The happily smiling priest in the photograph on the left is none other than Bishop Gerald Barbarito of the Diocese of Palm Beach, the Diocese ye Webmaster resides in. I've met our Bishop several times and he comes through as an exceptionally kind and compassionate leader. In the media, over the last two to four years, one hears much about negative things in our church, and all the while the many thousands of deacons, priests and bishops who are steadfast in their Faith, as many lay people are, seem totally forgotten. Equally sad are the statistics that are being quoted by the media (whether these are correct I don't know) that only 15% of Catholics are actually attending Mass and are receiving the Sacraments. If that were true, that would be particularly sad. Really everyone in this difficult time needs our prayers.

Let's examine what the Roman Catholic priesthood requires. As far as education goes, preparation generally requires 8 years of study beyond high school, usually including a college degree followed by 4 or more years of theology study at a seminary. Priests in the Catholic Church may be categorized as either diocesan or religious. Both types of priests have the same priesthood faculties, acquired through ordination by a bishop. Differences lie in their way of life, type of work, and the Church authority to which they are responsible. Diocesan priests commit their lives to serving the people of a diocese, a church administrative region, and generally work in parishes, schools, or other Catholic institutions as assigned by the bishop of their diocese. Diocesan priests take vows of celibacy and obedience. Religious priests belong to a religious order, such as the Jesuits, Dominicans, or Franciscans. In addition to the vows taken by diocesan priests, religious priests take a vow of poverty and chastity. Benedictines and Trappists may also take a vow of stability. (To the particular abbey they reside in)

Diocesan priests attend to the spiritual, pastoral, moral, and educational needs of the members of their church. A priest’s day usually begins with morning meditation and mass and may end with an individual counseling session or an evening visit to a hospital or home. Many priests direct and serve on church committees, work in civic and charitable organizations, and assist in community projects. Some counsel parishioners preparing for marriage or the birth of a child.

Religious priests receive duty assignments from their superiors in their respective religious orders. Some religious priests specialize in teaching, whereas others serve as missionaries in foreign countries, where they may live under difficult and primitive conditions. Other religious priests live a communal life in monasteries, where they devote their lives to prayer, study, and assigned work.

Both religious and diocesan priests hold teaching and administrative posts in Catholic seminaries, colleges and universities, and high schools. Priests attached to religious orders staff many of the Church’s institutions of higher education and many high schools, whereas diocesan priests usually are concerned with the parochial schools attached to parish churches and with diocesan high schools. Members of religious orders do much of the missionary work conducted by the Catholic Church in this country and abroad.

Men exclusively are ordained as priests. Women may serve in church positions that do not require priestly ordination. Those who begin training for the priesthood in college do so in one of 39 priesthood formation programs offered either through Catholic colleges or universities or in freestanding college seminaries. Preparatory studies usually include training in philosophy, religious studies, and prayer.

Today, most candidates for the priesthood have a 4-year degree from an accredited college or university, then attend one of 46 theological seminaries (also called theologates) and earn either the Master of Divinity or the Master of Arts degree. Thirty-four theologates primarily train diocesan priests, whereas 12 theologates provide information mostly for priesthood candidates from religious orders. (Slight variations in training reflect the differences in their expected duties.) Theology coursework includes sacred scripture; dogmatic, moral, and pastoral theology; homiletics (art of preaching); church history; liturgy (sacraments); and canon (church) law. Fieldwork experience usually is required.

Young men are never denied entry into seminaries because of lack of funds. In seminaries for diocesan priests, scholarships or loans are available, and contributions of benefactors and the Catholic Church finance those in religious seminaries—who have taken a vow of poverty and are not expected to have personal resources.

Graduate work in theology beyond that required for ordination also is offered at a number of American Catholic universities or at ecclesiastical universities around the world, particularly in Rome. Also, many priests do graduate work in fields unrelated to theology. Priests are encouraged by the Catholic Church to continue their studies, at least informally, after ordination. In recent years, the Church has stressed continuing education for ordained priests in the social sciences, such as sociology and psychology.

A newly ordained diocesan priest usually works as an assistant pastor. Newly ordained priests of religious orders are assigned to the specialized duties for which they have been trained. Depending on the talents, interests, and experience of the individual, many opportunities for additional responsibility exist within the Church.

The shortage of Roman Catholic priests is expected to continue, resulting in a very favorable job outlook through the year 2012. Many priests will be needed in the years ahead to provide for the spiritual, educational, and social needs of the increasing number of Catholics. In recent years, the number of ordained priests has been insufficient to fill the needs of newly established parishes and other Catholic institutions and to replace priests who retire, die, or leave the priesthood. This situation is likely to continue, as seminary enrollments remain below the levels needed to overcome the current shortfall of priests.

