Category: Blog

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History

Unlike many other Roman Catholic Religious Orders, the Carmelite family finds it origins not with a particularly inspired individual, but with a group. Its founding story identifies a collection of essentially solitary souls, in the late 12th or early 13h Century, coming to the same location – a mountain in Northern Israel called ‘Carmel’ – to seek intimacy with God. From these modest beginnings there has grown a worldwide association of friars, sisters and lay people in two closely related spiritual families – whose primary focus remains the inward life of prayer and contemplation.

Context

In 2002, Mark Davis was honoured to be invited to facilitate the Provincial Chapter of the Anglo-Irish Province of the Discalced Carmelite Friars – the first lay person in the long history of the Order. In itself, this was a sign of the times as the attention of the friars was increasingly drawn to their relationship with lay people and how their unique charism may be shared with others. From that time, Mark has been engaged by the Province in a number of capacities both in the UK, Ireland and Australia.

Tasks and Response

Developing Collaboration – the design and delivery of new models of engagement and ways of working with lay colleagues associated with Carmelite houses.

Promoting Carmelite Spirituality – the creation of ‘Carmelite Conversations’, an approach and a resource designed to introduce Carmelite spirituality to a wider constituency. Emerging from this work was the authorship of a brief, beautifully illustrated introduction to Carmelite spirituality entitled, ‘Glimpses of the Carmelite Way’.

Training Facilitators – delivery of a training process for facilitators of small groups in the UK, Ireland and Australia so that they would confidently accompany groups of people coming together to explore some key themes arising from Carmelite spirituality.

Refining Retreat-giving – adding to the portfolio of different forms of retreats available in Carmelite houses. Introducing a style of retreat-giving which is both participative and conversational.

Carmelite Spiritual Accompaniment – designing a model for the training of lay spiritual guides informed by the Carmelite tradition

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Context

Northampton Roman Catholic Diocese, like many today in contemporary society, is faced with a series of significant issues, which include a changing demographic and a decline in the numbers of priests and religious.

Task and Response

In 2007, soon after his appointment as Bishop of Northampton Diocese, +Peter Doyle presented a vision address to the diocese, outlining how he would like to see it develop during his episcopacy. He took as his motto a quotation from the prophet Micah, ‘to act justly, to love tenderly and to walk humbly with our God’. Announcing three streams of effort and energy to move things forward, he invited the participation of all his people in charting the future.

Mark Davis of ‘The Shoreline Consultancy’ was asked to assist to facilitating the strategic development arm of the process and has, since then, been part of an advisory group for Bishop Peter as the ‘Walking Humbly Process’ has unfolded.

Over the last few years he has devised a number of adult formation initiatives for use in the diocese and a development process for Church communities in transition called, ‘The Micah Conversation’. He and his colleagues are also responsible for the creation of an innovative on-line adult education process called ‘Pathways of Formation’ which has been successfully piloted in the diocese.

Outcomes

This journey of development has borne significant fruit in a number of ways with new pastoral areas creating their own groundplans for development, within certain diocesan guidelines, in their locality. Local Pastoral Area Councils have been established to co-ordinate local initiatives and an overarching template for pastoral development entitled, ‘The 12 Marks of a Thriving Catholic Community’ has been drawn up and established. The Micah Conversation has been successfully delivered by specially trained diocesan facilitators in a number of parishes throughout the diocese and is now being adopted in several other varied contexts.

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Context

Cabrini Health is a Roman Catholic, not-for-profit healthcare service inspired by the spirit and vision of St. Frances Cabrini. What began as a small private hospital in 1948 has developed into a much larger, multi-facetted undertaking with two major hospitals, palliative and eldercare centres, a rehabilitation service, and both a biomedical engineering and a linen service – staffed by over four thousand employees.

Cabrini emerged from the missionary endeavours of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, who like so many religious orders today, now find themselves in numerical decline. One of their legitimate concerns is that the organisations they founded continue to share the same spirit that first inspired their founder – even when they themselves are no longer physically present.

Cabrini Health is a Roman Catholic, not-for-profit healthcare service inspired by the spirit and vision of St. Frances Cabrini. What began as a small private hospital in 1948 has developed into a much larger, multi-facetted undertaking with two major hospitals, palliative and eldercare centres, a rehabilitation service, and both a biomedical engineering and a linen service – staffed by over four thousand employees.

Cabrini emerged from the missionary endeavours of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, who like so many religious orders today, now find themselves in numerical decline. One of their legitimate concerns is that the organisations they founded continue to share the same spirit that first inspired their founder – even when they themselves are no longer physically present.

