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Psychological Considerations | E-3
they maintain rigid boundaries and keep social
distance, those whom they serve may perceive
them as authoritarian and lacking the capacity
to connect with people in a loving and caring
way. If their social boundaries are loose and too
permeable, others may view them as engaging
in inappropriate intimacy and lacking in profes-
sionalism. The inability to establish and main-
tain appropriate boundaries has been linked
with child safety issues and inappropriate con-
duct with adults.
• Sufficient attention to resources of the spiritual
life. A healthy and productive life for an inter-
national pastoral minister includes using tradi-
tional spiritual resources that foster growth in
holiness and the integration of public ministry
and personal spirituality. These resources include
regular prayer, spiritual direction, the Sacrament
of Penance, and retreats.
• Reasonable self-care. An appropriate level
of self-care is important in a pastoral context
because ministers are vulnerable to chronic
stress, burnout, and emotional crises. Healthy
self-care includes, for example, professional
development, balance between professional and
personal life, healthy lifestyle choices (exer-
cise, healthy diet, hygiene, rest, relaxation),
and development of personal and professional
emotional support systems. Pastoral ministers
ought not to be preoccupied and overly atten-
tive to self-care nor should they be neglectful.
Appropriate self-care also enables pastoral min-
isters to serve in such a way that others would
not be inordinately distracted.
• Accurate self-knowledge. All pastoral minis-
ters need to have a clear sense of their strengths
and vulnerabilities, including their capacities
and limitations for celibate intimacy and sup-
port. Clear and honest self-knowledge facilitates
self-acceptance and a willingness to grow in
strengths and to address areas in which personal
and professional growth are needed.
• Capacity for collaboration. Effective collabo-
ration, an essential ingredient in effective pas-
toral ministry, includes: the capacity to listen
well, the willingness to engage with others,
initiative-taking, the ability to recognize and
encourage the gifts of others, and a cultivated
sense of purpose or mission.
Case Study 2
When Sister T. arrived in the United States, the cul-
tural orientation provided by the hosting diocese sug-
gested that she could benefit from soliciting feedback
from a select number of parishioners concerning her
pronunciation of English. At the recommendation of
her pastor, Sister T. made contact with a very friendly
and willing family in the parish. They offered her help-
ful language feedback, as she had requested. She appre-
ciated their friendliness and began to consider them
friends. When they shared with her their plans for an
upcoming vacation, she suggested that she could join
them. Their puzzled reaction to her suggestion con-
fused her, but she said nothing. A few months later,
Sister T. was short of money, because she was sending a
large part of her salary to her community in her native
country. She thought that her feedback family in par-
ish could make her a cash advance. They said that they
could not, and again she was confused. Even worse,
they withdrew from her, and she felt isolated.
This case illustrates the complexity of the inter-
play of different cultural expectations coupled with
the particular psychological challenges an interna-
tional pastoral minister might have with maintaining
appropriate boundaries.
Criteria for Conducting
Appropriate Psychological
Assessments
It is also very important to note
how
the assessment
ought to be conducted. The canonical right to pri-
vacy must be fully respected (CIC c. 220; CCEO c.
23). This includes, for example, obtaining a written
release from the international pastoral minister giv-
ing permission for the evaluation process.
4
The fol-
lowing approaches indicate an appropriate process:
• An interactional and conversational style of
engagement that enhances a candidate’s sense of
personhood
• Respectfully listening to the candidate’s fears,
expectations, and questions
• Giving as much information as possible about
4 Before any attempt is made at undertaking a psychological evalua-
tion, the international pastoral minister must give explicit, free, and
informed consent. He or she must be informed in advance of the
nature of the process, who will be conducting the evaluation, and the
extent to which the information will be utilized and shared.