A Few Good Men

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A Few Good Men

• The Priesthood

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What makes a Priest a priest?

• Servants of God
• Servants of the Church

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What makes a Priest?

• Priests are men who are called to serve the
  Church in a special way
• Priests are called Father because they are
  there to be guides, mentors, and essentially
  parental type figures for their parishioners
• The term priest generally means an administrator
  of religious services and sacraments
• Priests take vows to the Church, particularly to
  the Magisterium/hierarchy

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The Vows

• Like all vocations, Priests make vows to God
• Dedicated singles take the vow of chastity
• Married couples take vows at their wedding to
  each other and to God
• Religious brothers and sisters take a vow of
  poverty, chastity and obedience
• Priests take vows of chastity and obedience

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Chastity and Obedience

• The Vow of Chastity is pretty simple
• It basically states that priests are to refrain
  from having sex or marrying
• This vow has become a cause for controversy in
  recent years because some, inside and outside the
  Church, do not see the merits of a chaste
  priesthood
• The Vow of Obedience is a vow that the Priest
  will answer to his Bishop and ultimately to the
  Pope
• This vow ensures that orthodoxy is enforced and
  that Priests do not go rouge, misleading their
  flock and causing scandal
• The vow of obedience essentially works like the
  military in that there is a chain of command that
  is to be followed by soldiers, lieutenants,
  commanders, generals, etc.

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Whats so wrong with sex anyways?

• Well, nothing really, but there is a reason why
  Priests take this vow
• First of all, the Church views sex outside of
  marriage as sinful therefore the chastity vow is
  a promise to not marry
• The reasons against priests marrying are legion
• Having two vocations prevents priests from
  serving his family or his parish completely
• The vow of obedience would put the Priests
  family under the same vow, which would be
  problematic
• Allowing Priests to marry could be a detriment to
  the parish and could cause conflict with a
  priests advancement through Church hierarchy

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Serving two masters Priests and Marriage

• A married priest is essentially a man who has
  taken on two vocations and two separate types of
  vows one to his wife and one to the Church
• Both sets of vows are incompatible and serve two
  different functions
• Think about this if a bishop needs to move a
  priest from one parish to another across the
  country, the priest, under the vow of obedience
  must go. This would cause great strain and stress
  for his family and would prevent him from
  fulfilling his vow to his wife
• If a conflict came up between honoring his
  commitment between his wife and the Church, who
  wins?

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Serving to masters Priests and Marriage

• The clergys greatest asset is their mobility and
  utility
• A priest is like a Swiss Army knife
• They must be able to move quickly, serve as
  marriage counselors, administrators of the
  sacraments, administrators and, at times, must be
  available to his parish 24/7
• The question is can a priest still be as
  effective with a family?
• The Churchs answer is that it is not fair to the
  family nor is it fair to the Church and that a
  man would be unable to serve both equally and to
  his greatest ability

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Church Hierarchy and the Vow of Obedience

• The best way to think of the vow of obedience is
  through the military
• Priests are like Soldiers and Lieutenants in that
  they are the immediate ground forces
• Bishops are their commanding officers who direct
  and tell them where to go, what function to
  perform and what mission they are to focus on
• This allows bishops to take a big picture view
  of the needs of a larger area, the diocese, and
  allocate the best resources to the places that
  need them
• The Popes primary institutional role is to guide
  and instruct all of Christendom, to guide with
  broad strokes, setting the agenda and solving
  questions that the global Church is wrestling with

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Church Hierarchy

• The Pope!

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What does a priest typically do?

• Priests are in charge of their parish
• In larger parishes where there are several
  priests, there will be one priest who is the main
  administrator decided by the bishop
• Priests run the day to day stuff of the parish
• Primarily responsible for staff, councils and the
  various ministries of the parish
• Administer all sacraments including saying Mass,
  confession, annointings, etc.
• Priests In charge of their flock, meaning that
  they are to assess the needs of their
  parishioners and make sure they are met (often
  through programs/ministries within the Church)

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Priests often live on the premises of their Parish

• Their house is called a Rectory, often more than
  one priest will live their
• Priests who are not assigned parishes, such as
  school ministers or those in hospital ministry,
  often live in nearby rectories
• Living on the premises is a longstanding
  tradition and has many values
• Priests are more available to their parish at any
  time
• Priests do not have to worry about housing
• Allows for greater mobility of the clergy
• Also another reason why married clergy would be
  problematic Rectories are often not designed for
  families and could act as fish bowls with no
  privacy for the family

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What Makes the Priestly Calling Different?

• The vocation of the priesthood is primary a
  vocation of service
• Priests work around the clock, at times with
  great stress, to serve the needs of their
  parishoners
• The to be a priest is to be fully invested in the
  lives of your flock
• This is why they are called Fatherbecause they
  are to guide and direct their parish and to be
  selfless and giving like a father
• Just remember the numbers of a typical parish is
  around 800, thats a lot of children!

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Why would anybody want to dedicate their life to
service?

• There are many benefits to the priesthood
• Priests often see tangible effects of their labor
  and work
• Through happy families and marriages, through the
  success of their ministries and the growth of
  their Church
• Priests form a unique relationship with God
• Through administering the sacraments and their
  ordained prayer life, priests form a bond with
  God unlike that of married couples and single men
  and women
• Priests get the opportunity to try and create new
  things
• Through the course of a lifetime, a priest will
  have several jobs campus ministers, teachers,
  marriage counselors, prison ministry,
  theologians, etc.
• Their career path is extremely mobile and more
  flexible

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Two priests, two types of clothes

• Traditionally, priests either wear a clerical
  shirt (right) or a cassock (left)

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Priests are a select group of people

• Just like not everyone is to marry or be single,
  not everyone is cut out to be a priest
• Priests are called to service
• This calling is important because it is not for
  everyone, some people are not made for the
  lifestyle of a priest
• Vice versa, some people are called who do not
  follow because of preconceptions (and
  misperceptions) of the priesthood
• Be open to the idea of priesthood, consider it as
  a possibility, it can be very rewarding!