In North America, we are the masters of our own destiny. We may choose to flourish and grow or wither and assimilate indelibly. Obviously, we would like to choose the former, provided of course we are cognizant of the necessary structures and are willing to build them.
Article by Rohinto Rivetna, Founding President FEZANA
Our greatest hurdle is our immigrant mindset; even after 50 years of arrival here in North America — except for one or two of our 27 Associations, all are exclusively volunteer organizations. In the religious arena we are categorized as lay organizations vis-a-vis professional organizations. We may pride ourselves as an all-volunteer force but one can see that it is not a sustainable model. One cannot expect the enthusiasm of the first settlers to rub off on succeeding generations. The spiritual needs of our next generation contrasts with that of the first settlers.
In our case our Mobeds/priests are the king pin. Projections are that in less than two generations hence there will be a serious shortage of priests. Without our priests we might as well fold our tents. Cultivation of a strong professional priesthood is key to our sustainability. We have taken our Mobeds for granted, far too long. Case in point: we have a dozen Centers in North America, but it has never occurred to us during their acquisition that a sizable portion of funds need be set aside for the Mobeds! At Association level we are rightly concerned with our Association’s fiscal viability and to a lesser extent that of FEZANA, but seldom, if ever, have we shown support for the North American Mobeds Council (NAMC). That has to change.
In other faiths often times the training of priesthood is more rigorous than training to be a physician or an engineer. Even if we had such training available who will undergo such rigors with no prospect. At this time our Associations do not offer any prospect for a trained priest. We may lament over this predicament and do nothing with dire consequences in a few decades, or take the first small steps.
The suggestion is that each Association appoint a salaried resident priest albeit to perform nominal services at the priest’s convenience; as such this employment will not be the priest’s mainstay. Associations shall make every effort to grow that position such that in time it could become full time. If every Association participated in this effort there will be 27 such positions in North America and what a difference it could make. With greater awareness of our religious responsibility and harmony, each Association doing its part, we shall flourish and perpetuate our religious identity.
Over time, the prospect of a full-time mobed position at each Association level with reasonable compensation, may encourage individuals to take up priesthood and thus create a sustainable model. Hopefully in time we shall attract our best and most gifted so as to make them of greatest service to our community. Each Association may make a modest beginning by dedicating a portion of their funds for the employment of mobeds.
In North America the local mobeds, taking direction from the Mobeds Council, ought to be responsible for all religious activities. Independence of the mobeds is sacrosanct, inviolable, a custom from the earliest times which ought to be honored. Like in other faiths our mobeds have to play a leadership role in our societies with the laity assisting. In order that this transformation take place we have to sow the seeds now.
It must be very clear in our minds that without priests there shall be no practice of our faith in North America; we may be left only with our doctrine which in effect is humanism. We are in danger of becoming a humanistic faith at best.
At the time of this writing efforts are underway by NAMC to set up an Institute of Zoroastrian and Athornan Studies with the cooperation of concerned members of the Chicago association. With the appointment of resident mobeds and the setting up of the Institute it promises to be a viable plan going forward.
Your cooperation is sought to make this a reality.
ZTFE – London is ahead of all of us. Below is their administration model for us to aspire toward.
Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe (ZTFE) Administration Model:
At ZTFE the bulk of the work is undertaken by volunteers: President, Managing committee, Trustees and sub-committees.
In addition, ZTFE employs 3 full time and 1 part time individuals:
— Administrative secretary
— Facilities coordinator/caretaker
— Resident mobed
— Cemetery caretaker (Part time)
At year end March 2019, salaries were a little under a third of their annual budget.
Their budget is supported by large endowments by donors and smaller donations by members and well-wishers. Large endowments also include bequests.
A knowledgeable investment sub-committee invests in stable companies listed on the London Stock Exchange.
The above is a good model to aspire toward by our North American Associations with a resident mobed taking direction from the North American Mobeds Council (NAMC).
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