| It is easy for any leader to "fall into a rut" if he stays too long in one leadership position. Change in leadership is a means of injecting a new challenge into a priest's life and new creativity into a parish.
Among the 260+ parishes of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, there are great differences in responsibilities and expectations of the priest. A system of rotation of the priests allows all priests to share in the greater or lesser workloads of the various parishes.
Because a certain amount of appraisal is involved in the re-appointment process, a system of rotation ensures that the priests will evaluate their performance.
Some priests, even when they know they ought to move on, find it difficult to ask for a transfer. A routine Term of Office policy makes it easier for such priests.
With a declining number of priests, it is possible for priests and people alike to "dig in" and keep their status quo at the expense of other parishes with equal or greater pastoral needs. A routine system of rotation ensures that there will be priests available for parish merger situations and shared pastor situations.
The policy makes it easier for the Archbishop to deal with problematic transfers and at the same time it is a face-saving method for both the bishop and the pastor.
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