By Ivy Chai
KUCHING — Charles Bertille, executive secretary of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Malaysia-Singapore-Brunei (CBCMSB) has passed the baton to another lay person after serving the Bishops’ Conference for the past five years.
Charles described his time spent serving in this role as “a very rich experience, and I have found joy and strength in serving in the Lord’s Vineyard.”
He furnished the following response to questions about his work as executive secretary of CBCMSB for five years.
What was the Job Description?
Well, like most mission tasks I have taken on, it came with very few lines. I learned and developed the job description as I went along. The Executive Secretary is expected to play an active supporting role in helping to fulfil the mission of the Catholic Bishops Conference. It’s a discreet, background role. And so, the person is expected to maintain confidentiality, uphold integrity and required protocols. At times, storms can come along – so personal human maturity is strongly needed.
Alongside that I would add, a deep personal love for the Church and an experiential understanding of the spirit of being Church is vital in fulfilling this executive function. It’s not just corporate style management – though I have studied management and communications and worked in the corporate sector. These are helpful, maybe even necessary, but the essence is the spirit of being with the Church daily. And having a background in pastoral or theological studies is an added benefit as you can understand better the matters being discussed.
What made you decide to take the job?
Well, the love for the Church, and the desire to be of service to her. I enjoy serving … this is my 31st year in full time ministry work… and Beatrice and I are married for 31 years too. That says something of our vocation as lay persons and the meaning of our marriage.
Secondly, the task or job was also a home coming for me after being away from Malaysia serving in various mission work abroad for 18 years.
How did you motivate yourself in the early days of work to stay relevant?
“Carry on …” Often, as Executive Secretary I had to work alone. Though I work on many matters and documents for the bishops and I serve all dioceses, I am not part of any pastoral office or teams. Sometimes, this has been tough. And unlike a priest, we as laity do not celebrate the sacraments in the community. So, the community dimension of faith in the role that I had undertaken can be limited.
Do you have memorable moments you can be proud of?
There was a moment during the FABC 50 assembly in Bangkok when some bishops asked, and I introduced myself as a lay person and serving as the executive secretary. I could see it was a shock, they could not believe it. In fact, they went to check with our Malaysian bishops. And one or two came back to double check with me again. It was funny … and I was grateful that I could bear witness on that occasion for what a lay person could be in the Church if we are given the opportunity.
The other is having simply served these past five years, giving my best and keeping the trust and confidence of the bishops.
I think I have organised the secretariat a little more, proposed a restructuring of the secretariat and commissions, set up the archives-documentation system, expanded the network of the Conference (from 150 email contacts to 700 plus), developed the identity and visibility of the Conference through the logo, website, regular news articles, set-up Caritas Malaysia for the Conference, coordinated the entire Synod process, the assembly, reports, and communications, supported the FABC 50 assembly, integrated the work the Conference and dioceses have been doing on Safeguarding of minors, and many other topics. It’s been very rich.
Are there areas for improvement that you would like to recommend?
The entire process of becoming a Synodal Church will be vital for the future of the Church including the Conference. To give one example, we are all so used to working in silos in our ministries; or decision making only centred on one person and office, that we often overlook the ‘body or communion’ dimension to all these. For the growth of the Church and her mission, all these would need to be revisited. And I am confident the Synod process will reflect upon all these.
Someone had asked me, what are the advantages and disadvantages that you have by being a lay person in the role?
I would say accessibility – I am one like anyone else, living in a family and neighbourhood, aware of peoples’ life realities and situations … accessible to all and listening to all. The bishops gave me permission to speak up or contribute in the deliberations when needed. These were moments where I was able to bring a perspective or raise a question from these life situations.
Then at times, some lay persons or clergy may not give you the same response because you are lay and not clergy. I tell myself then, this is part of being Church and we are all on a journey of salvation.
What three words would you choose to describe where you are now – as you move onto the next chapter of your life?
Transition … Called to stretch my wings or discover the deeper charisms within … and gratitude.
What is your parting message to the one who will follow in your footsteps?
I only wish him the best, and I will continue to support in any way he needs. I know he has good capacity, and he will and can innovate upon what has been done so far. This is how the Church grows when we build upon the contribution of one another.
While thanking the Bishops’ Conference for their trust in him the past five years, Charles Bertille has promised to continue to serve the Church in the region as a part-time consultant while pursuing his research studies on synodality. Richard Chia replaces him as the new Executive Secretary.
A symbolic handing over ceremony took place at the Holy Family Parish, Kajang which also saw Archbishop Julian Leow receiving the CBCMSB Presidency files from out-going President Cardinal-elect Sebastian Francis, on 2 September 2023.
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