Friar Joel Burget Speaks About Service

Service can take many forms

Conventual Franciscan Friar Joel Burget is pastor at St. Benedict Parish in Terre Haute, Indiana. He provides pastoral care for his flock and works hard to stoke a sense of community in the heart of each parishioner. In recent times, Friar Joel has started to speak about service. Until the current economic troubles began, one did not hear too much about service in the public sphere. The pursuit of wealth and possessions was a part of everyday life. Graduates from top universities would enter the world of investment banking en masse, never considering professions based in public service. Currently, society is undergoing a realignment of its values. Friar Joel Burget is at the forefront of this realignment. He always refers to Jesus – when the topic of service comes up - who pointed out that one attains true maturity by serving others.

St. Benedict Church, Terre Haute, Indiana

A readiness to serve is something that one develops over time, Friar Joel Burget says. As children we enter the world completely dependent on others. We require food, clothing, shelter and love. Our dependency also falls into the category of upbringing and spirituality. Strong parental figures in our lives instil in us a good moral compass and lead us onto a path towards God.

We eventually reach an age when we can start giving back

The second phase of our journey towards service happens when we become more and more independent. As children and then adolescents, we gain assurance in eating and dressing ourselves. Our world begins to expand. First we explore the backyard, next we’re walking to school alone; soon after flying across the ocean becomes a normal part of life.

At this point we must begin to transform ourselves once again. We are at a point in our lives when we can begin to serve. We will always be interdependent, but at this stage many of our God-given gifts have ripened. They must therefore be used to help others grow and develop. Each one of our brothers and sisters deserves whatever help he or she needs to make the best out of life. And we do too.

(Sources of all related photos on webpage and homepage: www.eiunewman.org, www.skyscrapercity.com, and www.stbenedictth.org.)