By Angela Pancella, Mission Formation Coordinator, Mission Effectiveness Office, USA

Once a year, the North America Mission Effectiveness Office offers a ‘Called to Be Shepherds’ training course covering the themes of Good Shepherd history and values for our ministries across the USA. This year, we were inspired by this quote from St. Mary Euphrasia:

“You are called to be so many good shepherds.”

These words invited us to deeply consider what it means to be good shepherds and how best to hear a call in our busy lives.

I traveled with Lizzie Cody, Director of the Mission Effectiveness Office, to Maryhurst in Louisville in late July. Following this, I traveled to Memphis in mid-August to deliver the training course at the DeNeuville Learning Center for Women. At both places, we met with staff and volunteers devoted to the Good Shepherd mission. Our goal was to offer an opportunity for reflection and encouragement to sustain them in our shared mission.

At one point in the training, I asked participants to name qualities they associate with shepherds, both literal and metaphorical, and qualities they associate with sheep. Words for shepherds included “leader,” “caregiver,” and “protector.”

We developed a wide range of descriptions for sheep, with some groups emphasizing their vulnerability and others highlighting the benefits they provide through their wool and milk.

We then considered how all of us are sometimes shepherds and sometimes sheep, and the same is true of the people we serve. Participants then took quotes from St. Mary Euphrasia about shepherds and sheep and worked together to create artwork inspired by these quotes.

One participant, when asked what they would take away from this experience, said, “There are many different ways to practice shepherding, and that we can also accept being a sheep in times of vulnerability and need.”