Leadership and Drs. Kevin Baxter/Susan Abelein

You might have heard the news that our our leader and superintendent, Dr. Kevin Baxter, is retiring and moving on to NCEA. Joining him on the retirement train(?) is Dr. Susan Abelein. Both leaders have done incredible things for our Church and children here in Los Angeles (and elsewhere). In relatively thankless positions they provided hope, message, and leadership with a generous smile and profound trust that the gates of Hell shall not prevail.

I've felt called to put down my thoughts on this passing of the torch, but haven't felt inspired. Then I listened to last Sunday's Lanky Guys podcast on the readings for the 13th Sunday of Ordinary Time.

A great deal of the podcast discusses the first reading and Elijah's calling and anointing of Elisha. Of course, Elijah is recognized as the greatest prophet of the Old Testament (even appearing next to Moses on the Mount of Transfiguration). And Elisha? He does double what Elijah does. Like Elijah, Elisha will raise the dead, multiply bread, and gather together many witnesses to the power of God's love.

Like Elisha, we must respond to what the Lanky Guys say is a call to exist "in the discipleship" of others - to be happy that others "receive the praise that they get..." for their leadership which enables us to "be with people, run a parish, and be maneuverable. And do these things without the same burdens like Elijah."

One of the greatest fruits of the leadership of Drs. Baxter and Abelein is that it enabled us - the principals, teachers, parents, and even students, to do our jobs, to do our jobs better than we otherwise could. And they did so in a way vastly different than the example set by the disciples in that same day's Gospel:

On the way they entered a Samaritan village to prepare for his reception there, but they would not welcome him because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this they asked, "Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?" Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they journeyed to another village.

Where the disciples - James and John - seek to punish the village that doesn't recognize the messiah and his apostles who walk into it with fire - Jesus condemns them and models humility not celebrity.

This combination of assuming the mantleship of leadership and its attendant difficulties and the humility demonstrated by their selfless work is what I will most remember about their tenure at our Department of Catholic Schools. They have invested in the leadership at all stages of our Archdiocese so that we have a vision of growth, a vision of evangelization and innovation and not one of conservation.

I write this with great gratitude for their leadership, mentorship, and friendship.