Responsibility and Authority can be seen as reciprocal sides of the same relationship. These slides accompanied a presentation of the Benedictine perspective on these two important virtues.

1. Responsibility
and
Authority
Oblate Meeting
St. Scholastica Monastery
Duluth, Minnesota
17 November 2013

2. Authority
• 21st century uses lens of power
• Obedience (Chapter 5)
• Two forms of authority (Chapter 1)
– A Rule
– A leader

3. Delegated Authority
• The Dean (Ch 21)
• The Porter (Ch 66)
• The Cellarer (Ch 31)
has charge of all the
material goods.
• Authority to lead
psalms and refrains
(Ch 47)

4. The Leader
• Fear of strong
leader in 21st century
• Leadership studies
often focus on “how
to set direction” and
“how to get others
to follow your lead.”
• This image is called
“Healing of the
Wayward Monk”

5. Authority of
the Leader
• Chapter 2
• Chapter 64
• “Under a Rule”

6. Responsibility
• 21st century uses language of “accountability”
• Fear of blame, guilt, punishment
• Nearly adversarial relationship with
authority and power

7. Responding to Need
• Manual Labor
(Chapter 48)
• The Sick
(Chapter 36)
• Recalcitrant monks &
Senpectae (Chapter
27)
• Impossible Tasks
(Chapter 68)
• Not defend another
(Chapter 69)

9. Ultimate
Authority
• School of the
Lord’s Service
• Even leader is
responsible to
Jesus – in end
times and daily.

10. The central reality and hope,
for Benedict, is the joy of serving Christ
and the hope of life with him.

11. OUR CHALLENGE:
HOW DO WE LIVE THIS TODAY?

12. Responsibility
and
Authority
Oblate Meeting
St. Scholastica Monastery
Duluth, Minnesota
17 November 2013