Questions About the Priesthood
Common questions asked about the priesthood.
- What is a Priest?
- What about Celibacy?
- What is the "Job Description" of a Priest?
- What are the responsibilities of a Parish Priest?
- How can a Priest do all what is asked of him?
- How much money does a parish priest make?
- In what ministries do Priests serve in the diocese?
- What does the Education and Training of a priest involve?
- What is the "Human Formation" of a priest?
- What is the "Intellectual Formation" of a priest?
- What is the "Spiritual Formation" of a priest all about?
- What is the "Pastoral Formation" of a priest?
- What are the qualifications for entrance into a Seminary?
- How do I make up my mind to become a Priest?
- What are some good "Discernment" tips?
- Why do men serve as Priests in our diocese?
- What is Priestly Fraternity like?
- What religious orders serve in the diocese as priests?
- 1. What is a Priest?
- A priest is a man of faith and prayer who through ordination has responded to a particular call of service and leadership within the Church. He makes present and visible the leadership which Christ gives to the Church.
- 2. What about Celibacy?
- The priest makes a promise of celibacy and obedience to his bishop. Celibacy is a visible and spiritual sign of one's commitment to Christ and His Church "...for the sake of the kingdom of Heaven. Let anyone accept this who can." (Matthew 19:12)
- 3. What is the "Job Description" of a Priest?
- "By sacred ordination and by the mission they receive from their bishops, priests are promoted to the service of Christ, the Teacher, the Priest, and the King. They share in His ministry of unceasingly building up the Chruch on earth into the People of God, the Body of Christ, and the Temple of the Holy Spirit." (Presbyterorun Ordinis # 1, Documents of Vatican II)
- 4. What are the responsibilities of a Parish Priest?
The parish priest is responsible for:
- The pastoral care of his parishioners
- Proclaiming the Word of God
- Celebrating the Sacraments of Eucharist, Baptism, Reconciliation, Sick, Matrimony, and with the Bishop's permission Confirmation
- Instructing the faithful
- Visiting his parishioners
- Visiting the sick
- Assisting the poor
- Evangelization of those who have given up religious practice
- Managing the temporal goods of a parish
(See Code of Canon Law, #528,529 & 530)
- 5. How can a Priest do all what is asked of him?
- The parish priest accomplishes his ministry with a team of volunteer laity, hired staff, and permanent deacons.
- 6. How much money does a parish priest make?
- A parish priest is given a salary and stipends that allow him to live a modest lifestyle. Current salary which includes a room & board allowance, and health benefits is $ 28,835.04 per year (gross).
- 7. In what ministries do Priests serve in the diocese?
- A priest in our diocese primarily serves as a parish priest / Pastor. However, we do have priests serving in hospitals and the Bishop's office. A priest (as well as a deacon) is under the authority of our diocesan bishop under whose ministry of Christ he is called to share. A parish priest can be appointed to one or more of the 113 parishes / missions in the diocese. We have English speaking parishes, French, Polish, Croatian and Italian speaking parishes. We also have parishes serving the First Nations people. Our priests serve over 200,000 Catholics living in three cities and many rural communities. Our diocese spans over 1,200 km of territory with people from all walks of life who live in an environment with -30 degrees Celsius winters and +30 degrees Celsius summers.
- 8. What does the Education and Training of a priest involve?
The education and training of a priest is called FORMATION. Formation has four areas of focus: human, intellectual, spiritual, and pastoral. Formation occurs within a Seminary environment, links to Seminaries in Canada that have formed priests for our diocese are:
www.rced.london.on.ca/Seminary.htm
- 9. What is the "Human Formation" of a priest?
Human formation is the basis of all priestly formation. Through communal life, outreach activities, physical fitness and individual counseling, a candidate for the priesthood is formed to be mature psychologically and socially. This enables him to meet the personal challenges of ministry with a solid character and common sense.
- 10. What is the "Intellectual Formation" of a priest?
A Bachelor Degree with a strong background in Philosophy is needed prior to theology studies. Theology training includes biblical, systematic, historical, moral, sacramental, liturgical, canonical and spiritual studies, along with homiletics, and professionally directed pastoral theology and field education. After five years of theology education, one graduates with a Masters of Divinity Degree.
- 11. What is the "Spiritual Formation" of a priest all about?
- To promote personal spiritual development, each seminarian has a spiritual director who helps him grow personally to be the best possible priest. Through daily celebrations of the Eucharist and Liturgy of the Hours, with weekly spiritual formation conferences, regular confession, days of recollection, annual silent retreats, and private devotions and prayers, an active spiritual life is fostered.
- 12. What is the "Pastoral Formation" of a priest?
- Weekly field education courses give seminarians the opportunity to put into practice what they learn in the classroom. Monthly peer reflection groups and involvement in Seminary Committees give the seminarian exposure to ministry. A full year working in a parish under the supervision of a priest provides an opportunity to integrate a seminarian's future pastoral life within their continuing formation for priesthood.
- 13. What are the qualifications for entrance into a Seminary?
The qualifications for entrance into a Seminary for priestly formation for the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie are:
- Male, single with no previous bond to marriage.
- Sponsorship and recommendation from the Diocesan Bishop.
- Proof of Canadian citizenship.
- A brief personal history.
- A recent photograph.
- Letter of recommendation from you Pastor.
- Letter of recommendation from the Vocations Director.
- Several other letters of recommendation from lay people.
- Copies of Baptismal and Confirmation Certificates.
- A criminal record check from the police.
- Psychological evaluation from the Diocesan Consultant Psychologist.
- Transcripts from Secondary and Post-Secondary institutions.
- Commitment to live a celibate lifestyle.
- Ability to learn at a university level in either French or English.
- A medical report from a practicing physician.
- Ability to finance education or obtain funding through bursaries and loans. (The cost of room, board and incidentals are paid by the Diocese through our annual parish collection for Seminary Formation)
- 14. How do I make up my mind to become a Priest?
- Making up one's mind to become a priest or to be open to going to a Seminary is called DISCERNMENT. For a description of the Discernment process, tests, and spiritual exercises to help you discern if God is calling you to be a priest, please visit www.vocations.com/discern/anontest.html
- 15. What are some good "Discernment" tips?
While discerning a call to priesthood, a spiritual director is needed. He may be your parish priest, a school chaplain or counselor. Before you talk seriously about a vocation to the priesthood, be sure you spend some time doing some of the following:
- Spend time daily in private prayer
- Attend Mass every Sunday
- Take advantage of weekday Mass celebrations
- Become involved in a ministry at your parish
- Read a good spiritual book
- Study the bible everyday
- Recite the Liturgy of the Hours
- Spend and hour a week in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
- Make a list of reasons why you feel God calling you to service
- Celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation frequently
- 16. Why do men serve as Priests in our diocese?
Those who choose to serve as priests in our diocese do so for many reasons:
- they grew up in this area of Northern Ontario and want to live their lives here close to family and friends
- they worked in the diocese and have come accustomed to our climate and culture
- they enjoy the nature, fresh air, and outdoors environment
- they enjoy the mix of rural and urban lifestyle
- they know and relate well with our priests
- they love our people
- 17. What is Priestly Fraternity like?
- Priests of our diocese enjoy a fraternity of 72 members. Priests gather for our annual retreat, for regional meetings, for diocesan committee meetings, for a golf tournament, and for our assemblies. Many priests socialize together and form regular "coffee" clubs to discuss the latest news in our church life.
- 18. What religious orders serve in the diocese as priests?
We have Basilian, Franciscan, Jesuit and Redemptorist priests serving in our diocese as parish priests. Links to these orders' web pages are as follows: