By Michael Motes

Delegates to the National Organization for the Continuing Education of Roman Catholic Clergy (NOCERCC) convention held in Atlanta last week were addressed by the Most Reverend Jean Jadot, Apostolic Delegate to the United States who informed them that Continuing Education has always had a "priority" in his life.

"We must concern ourselves not only with the continuing education of clergy, but of all Christians," Archbishop Jadot told more than 100 priests and laity at the NOCERCC banquet.

The Apostolic Delegate shared personal observations of his ministry, describing his priestly life of some 44 years as a happy one. He traced his career as an assistant pastor in his native Brussels to his years of work in Africa and Asia and as a diplomatic representative of the Vatican.

Minorities were also discussed by Archbishop Jadot. He specifically spoke of the Spanish minority, which he feels may one day become a majority in the United States.

Referring to the Vatican II document "The Church in the Modern World," Archbishop Jadot said that "God is imaged by man in many ways because God is infinite and there are many images of God -- images that perhaps we do not understand because of our cultural background."

He said that as a priest in Asia, the more he knew about the people there, the less he understood them, but that he "always respected their culture and their modes of operation."

The archbishop expressed his viewpoint on youth, stating the young people should be trusted with leadership.

"Youth, with whom we must share, should not be ministered to, but ministered with," he said, addressing the subject of Youth Ministry in the Church today.

"We must have peer ministry," he said, "as youth to youth and as priest to priest and adult to adult. Our ministry must be fostered with a good theology, a good pastoral focus and a good, living reality of faith in God."

Archbishop Jadot spoke of changes in the Church during his career, but that helping a servant of God must never change. Referring to the Gospel of Luke, he said, "We should all have humility in our lives to know that we are servants and that we are called to serve."

The Apostolic Delegate concluded his address by urging his audience to "live with the Spirit" in their lives and to "accept the leadership of the spirit in working within the Church."

Father James Kelly, Director of the Office of Religious Education for the Archdiocese and Acting Director for Continuing Education, commented after hearing Archbishop Jadot.

"It was obvious to all that Archbishop Jadot is a man of great personal faith and great personal conviction. A man who inspires us to a greater realization of what it means to be a servant, a spirit-filled person. A man who focuses on the pastoral needs of a people and tries to be a pastor to his people wherever they may be."

The archbishop received a standing ovation at the conclusion of his address.

"Practicing What We Preach: Growth and Development" was the general theme for the five-day convention. Now in its fourth year, the NOCERCC is a professional organization representing 100 dioceses, 55 religious communities and 22 seminaries and universities for post-graduate education for the clergy. The organization has as its major concern the continuing education of 250,000 diocesan and religious priests in the United States.

Father James Dunning, NOCERCC President, stated that he had received favorable comments from the more than 90 delegates from throughout the country coming to the Atlanta convention.

"We have been presented with a real smorgasbord of ideas during the five days here and will utilize these to meet the needs of all, not only the clergy, but the laity as well," Father Dunning said. "As a training session, I believe this has been the best convention we have had."

In a series of seminars and workshops, delegates focused on several areas concerning Diocesan Directors of Continuing Education for the Clergy. Topics covered included "The Self of the Director," "The Environment of the Director" and "The Situation of the Director."

Another topic was "Celibacy and Sexuality," presented in a two-part seminar by Sister Susanne Breckel, RSM, co-director of the Consultation Center of the Diocese of Albany, NY.

Father George Wilson, SJ, and John Sherwood of the consultation firm of Management Design, Inc., (MDC) served as coordinators for the national convention.

Father Wilson, who spoke at several sessions of the convention, explained that those assembled were involved in "a sharing process."

"We must share our ideas and build a network of better communication," he said. "As our Continuing Education Program evolves, we are seeking more input from the laity and from the Sisters in order to develop a better sense of how as individuals we can function as a network."

The closing Liturgy at the convention was presented by the Most Reverend Carroll Dozier, Bishop of Memphis, TN, who called upon the delegates "to be above all men of Faith who reflect and live the faith given by Jesus to His Apostles and passed to us by the Church."

Bishop Dozier stated that he was sympathetic to the task of continuing education for clergy as a somewhat "new ministry in the Church." He called upon the directors to continue to "give flesh to the visions articulated in recent documents on Priestly Spirituality and Formation, and the American bishops' statement on Continuing Education of the Clergy."

Following Bishop Dozier's homily, each priest was anointed by blessed oil as a sign of rededication to the priestly ministry and especially to their task of developing Continuing Education programs in their respective dioceses and communities.

In addition to Father James Kelly, Atlanta priests participating in various phases of the convention included Father Jerry Hardy, Chancellor, and Father Paul Berny, who arranged and presented the Liturgical music at several sessions, assisted by Joe Henry and the singers and servers from St. Philip Benizi parish.