In response to the shortage of priests, permanent deacons and teams of clergy and laity increasingly are performing certain traditional functions within the Catholic Church. The number of ordained deacons has increased 30 percent over the past 20 years, and this trend should continue. Throughout most of the country, permanent deacons have been ordained to preach and perform liturgical functions, such as baptisms, marriages, and funerals, and to provide service to the community. Deacons are not authorized to celebrate Mass, nor are they allowed to administer the Sacraments of Reconciliation and the Anointing of the Sick. Teams of clergy and laity undertake some liturgical and non-liturgical functions, such as hospital visits and religious teaching.

Salaries of diocesan priests vary from diocese to diocese. According to a biennial survey of the National Federation of Priests’ Council, low-end salaries averaged $15,291 per year in 2002; high-end salaries averaged $18,478 per year. In addition to a salary, diocesan priests receive a package of benefits that may include a car allowance, room and board in the parish rectory, health insurance, and a retirement plan.

Diocesan priests who do special work related to the church, such as teaching, usually receive a salary which is less than a lay person in the same position would receive. The difference between the usual salary for these jobs and the salary that the priest receives is called “contributed service.” In some situations, housing and related expenses may be provided; in other cases, the priest must make his own arrangements. Some priests doing special work receive the same compensation that a lay person would receive.

Religious priests take a vow of poverty and are supported by their religious order. Any personal earnings are given to the order. Their vow of poverty is recognized by the Internal Revenue Service, which exempts them from paying Federal income tax.

Young men interested in entering the priesthood should seek the guidance and counsel of their parish priests and diocesan vocational office. For information regarding the different religious orders and the diocesan priesthood, as well as a list of the seminaries that prepare students for the priesthood, contact the diocesan director of vocations through the office of the local pastor or bishop.

Individuals seeking additional information about careers in the Catholic Ministry should contact their local diocese.

What is written above comes, in fact, from a Department of Labor job description but it is accurate. What it doesn't say is that all priests spend a lot of time dealing with individuals in consultations, prayer, in the confessional, etc., and that the life of many priests can be a very lonely life. This has, in my view, however, nothing to do with Celibacy as so many try to infer. Let's examine this issue further.

"The Roman Catholic Church demands celibacy--no voluntary sexual pleasure, hence, no marriage--as a prerequisite to the order of presbyter. The primary basis for the requirement of celibacy is clearly the lifestyle example of Jesus himself. The Church notes that the practice is sanctioned by the New Testament.

Mt 19:12
Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because they were made so by others; some, because they have renounced marriage for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Whoever can accept this ought to accept it.

1 Cor 7:6-7
This I say by way of concession, however, not as a command. Indeed, I wish everyone to be as I am (single? widowed?), but each has a particular gift from God, one of one kind and one of another.

1 Cor 7:25-26
Now in regard to virgins, I have no commandment from the Lord, but I give my opinion as one who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy. So this is what I think best because of the present distress: that it is a good thing for a person to remain as he is.

1 Cor 7:32-34
I should like you to be free of anxieties. An unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord. But a married man is anxious about the things of the world, how he may please his wife, and he is divided. An unmarried woman or a virgin is anxious about the things of the Lord, so that she may be holy in both body and spirit. A married woman, on the other hand, is anxious about the things of the world, how she may please her husband.

The law of celibacy has no doctrinal bearing in the Catholic Church--it is a mere disciplinary law. Even today, there are married Catholic priests in the United States. Each is a former Episcopalian priest who joined the Catholic Church. There are Uniate Churches, churches in union with Rome, e.g., the Greek Byzantine Church, who have a married clergy.

Priestly celibacy became law in the Roman Church in the 6th century."

Above quoted from: Catholic Biblical Apologetics, © Copyright 1985-1997, Paul Flanagan and Robert Schihl 

Most of the hullabaloo about celibacy comes from people outside of the priesthood, who have some sort of notion that priests should not be discriminated against. Priests who do not agree with the Church about their obligation to remain celibate need our urgent prayers. But the majority of priests do agree with it because it was a condition at the time their were ordained for the rest of their lives.

Then there are some people who seem to think that the recent problems in the church could have been avoided if priests were given the choice to marry. I personally do not think so. I spent a total of seven years in religious life and intend to remain celibate (even now that I am a Catholic lay person again) because of my personal commitment to Jesus Christ. I am happy and content in my lifestyle.

The main discussion here is our priests, deacons and Bishops and how they need our prayers. Let's pray for all of them, particularly those serving in areas where priests are few. They often carry a tremendous work load and they need our collective prayer assistance. Lastly, let us pray for the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II and for the entire Magisterium of the Church.

Fred Schaeffer, SFO
June 1, 2004