Task and Response

With a changing leadership, many of whom do not share the faith background of the founding sisters, ways had to be found to support them in this aspect of their stewardship of this Catholic organization. In response to an invitation by Catherine Garner, the Executive Director for Mission Integration at Cabrini, Mark Davis designed and resourced a conversational process for their use. This involved:

• Researching the life, legacy and religious charism of St. Frances Cabrini and her sisters.
• Drawing out from the story a number of key themes, which seemed characteristic of this unique way of living the Christian life.
• Checking with the sisters themselves about the authenticity of the perspective.
• Translating these themes into language which would be accessible to those without a background in the Catholic culture from which it emerged.
• Creating a series of booklets around each theme comprising carefully chosen images and readings to both illustrate the theme and provide a basis for conversation.
• Devising a two-hour conversational process within which this aspect of the spirituality of the organization could be explored.
• Providing a skilled facilitator to accompany groups of leaders who could then reflect and converse about the significance of these themes to the organisation as a whole and their particular role in leadership.

Outcomes

Having piloted what became know as the ‘Cabrini Charism Conversations’ with the Executive team, it was found to be sufficiently helpful that Mark Davis was invited to deliver these specialised workshops among the top hundred leaders and managers within the organisation in groups of approximately ten individuals.

The feedback from participants has been extremely positive and the programme continues to be offered twice a year to different groups.

Executive and Board Formation

During these bi-annual trips, further formative conversations are undertaken with the Executive team and Board members are engaged in a shorter, similar exchange.

From the success of these encounters, Mark Davis was invited to devise and accompany a pilgrimage to the hometown of St. Frances Cabrini in Italy. This has been undertaken three times in recent years with a group of Board members, executives and leaders and has proved to be a very helpful formative engagement for those involved.

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Context

Baptcare is a not-for-profit social care organisation based in Victoria and Tasmania, Australia. Emerging as an amalgamation of local initiatives undertaken independent Baptist churches over the last seventy years, it has become the primary focus of practical help for the vulnerable and marginalized by the Baptist tradition of Christianity in that part of the world.

Task and Response

In 2013, the Baptcare Board directed its Mission Development arm to ensure that Baptcare becomes, and remains ‘faith-centred’. To that end it was proposed that Baptcare invite its key leaders to engage with this dimension to the organisation so as to find a common inclusive narrative for the benefit of everyone in its diverse workforce and varied constituency.

The Shoreline Consultancy was invited to create a suitable evocative resource as a stimulus to creative conversations around this sometimes difficult subject in order to enable leaders to bring to life Baptcare’s DNA as an faith-based organisation. In response Mark Davis designed and resourced a conversational process for their use and also provided skilled facilitation in helping groups of leaders engage in this enquiry.

The whole process was entitled “Glimpses of Baptcare” and involved:

• Researching Baptist spiritual tradition as it has been expressed in the Australian context.
• Drawing out from the story a number of key themes, which seemed characteristic of this pattern of Christian living.
• Checking with relevant stakeholders to see if these themes were both relevant and resonant.
• Translating these themes into language which would be accessible to those without a background in the Baptist culture from which it emerged.
• Creating a series of booklets around each theme comprising carefully chosen images and readings to both illustrate the theme and provide a basis for conversation.
• Devising a two-hour conversational process within which this aspect of the spirituality of the organization could be explored.
• Providing a skilled facilitator to accompany groups of leaders who could then reflect and converse about the significance of these themes to the organisation as a whole and their particular role in leadership.

There were seven conversations and the themes chosen were:

1. Diversity Embraced
2. Every Person Cherished
3. Drawn to the Margins
4. Local Expression
5. Actions Speak Louder
6. The Touchstone (the person of Jesus Christ)
7. The Extra Mile

Outcomes

In early 2015 a pilot was undertaken both by the Executive team and a group of senior managers. A process of review and evaluation was then embarked upon. The feedback from the pilot groups was very positive and so the intention is to invite 100 key leaders, over 3 years, to undertake this conversation series.

The benefits which are beginning to emerge include:

• A clear statement that Baptcare seeks to be a ‘faith-based organisation’ that is spiritual in focus and deeply inclusive.
• A clear statement of Baptist themes that express our unique DNA.
• A formation process where it is possible for participants to make Baptcare’s DNA their own in a personalised and relaxed way.
• A process that is collaborative and gracious in itself reinforcing Baptcare’s DNA
• A lateral tried and tested way to truly engage with spirituality with integrity in the workplace.

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