PREPARED
TO LEAD “Priests don’t think they’ll be good at administration,” said Rev. Dwight Schlaline ‘00, the new pastor at The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. “You don’t come into this (the priesthood) with that as a goal. “It’s eye-opening, once you’re the pastor,” Fr. Schlaline continued. “The first time I became a pastor, it opened up my world to what it means to be in charge of things. It’s a totally different perspective when you’re in charge of things – a lot more responsibility.”
The Right Man at the Right Time
No one really prepares priests to be pastors, at least not in the business sense. Most parishioners would assume that a priest is wholly prepared for his spiritual duties. Being a pastor, however, is combining two full-time jobs: Spiritual leader and CEO. Who trains pastors on how to develop and maintain a budget for the parish; how to be observant of and remedy any problems with the physical plant of the church; how to be the chief fundraising officer for the parish? If you’re blessed to be a pastor that also has a school, you can add all of the responsibilities for the school to those for the church. It’s a recipe for burnout. Fortunately, Fr. Schlaline saw a promotion coming back in 2014 and he sought a way to educate himself and to prepare himself for his new duties. He discovered the Pastor’s Toolbox conference offered by the Leadership Roundtable, a national organization that partners with
“I have to be the pastor of everyone.” That’s the vibe I’m trying to put out, especially in this divisive time.” Catholic leaders on all things regarding management and leadership development. Fr. Schlaline said that the knowledge he gained on human resource law and finance were two key areas. “I’m much more comfortable now,” Fr. Schlaline said. “I see things that need to be done and I know that I have to do them. When you’re a young priest, you want everyone to like you. But that fantasy has to die. Somebody’s not going to like it, someone will complain, whatever you do. It’s impossible for ME to make everyone happy. “I have to be the pastor of everyone,” Fr. Schlaline went on. “That’s the vibe I’m trying to put out, especially in this divisive time.” Fr. Schlaline is back where he started. He comes to Sacred Heart after six years as pastor at Our Lady of Visitation in Shippensburg. That position included the chaplaincy at Shippensburg University.
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THE SQUIRE | FALL 2021
“I love being in this area,” Fr. Schlaline concluded. “I grew up in East Berlin, and I was a four-year member of the marching band at Delone Catholic.”
