An Exploration of Emerging Visions of Leadership in Contemporary Benedictine School Chaplaincy

In exploring emerging visions of leadership in contemporary Benedictine school chaplaincy, the research aims to articulate the essential interconnectedness of the following elements: • The Benedictine monastic tradition, its development in education, the distinctive nature of contemporary Benedictine school chaplaincy, and the challenges it faces such as transmitting the Benedictine charism and renewing spiritual capital. • Benedictine leadership: the four Benedictine leadership models of abba, shepherd, doctor, and steward; invitational leadership; and servant leadership, and how lay Benedictines can lead in a way that is discernibly Benedictine. • Emerging visions of leadership in contemporary Benedictine school chaplaincy as demonstrated in the perceptions and experiences of practitioners and leaders in Benedictine education. This involved twenty semi-structured interviews. To ensure triangulation, the research was conducted in three different English Benedictine schools, all participants had direct or indirect experience of contemporary Benedictine school chaplaincy, and all were at different stages of their career. The findings were analysed considering the conceptual framework established in the literature review and using reflexive thematic analysis. This was followed by a chapter in which conclusions were reached structured around the principal elements of the literature review and the empirical research. These conclusions became the foundation for several recommendations which focussed primarily upon the ongoing challenges of providing spiritual accompaniment on the Benedictine path, forming lay chaplains in the Benedictine leadership charism, and renewing spiritual capital in Benedictine schools. The thesis concludes by affirming that contemporary Benedictine school chaplaincy can maintain a distinctive Benedictine ethos if Benedictine habits, and traditions, continue to permeate the lives of the chaplains and the schools; and if these are protected under the guidance of wise trusteeship.