FOR Father Rey Bersabal, growing as a priest is of vital importance.
Bersabal is the pastor of St. John the Baptist in Folsom.
Last year, he participated in a new program that provides priest with leadership training called “Good Leaders, Good Shepherds.” The program is designed to help priests be better leaders after the example of Jesus the Good Shepherd, teaching skills to help them excel as Christian leaders and Christian witnesses, according to the Catholic Herald.
“I’ve been looking for something like this to enhance my ministry for a long time,” Bersabal told the Herald. “I wanted to be part of the program for my own personal growth, as well as for my present and future ministry in the diocese.”
Bersabal, Visayan originally from Bohol, was among the 31 priests serving in the Diocese of Sacramento that participated in the leadership training program.
For Bersabal, the reason he took part is because he wears many hats at St. John the Baptist.
Aside from serving as a pastor of a parish with more than 3,400 families, he also serves as an administrator of finances and programs, and provides pastoral ministry, the Catholic Herald reports.
“I hope to learn skills that will help me deal with any situation that would arise in my parish,” he said.
Bersabal was ordained in 1991. Prior to serving as a pastor for St. John, he previously served in the same capacity at St. Paul Parish in Sacramento for five years and as parochial vicar of St. Anthony Parish in Sacramento and St. James Parish in Davis.
Bersabal’s training is invaluable. For him and many of the priests that participated, the training program would help them with the challenges they face on a daily basis in the parishes they serve.
