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After spending a decade as the director of Faith Formation at St. Peter the Apostle, in Islip Terrace, N.Y., Rose Barbier ’22 MS enrolled in the MSCM program in 2020. At the time, her parish was preparing to begin sharing its pastor with a larger neighboring parish, St. Mary’s in East Islip—a strategic move that had been in the works for two years.

“With these types of structural changes happening, there is an increasing need for qualified administrators to assist within parishes so that pastors can fulfill their priestly responsibilities and not be overwhelmed by the magnified administrative role that comes with the increased territory,” Barbier explains.

Just a few weeks after she began the graduate program, Barbier took on just that sort of role when she was promoted to executive director of Parish Life.

“Through the resources provided by our professors and the insightful discussions with my classmates, I was able to employ what I was learning in the day-to-day operations of the parish as I grew in my new administrative role,” Barbier says.

Through the lens of Catholicism, they covered topics from finances to stewardship, human resources to organizational management, and church teaching to pastoral strategic planning. Upon graduation, Barbier felt empowered to thrive, succeed and make a difference as a lay professional within the Church.

“The MSCM program has provided me with the tools and encouragement to confidently and consistently come to the table with aspirations and new ideas. In the last three years, I have had the privilege of working closely with my pastor and associate pastor on numerous projects involving strategic planning, branding, development and streamlining methods for both parishes,” Barbier says. “I am actively involved in the discussion about where we need to be as a parish and I have the opportunity to assist in developing and carrying out many of the plans to help get us there.”
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