Don Bosco, a saint who spent all his life caring for poor young people, used to tell them, “For you I study, for you I work, for you I live, for you I am ready even to give my life.” In fact, Dr. Fissore, the physician who treated him, explaining the cause of his death said: “There is no single cause. It is the result of general exhaustion, the result of a life worn away by unceasing work and continuous worries. Don Bosco is simply worn out because of too much work. He is not dying because of any particular disease, but he is like a lamp which is slowly dying for want of oil.” Occasionally, returning from a visit to a noble or prominent family he would tell the poor youth whom he looked after: “Here in your midst I feel completely at home; for me, living means being here with you.” In Don Bosco we have an example of a shepherd leader, one who lovingly cared for others and spent (sacrificed) his life totally for them.
What is Shepherd Leadership?
Last month we described Jesus as the Servant Leader. When we read the New Testament we notice that Jesus had a unique perspective on leadership that included at least two other metaphors, namely shepherd and steward. Here, we shall deal with shepherd leadership.
Jose Kuttianimattathil sdb
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