Justice in the vineyard.Robert McClory's thought-provoking article ("Does it pay to work for the church?" March) invites the question, "Can we, should we, do better by our employees?" If pastoral workers with families to support are consistently overworked and underpaid un·der·paid v. Past tense and past participle of underpay. underpaid Adjective not paid as much as the job deserves underpaid adj → , have little or no job security during their working years, and end up in retirement with a meager mea·ger also mea·gre adj. 1. Deficient in quantity, fullness, or extent; scanty. 2. Deficient in richness, fertility, or vigor; feeble: the meager soil of an eroded plain. 3. pension and no health care, is this just? Will it attract others to ministry? The recent U.S. bishops' document, Coworkers in the Vineyard vineyard, land on which cultivation of the grape—known as viticulture—takes place. As many as 40 varieties of grape, Vitis vinifera, are known. of the Lord, offers timely and helpful guidance on the ministerial Done under the direction of a supervisor; not involving discretion or policymaking. Ministerial describes an act or a function that conforms to an instruction or a prescribed procedure. It connotes obedience. workplace. It deserves careful study followed by collaborative planning that ultimately leads to implementation of a comprehensive human resource system on the diocesan di·oc·e·san adj. Of or relating to a diocese. n. The bishop of a diocese. diocesan Adjective of or relating to a diocese Noun 1. , regional, and even national level. Such a development would greatly promote the life and vitality of the whole church and our ability to fulfill our mission in the world. Christopher Anderson Executive Director, National Association for Lay Ministry Washington, D.C. I work for a Catholic high school in Australia as
I am not alone; all the support staff do much more than the hours they are paid for. Because we are all Catholics and are committed to Catholic education, we do the extra hours without pay. However, our employer is not so generous. Many of us have had to resort to the union at one time or another to gain fair and just treatment from our employer, and often this has not been successful. How can a church-run school system call itself Christian when it expects sacrifices from its staff yet treats its employees with disdain and without any sense of caring? I have worked for multinational corporations
Name withheld Woodrising, Australia |
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