Life and Work of Priests

Conditions vary, and the way in which individual priests live differs greatly, but there are some things we have all in common, including the celebration of the Holy Mass, praying the Liturgy of the Hours, administering the other sacraments and rituals, preaching, pastoral care and recreation.

The Mass

Firstly and centrally comes the Holy Mass. The celebration of the Mass is one great duty and privilege a priest has. During the Mass, the priest acts in the person of Christ, and through him, the gifts of bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ, the sacrifice of Christ on Calvary is made present in an unbloody manner and the faithful are fed with the Body of Christ. Thanks to the grace of Holy Orders, it is the priest, and only the priest who can act as the human intermediary to make Christ present, body and blood, soul and divinity, in the Eucharist. He gives glory to God and makes the people holy primarily through the Mass whose grace and power exceeds anything the priest could do through his own efforts.

Sacraments

The priest administers the other sacraments. He administers the sacraments of Baptism to children and adults. He celebrates the sacrament of Penance with penitents. He ministers to the sick and elderly in hospitals or at home through Holy Communion and administering the sacrament of Anointing the Sick. He witnesses and blesses marriage. He is the celebrant of the sacrament of marriage. He presides over funerals and other rituals.

Prayer

Like every disciple of Christ, the priest is obliged to pray in order to express and grow in the love of god and neighbour. However, the priest has the special responsibility to pray in the name of all Christians and for those under his pastoral care. He prays the Liturgy of the Hours five times each day.

Preaching

Another vital priestly work is preaching. Preaching is the proclamation of the Good News of Jesus Christ, teaching the doctrines of the Catholic faith with the purpose of eliciting conversion and faith or nourishing a growing discipleship. The priest preaches during liturgical celebrations especially during Mass. He also instructs the faithful in other contexts like in the schools, in adult faith formation meetings, youth gatherings and so on.

Being with the People

The priest makes himself available for his people – being present among them, visiting them in their homes, in the streets, wherever they gather. Priests are also involved in other areas of responsibilities like being chaplains in schools, hospitals, prisons, etc. In all these settings, the priest serves as a living instrument of Christ’s presence among the people.

Recreation

To survive as a priest, a healthy balance of priestly duties, spiritual life and recreation is essential. Priests have some form of relaxation or recreation. It is also recommended that every priest should have a regular weekly day off. Many priests play sports. Many priests play golf, basketball, and tennis. Some like to go to the football, go swimming or fishing, to travel and every other imaginable entertainment. Others enjoy movies, plays and reading. All these are forms of recreation for priests.

The Path to Priesthood

Diocesan Priest

Priesthood exists in the Catholic Church in two basic contexts, the ‘religious’ and the ‘diocesan.’ Religious priests are those who take vows and are joined to a religious order or congregation. They are organised on a national and international basis within their own order or congregation. The diocesan priests are those who live and work in the diocese. A diocese is a community of Catholics in a determined geographic area, composed of smaller communities called by parishes, and is governed by a bishop assisted by priests and deacons and lay people. Most parishes in Australia are staffed by diocesan priests. The Diocese of Lismore is “home to 105,000 Catholics in twenty eight Parishes living along the picturesque coastline of New South Wales, Australia, that extends from the Tweed River in the North to Camden Haven in the South.” All our parishes in the diocese are staffed by diocesan priests.

Discernment

Diocesan priests are normally recruited from young men who are specifically trained for the ministry in seminaries. Before he is accepted to be trained for priestly life and ministry, certain basic requirements are to be met. The person should have reached a certain level of maturity in his faith and discipleship. He should be in good health, both mental and physical. He must be free from debt or obligations, either financial or family. He should be capable of the academic study necessary for the priesthood. All these things can ascertained through a process of discernment conducted by the Vocations Director.

Training

The training period for the priesthood is normally seven years. But this can be reduced, or extended depending on age, the nature studies completed and the readiness of the person. There are four areas of formation, namely, human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral.

Diaconate

Towards the end of the training, all things being equal, the student is formally accepted as a Candidate for Holy Orders. After a period of discernment and preparation, he is ordained as deacon as deacon, he can now preach during liturgical celebrations, administer Baptism, preside over celebrations of the word and funeral, and bless marriages. Ordination to the diaconate is the first major step towards priesthood.

Ordination to the Priesthood

The essential feature of ordination is still, as it was in the Acts of the Apostles, prayer and the laying on of hands. The ceremony takes place during the celebration of the Mass. It begins after the gospel, when the deacon is called out and presented to the bishop. A priest, usually the seminary rector, affirms that he has been found worthy to be ordained. After the address, the deacon affirms his willingness to carry out the duties of priesthood, to shape his life accordingly, and then promises obedience to his bishop and his successors. After the prayer of intercession of all the saints, the bishop lays hands on the candidate’s head in silence, after which all the priests present come up one by one and lay on hands. The bishop then recites the prayer of consecration. The new priest has his stole rearranged in priestly fashion, and is vested with chasuble. The bishop then anoints his hands with the consecrating oil of chrism. Then he places into his hands the chalice and paten. After the sign of peace with the new priest, by the bishop and all priests present, the Mass proceeds, with the new priest concelebrating.

Pathway to Priesthood

Stage 1: Initial Enquiry: The process begins – discernment opportunities
Stage 2: Formation at the Seminary – Training for the life ahead
Stage 3: Pastoral Placement in the Parish – Putting your training into effect
Stage 4: Preparation for Diaconate – Preparing to give it all
Stage 5: Diaconate and Preparation for Priesthood – I commit myself to serving the People of God
Stage 6: Priesthood: I give my life in the service of God’s glory and the salvation of others

Celibacy

In the Catholic Church, it is understood that when God call a man to the priesthood, he is also calling him to apostolic celibacy – the state of being unmarried and thus abstaining from sexual relations for the sake of the Kingdom of God. Why is this? What is the Catholic Church’s point on view?

First, being unmarried for the sake of God’s kingdom, is giving up for God as a sacrifice what is good and holy in itself, namely, sexual relations in marriage. Celibacy does not imply that sexual relations in marriage are impure – to the contrary.

Second, being celibate, he is free to serve those under his care. A priest does not go to work, earn a living, and return home to the demands of ordinary life. Instead he sacrifices the good of wife and children in order to be free and available for everyone in the parish.

Third, celibacy is rooted in the Bible and Sacred Tradition. Jesus himself talked about it in Matthew 19:12. St Paul recommends it in his first letter to the Corinthians 7:27-34. This preference for priestly celibacy persisted in the early Church and then became the norm.

Fourth, Jesus was celibate. Since he acts in the person of Christ, the head of the Church, the priest is asked to be like Jesus as much as possible, and to imitate Jesus by giving himself completely as a gift for others.

Fifth, celibacy reminds us of the reality of heaven. Jesus taught that there is no marriage in heaven between men and women because heaven is the eternal celebration of the union between Jesus and the Church.