Episode 064 - Father Robert Sirico
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Father Robert A. Sirico is president of the Acton Institute, which he co-founded in 1990, because of his concerns over the lack of training religious studies students receive in economic principles, leaving them ill-equipped to understand today's social problems. He is a member of the Mont Pèlerin Society, the American Academy of Religion, and is on the Board of Advisors of the Civic Institute in Prague. Father Sirico’s pastoral ministry has included a chaplaincy to AIDS patients at the National Institutes of Health, and he is currently the Pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus parish in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Father Sirico joins me today to share his experience of growing up in multicultural Brooklyn in the 1950s and tells us the story of his unusual encounter with a neighbor and what that taught him about the human person's dignity without regard to their race. He explains why he admires and embraces the concept of servant leadership and what he learned about that from the head of the Michelin tire empire, amongst others. Father Sirico also discusses why it’s more productive for you to work in your sphere of genius and learn to outsource task and responsibilities to other experts
"If you want to become virtuous, follow a virtuous man. Watch what he does, then you just keep doing that, and you will become virtuous.” - Father Sirico
“We need to see Jesus in distress, in disguise, in the poor and the vulnerable, and hungry.” - Father Sirico
“If you do not have flexibility in business, you will not survive, you will not seize market opportunities, you will not be able to be a good servant to other people, to your consumers, because you won't see the things. You will have already had the blinders on, and you're going down one path, and nobody can interrupt you.” - Father Sirico
This week on The Wow Factor:
How and why we both give and receive spiritually when we embrace the principles of generosity
The effect of the Vietnam War on the process of conversion in his life and why the effects of what he learned in that period changed his trajectory
Father Sirico’s thoughts on the inherent flaws in Marxist philosophy why we don’t have to redistribute our resources but can concentrate on growing them instead
Themes and characteristics that Father Sirico has noticed in successful business leaders that he has met
Father Sirico’s role at the Acton Institute and how the non-profit helps religious organizations to benefit from free enterprise
The true meaning of the parable of the rich man getting into the Kingdom of Heaven and why we need to look a little closer to find the real meaning of the story
Connect with Father Sirico:
Field Guide for a Hero's Journey by Jeff Sandefer and Robert Sirico
Call of the Entrepreneur by Robert Sirico
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