What do Priests Do?
Weddings, Parties, (Masses), Anything!
One of the great things about being a priest
is the variety of things that can happen in one day.
Priests Preside at Eucharist, Celebrate the Sacraments of
Penance (Reconciliation), Matrimony (weddings), Baptism, Anoint the sick and
are the ordinary ministers of communion (at mass or on visitation to those who
are in ill health). Priests
perform funeral rites too. They are often called upon to perform special
blessings at important life events, which can be anything from Blessing houses,
People, Objects for use in devotion or by the community, Couples on their
wedding anniversaries etc.
Priests often work with and are assisted in some areas of
their ministry by many lay people who visit the sick, bringing them communion,
and who work in many groups and are important in the smooth running of parish
life. Deacons (who can Baptise and do
weddings and Funerals and take communion to the sick) and priests, therefore, need to
be a "team-players" who work well with groups and cooperate with
people.
Priests need to walk a middle-line. They must avoid two
extremes. Priests
must never downplay or apologise for their role so that it seems as if their
role could just as easily be done by anyone else in the community. (To do this would mean watering
down the Roman Catholic understanding that the role of ordained priesthood is
an essential aspect of the Church’s structure). However, the other extreme is
just as destructive; being defensive and over-inflated, or trying to distance
one’s role from others as if a priest gets his sense of puspose and value from
being "different from others" or holier-than-thou (as if he is better
than the rest). The lay vocation and the priestly vocation are equally valuable
paths to holiness, and both are valuable and necessary. To diminish or blur
either would be unproductive.
Priests are charged with overseeing to the spiritual and
pastoral welfare of people in a particular area. Thus, they find themselves
representing the parish and their church at public functions and celebrations
and giving moral support and encouragement to the different groups that operate
in the parish. Often, priests
are found working with schools and Saint Vincent de Paul groups, care and
concern, state school religious instruction and so on. Anything significant
that is occurring in the life of the community or the lives of individuals may
call for the presence of a priest as a public sign of the presence and
relevance of Christ’s message.
Often priests are also in charge of the physical welfare and
financial well being of a parish (they are often in charge of administering the
parish or area of their work as a form of trustee on behalf of the
Archdiocese). They often do
this administrative work with the help of financial assistance and expertise
from others where needed.
A week in the life of a priest will likely
involve Prayer, Religious services of all kinds, Parties, Meetings, Dinners,
Study, Graduations and special events, Visitation to the sick, Meetings for
Marriage and Baptism preparation, administration, space, relaxation, reading,
School visits, Teaching, funerals, blessings and so on.
Some priests are called by the Archbishop to work in special
areas of interest that are deemed important. We have priests who are full-time or part-time
chaplains or have special ministry to Hospitals, Colleges and Universities,
Schools, Seminaries, Vocations Promotion, Priestly Support, Multicultural
Communities, Psychiatric Care, Matrimonial Tribunal, and so many more.
Any talents or special skills that a person
has, it is very likely that it could be put to use in some way in the general
work of a priest. As well, one never quite knows what the week will turn out to
be.
Requests for funeral services come in anything
between four days to one day in advance. This may mean rescheduling and also
scheduling the important time of meeting the family who are experiencing
bereavement and talking with them, offering a listening ear and assisting them
in choosing options of readings and music and so on for the ceremony.
It may be helpful to give you a sample of
what could happen in a "typical" week (in fact there is no such
thing) to give you an idea of the variety. The next week, of course, may look
nothing like it. Because we can have meetings or calls anywhere from early
morning to late in the evening, there may sometimes be a
"split-shift" with busy time in the morning and evening but with
quiet time in the middle of the day. Some days are a rush from one thing to the
next; others can be quiet and spaced out. It becomes an art for time
management.
(I find it helpful to treat the working week
as if it begins on a Monday, since by the nature of our work the Saturday and
Sunday Mass schedule means that these are really part of the same run of work)
The following schedule does not include all
meetings and administrative chores. In-between the things below, we may need to
write letters or phone or meet with people or speak with various individuals
and groups re different issues.
Monday:
Tuesday:
- Write an article
for the local newspaper. We take it in turns with other churches to write an
article on faith and life. Try to be creative and informative, thinking of
catchy and relevant topics. I consider that we need to put every bit of
creativity and energy we have into communicating the message and relevance of
the gospel. We need to really be truly "fishers of people" (Matthew 4:18)
(putting time and creativity into how to catch the imagination of people and
help them make connections with their daily life). To this end, everything we do to communicate our message
must be truthful, but we must also be people who are as resourceful, creative and
astute as we can possibly be (Luke 16:8). We are also encouraged to be as
"cunning as snakes but as innocent as doves." (Matthew 10:16)
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday:
- 8am. Meet a family re Baptism preparation
Saturday:
Sunday
We are expected to take annual leave of
approximately four weeks. We are also expected to put aside a week for a
retreat.
We are often encouraged to keep looking at
our work and daily schedule to ensure there is a good balance of action,
prayer, reflection, rest, social interaction and food. It is a constant
challenge to ensure our work on administration does not overshadow our pastoral
contact with people.