What is the life of a parish priest?

What does a diocesan priest do?

The parish priest does a little bit of everything. He is sometimes described as a jack of all trades. He baptizes the babies, marries the lovers, and anoints the sick and dying, visits the ill or the imprisoned. He hears and forgives the sins of his people, celebrates the Eucharist, gives a listening ear to the troubled, comforts the widow, and prays for the dead. Sometimes, all in one day!

His day can be so varied and complex that only a sampling of the daily life of a parish priest can be given. He must have a balance of prayer, work, and leisure. Weekends tend to be taken up with many things such as Sunday Mass, weddings, baptisms, youth ministry, and the like. He may spend the weekdays working with Church groups (religious education, future planning, outreach to the poor, financial matters of the parish) or with individuals (preparing for marriage, dealing with loss, and helping the sick and those in need of spiritual counseling). This requires certain openness to the unpredictable or the unexpected needs of the people: on any given day those who might come to the Church door to see a priest might be one who is sick, dying, old, angry, hurt, hungry, imprisoned, excited, or happy. The priest shares understanding, encouragement, and support. He rejoices, cries, and feels with his parishioners. Such events are painful and rewarding, fatiguing, and moving.

Priests have leisure time too, as do most adults. They are encouraged to have a weekly day off and vacation times throughout the year. Each individual is free to pursue favorite leisure activities, whether they are reading, sports, travel, or music. Priests are unique with different likes and dislikes, whether it's going to a concert, surfing off Malibu, or even going to the USC / Notre Dame football game. (Who to pray for!?)

Do priests get paid?

Since a diocesan priest does not take a vow of poverty, he receives a personal salary commensurate with the local standard of living. This salary enables him to pay for certain personal expenses such as medical expenses, life insurance, books, entertainment, vacation, and charitable contributions. Basic necessities are provided by the parish which he serves. To focus more easily on Jesus and service to His people, priests choose to live simply, without accumulating a lot of material possessions.

Why celibacy?

Because priests are called to dedicate their lives solely to the service of the Lord and His people, candidates for the priesthood take a commitment to celibacy. This virtue announces that the priest has no higher priority in his life than the service of God and God's people. Celibacy is not so much an obligation as it is a gift - a gift from God to the priest to empower him in his ministry, and a gift of complete service from the celibate priest to Christ and the Church. In fact, priestly celibacy makes no sense apart from the service of God and His people. It is not something that the priest does for himself but for Christ and the Church.