OVERVIEW

Managing Stress, Burnout, and Other Conditions is an intensive live-in 5-day workshop specifically designed for Priests, Religious and other Pastoral Workers.  As the Universal Church celebrates “The Year of the Priest,” and cognizant that the Second Vatican Council emphasizes the priestly function of all followers of Christ, the workshop is rooted in the simple yet, at the same time, profound spirituality of Jean-Baptiste-Marie Vianney, patron saint of all priests.

Stress will always be part of breakthrough performance.  Whether we like or not, achieving something significant will create stress in people. Improperly managed stress can lead to Burnout and other related negative conditions. On the other hand, well-managed stress fuels growth, which for Pastoral workers translates into true service and witnessing to the Good News.

The workshop is as much a deep spiritual journey as it is a thorough psycho-economic-social audit of one’s existence. It is aimed at enabling the participants to carry on their lives and their work with:

• Increased perceived sense of well being;
• Increased degree of “social immunity” to distress;
• Ability to deal with complexity and uncertainty;
• Reduced episodes of work-related stress and mental ill-health;
• Reduced critical incidents that directly translate to financial and other costs to their organization;
• Continuous growth and development into their vocation;
• An overriding sense of peace and tranquility brought about by connectedness to Christ.

The workshop is pioneering in the use of Christian approaches to health, wellness and finding meaning in one’s existence.

WORKSHOP OBJECTIVES

Managing Stress, Burnout, and Other Conditions is designed to progressively walk the participants towards a joyful and meaningful existence as promised by Christ.

The goal is not to eliminate stress since a stress-free life is likely nothing but a vegetative state or a robotic existence at its best. One who manages stress well exhibits joy and meaning in life, which eventually becomes contagious!

It starts with a situationnaire, followed by a personal positioning and leads up to recommitting oneself in one’s vocation. By the end of the workshop, participants would have:

1. Completed a personal assessment of their situation;
2. Revisited and reconciled themselves with self-defeating habits and feelings from the past;
3. Practiced centering exercises and activities;
4. Gained an intimate understanding of ecclesial stress and how it impacts on individual as well as group behavior;
5. Participated in experiential activities relative to stress management;
6. Formulated action plans for their continuous growth and development.

METHODOLOGY

The workshop is unique in that:

1. The design takes into account the need of both the individual and the Church. Sessions are conducted within love for the Eucharist as the source and summit of Christian living;
2. It is based on systemic thinking;
3. It provides a holistic approach to the challenges of operating in today’s fast-changing environment;
4. It is delivered by Facilitators who have an intimate understanding not only of the world outside but also the subjective experiences of Pastoral Workers.

Managing Stress, Burnout, and Other Conditions is rooted in the teachings of the Catholic Church. At the same time, is fully hands-on, with emphasis on the participants learning an integrated approach to how they can manage their own as well as the level of stress in their work group and organization. The program is based on the thinking that Pastoral Workers play a key role in setting the tone and the culture of their organizations – positively or otherwise.

Give a man a fish and he will eat for a meal. Teach a man how to fish and he will eat many meals. Bring the man to Christ and he will realize how insignificant and futile it is to be worried about how many fish to catch and how he will eat compared to the joy of being one with Him.

Dr. Greg & Ivy Barcelon serve as facilitators, sharing their experience over many years of Consulting and serving in missions worldwide. Lectures and short presentations are made as and when conceptual understanding of the principles and theories are necessary.

CONTENT

The workshop is divided into modules as follows:

Module I      Understanding the Basics

Module II     Picking up the Pieces

Module III    Crossing the Threshold

Module IV    Having a Life

Module V     Bearing Witness

Managing Stress, Burnout, and Other Conditions is designed such that participants are able to see the big picture yet also attend to detailed “how to” of attending to whatever conditions they may be in.

PRE-COURSE ASSIGNMENT

Participants are to download the Pre-Course Questionnaire and return a completed copy as an attachment to an e-mail to The Facilitators.