again.
Even without all this, the role of a parish priest already entails what most stress experts would consider “hazardous duty.” They support their parishioners through life’s ups and downs, heartache and loss, aging and dementia, illness and death. You can’t go through this with others without experiencing the emotional impact yourself too.
That’s why we need to offer Mother Kathy a three-month sabbatical and help her plan for it and finance it. She needs it and she deserves it. And so do we.
The ideal Sabbatical Experience
We all want a sabbatical that will not only support Mother Kathy personally and enrich her ministry to us, but that also will give our congregations an opportunity to shift gears and plan some renewal activities that will strengthen our individual and collective faith and reimagine our service to Christ in our communities. She has chosen a sabbatical theme that aligns with the theme from the 2023 Diocesan Convention of the Diocese of Virginia: “Closing the Gap Between Religion and Life.”
Isn’t that what we all want to do? If we plan it right, we can all do this together.
The Lilly Grant opportunity
The Lilly Endowment National Clergy Renewal Program offers generous, but competitive, grants that would not only defray some of our parish costs for supply clergy while Mother Kathy is gone, but would provide generous funding to cover travel, lodging, and educational activities and experiences for her. The comprehensive application requires that we not only present a very clear proposal for what she wants to do and why but also that we thoughtfully and deliberately plan renewal activities while she is away and then present a plan for her return and a sharing with each other of our experiences.
Your vestries are already working on this planning and grant application, and we’d love to have your ideas and input. The grant deadline is March 13, so you’ll be hearing much more about this over the next few weeks.