Auxiliary Bishop Michael Byrnes told nearly 300 businesspeople that leadership is about “being real about the struggles we have,” and said Catholic professionals should never cease to rely on Christ.Detroit — The Christian life involves genuine, vulnerable relationships with others, said Auxiliary Bishop Michael Byrnes in his homily at the 20th annual Mass for Commerce for the Detroit business community.
These truly Christian relationships with others even include relationships with employers and business partners, in “being real about who we are, as disciples of Jesus Christ,” Bishop Byrnes said.
“Being real about the struggles we have, even in our leadership,” said the bishop, who presided over the Oct. 16 Mass at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit. He called it “common wisdom” that in leading a team, if the leader is not vulnerable, the rest of the team can’t work as well together.
The gathering of businesspeople numbered roughly 300, which has grown exponentially since the first Mass for Commerce in 1993.
“Over the last few years this has been one of the things for people to hold onto,” said John. M. Sier, co-chairman of the Mass for Commerce steering committee. In light of Detroit’s troubled economy, he said, “a lot is beyond our control, but at least we can pray about it.”
Since the first Mass for Commerce in 1993, participation from the local business community has grown exponentially, organizers said.Sier said the Mass for Commerce isn’t just a source of spiritual strength for Catholic businesspeople, but an excellent opportunity for networking. The tradition of Detroit’s Mass always involves a breakfast afterward, this year held in the seminary gymnasium due to the outstanding number of attendees.
Often, he said, attendees see familiar faces they didn’t know were Catholic, “when they look across the chapel or the gym and recognize someone.”
Robert Pliska, a steering committee member, said the Mass for Commerce was begun by Thomas V. Angott, Sr., a prominent Catholic Metro Detroit businessman until his death in 2008.
“It was started to bring businesspeople together to work in the categories of faith, family, business and social,” Pliska said. “It’s good to see the Catholic business community coming together and from there, you can see good things happening.”
Thomas Scholler, associate director of development and stewardship in the Archdiocese of Detroit, saw the Mass as helping keep Christ at the forefront.
“I think the key thing is that we emphasize coming together to celebrate the Eucharist,” said Scholler, who is also part of the Mass for Commerce committee. “It’s a good opportunity for businesspeople to come together and reflect on what’s important: we’re stewards of God’s gifts.”
